Reliance JioPhone Next is coming to a store near you on Thursday. The smartphone, co-developed by Jio and Google, will be available for purchase at an entry price of Rs 1,999, with the rest of the amount to be paid in easy EMIs over 18 or 24 months. The JioPhone Next is set to give access to millions of Android apps to its users, and will act as a catalyst in bringing the close to 275 million 2G users to 4G.
The JioPhone Next, which will come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon QM215 processor, is aimed at putting a smartphone in every Indian’s hand. India has about 300 million users that still use 2G. That is because the cost of owning a smartphone in India is too high for many users. The JioPhone Next aims to solve this problem. The smartphone has been launched with an aim to make it easier for these 300 million users to upgrade to 4G.
This is similar to 2017, when Reliance Jio launched its first JioPhone in order to attract 2G customers to 4G. The JioPhone drew about 100 million new users to 4G. Now, this is being compared to the JioPhone Next as Reliance Jio is using the same strategy to attract buyers to the JioPhone Next. In 2017, the first JioPhone was sold at an initial deposit of Rs 1,500, which could be claimed back after three years, making the device virtually free.
Now, while Jio has no intentions of making the JioPhone a “free phone”, it is using a similar tactic where users can buy the smartphone for Rs 1,999, and pay the rest in easy EMIs that will also include data and calling benefits for Jio customers. The JioPhone Next will run on Android-based Pragati OS that is designed specifically for Indian users. Our guess is that the India-centric Android UI will also attract many new users. The JioPhone Next is being seen as a significant step in Jio’s goal of a “2G-mukt Bharat”.
The JioPhone Next is also available for purchase by making a one-time payment of Rs 6,499. The smartphone will come with a 5.45-inch display and will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.
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