JioPhone Next launched with starting price of Rs 1,999
The JioPhone Next was co-created by Reliance Industries and Google with the expectation that it would disrupt the smartphone category.
Reliance Industries on Friday announced that the smartphone its Jio telecom arm and Google co-created will be available in stores from Diwali for as low as Rs 1,999.
While the upfront cost of the JioPhone Next, which comes with a 13 MP rear and 8 MP front camera, 2 GB RAM, 32 GB internal storage and dual SIM slots, will be Rs 6,499, the firm is offering easy EMI options to help feature phone users to upgrade.
"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," the two firms said in a statement.
Reliance Industries CMD Mukesh Ambani
Jio is offering a finance option for the Jiophone Next where users can make an upfront payment of Rs 1,999 and pay the rest in easy monthly instalments spread across 18-24 months.
The smartphone, build on Qualcomm chipset, will be available across India on JioMart Digital retail stores.
"I am delighted that Google and Jio teams have succeeded in bringing this breakthrough device to Indian consumers in time for the festival season, in spite of the current global supply chain challenges caused by the COVID pandemic," Reliance Industries Limited chairman and managing director Mukesh D Ambani said.
The company is also offering data and talk-time bundled with EMI payments for the Jionext phone.
"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," Ambani said.
JioPhone Next operates on Google-developed Pragati OS, which is based on Android. The operating system offers exclusive features like Read Aloud, Translate, and also supports all Google apps. JioPhone Next also comes pre-installed with Jio apps like MyJio, JioCinema, JioTv, JioSaavn, etc.
The all 4G smartphone comes with a 5.5-inch HD+ display with a 720 x 1440 resolution. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 SoC under the hood. The phone packs a 3,500 mAh battery and 32GB of internal storage.
Jio announced four different JioPhone Next EMI plans for its customers. JioPhone Next can be purchased by paying an upfront cost of Rs 1,999. The remaining amount can be paid within 18-24 months.
