Reliance Jio has launched the new JioPhone Next in India. The new phone has been developed in partnership with Google.
The company hasn’t announced its pricing but said that the new device will be the most affordable smartphone in the world.
JioPhone Next will be available from 10 September on Ganesh Chaturthi. The phone will be first launched in India and then taken to the rest of the world.
JioPhone Next has been announced at the company’s 44th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday.
While the JioPhone 1 and the JioPhone 2 were feature phones with some smart features, the JioPhone Next is a full-featured smartphone, complete with the Google Play store.
“I am pleased to announce that Google and Jio teams have jointly developed a truly breakthrough smartphone, JioPhone Next. It is a fully-featured smartphone supporting the entire suite of applications from both Google and Jio,” said Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Limited, during the 44th AGM.
“It is ultra-affordable and packs cutting-edge features,” Ambani added.
“It will be available in the market from Ganesh Chaturthi, 10th September,” Ambani said.
“Our teams have optimised a special version of Android specifically for this phone. It is built for India and for users who will experience a smartphone for the first time,” said Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
JioPhone Next is powered by an optimised version of Android, which has been jointly developed by Reliance Jio and Google.
Jio and Google also confirmed that they will be working together for 5G technology in India.
Last year, Jio entered into a commercial partnership with Google to develop entry-level or low-cost 4G and 5G smartphones for its subscribers in India. The partnership is a part of Google’s proposed investment of $4.5 billion in Jio Platforms for a 7.73% stake.
Under the partnership, Google has provided optimised version of its Android operating system and the Play Store for Jio smartphones.
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