Jio and Google announced today that the much-anticipated JioPhone Next, the made-for-India smartphone jointly designed by the two companies, will be available in stores from Diwali, adding to the festival cheer in the country. This will be the most affordable smartphone anywhere in the world with an entry price of only ₹1,999 and the rest paid via easy EMI over 18/24 months.

A unique financing option like this is being introduced for the first time for a device in this category, making it accessible for a much wider set of consumers. With features that are unprecedented in any phone in this category, JioPhone Next will be available across the country at Reliance Retail’s extensive network of JioMart Digital retail locations.

ENSURING EVERY INDIAN GETS EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND EQUAL ACCESS TO DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

This is the first time, that a phone in the entry-level category is getting a financing option.

This makes the entry price extremely affordable and almost equal to a feature phone price.

JioMart Digital’s network of more than 30,000 retail partners are empowered to provide the JioPhone Next with paperless digital financing option, extending to the remotest corners of the country, making it geographically accessible to every Indian.

JioMart Digital is also empowering these retail partners and enabling them to multiply their sales and profitability through the JioMart digital platform.

Speaking on the occasion, Mukesh D Ambani, Chairman & Managing Director, Reliance Industries said, “I am delighted that Google and Jio teams have succeeded in bringing this breakthrough device to Indian consumers in time for the festival season, inspite of the current global supply chain challenges caused by the Covid pandemic. I have always been a firm believer in the power of the Digital Revolution to enrich, enable and empower the lives of 1.35 billion Indians. We have done it in the past with connectivity. Now we are enabling it again with a smartphone device.

Among the many rich features of JioPhone Next, the one that has impressed me the most — and one that will empower common Indians the most and take their digital journeys to the next level — is its contribution to India’s linguistic integration. India’s unique strength is our linguistic diversity. Those Indians who might not be able to read content in English or in their language can get it translated, and even read out, in their own language on this smart device. It makes me proud to say that we are bridging the gap between ‘India’ and ‘Bharat, because ‘BHARAT’ Karega Digital Pragati - PRAGATI OS Ke Saath’.

This is also yet another proof of Reliance’s ‘WE CARE’ philosophy — We Care for the People and We Care for our Customers. I heartily congratulate Sundar Pichai and his team at Google, and everyone in Jio who partnered for offering this wonderful Diwali Gift to our countrymen. Happy Deepawali to one and all.”

Commenting on this milestone, Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google and Alphabet, said, “The JioPhone Next is an affordable smartphone designed for India, inspired by the belief that everyone in India should benefit from the opportunities the internet creates. To build it, our teams had to work together to solve complex engineering and design challenges, and I’m excited to see how millions of people will use these devices to better their lives and communities.“

PRAGATI OS

Pragati, in Indian languages, means ‘progress’. The JioPhone Next is a first-of-its-kind smartphone featuring Pragati OS, an optimized version of Android made for the JioPhone Next, which is tailored to deliver a simplified and delightful experience for users in India. Google and Jio have worked closely to create this OS that is aimed at addressing the unique needs of millions of smartphone users across the country.

JioPhone Next will offer full functionality that one expects from a smartphone, with access to millions of apps available on the Play Store and comes with over the air updates support for new features, customization, security updates and more, which will continue to enhance the phone experience over time.

JIOPHONE NEXT PROCESSOR

The processor comes from another technology leader, Qualcomm. The Qualcomm processor on the JioPhone Next focuses on delivering optimized connectivity and location technologies along with optimizations in device performance, audio, and battery.

SOME DIFFERENTIATED FEATURES OF JIOPHONE NEXT:

Google and Jio have contributed complementary assets and experience to jointly develop the JioPhone Next which has been built to cater to the diverse needs of the Indian consumer.

The embedded voice-first features will enable all Indians to consume content and navigate the phone in their language of choice.

1. Voice first capabilities

Google Assistant helps users to operate the device (Open App, manage settings etc.) by just speaking to it. User can get information/content from Internet easily in a language familiar to them.

2. Read Aloud

The ‘Read Aloud’ functionality enables the user to have any content on their screen read out to them by the device. This allows users to consume content easily by simply listening in their preferred language.

3. Translate Now

The Translate Now functionality enables the user to have any screen translated to the 10 popularly spoken Indian languages. This allows users to read any content in their language of preference.

4. Easy and Smart Camera

JioPhone Next is equipped with a smart and powerful camera that supports various photography modes such as Portrait Mode, allowing users to capture great photos with an automatically blurred background. Night Mode allows users to capture great photos even under low light conditions. The camera also features custom India-themed Lenses to enhance their selfies with emotions and festivities.

5. Access to millions of apps

The device supports all the available Android apps that users can download and use in the device via Google Play, thus giving them the freedom to choose from millions of apps available on the Play Store. It also comes preloaded with a host of Jio and Google apps.

6. Automatic feature updates

JioPhone Next comes with over the air updates support for new features, customization, security updates and more, which will continue to enhance the phone experience over time.

7. Easily share with friends

Quickly share apps, files, photos, videos, music and more with family and friends, even without the internet, using the ‘Nearby Share’ feature.