After some delay, Reliance Jio’s much-awaited JioPhone Next budget Android phone will finally go on sale this Diwali. The price of the JioPhone Next is ₹6,499 but there are EMI options available which mean you can choose to pay ₹1,999 up-front, with the rest payable as EMI’s with bundled usage packs.
Reliance Jio and Google have partnered to develop this 4G smartphone for the Jio network in India. The customized version of Android for the JioPhone Next is called Pragati OS and it has been re-engineered for a simplified user experience while adding some new functionality for users in India.
The JioPhone Next is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 mobile platform and paired with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. There is a memory card slot that lets users add up to 512GB more storage space.
JioPhone Next gets a 5.45-inch display (1440 x 720 resolution), 13-megapixel primary camera, 8-megapixel selfie camera and a 3500mAh battery.
“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,” said Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director, Reliance Industries Limited, in a statement.
In terms of price, JioPhone Next is comparable with Xiaomi’s popular Redmi 9A phone, which is priced around ₹6,799.
A quick look at the specs reveals how much more powerful the Redmi 9A is, comparatively, which would be a better bet for longevity for most users. It runs a MediaTek Helio G25 processor — that is an 8-core processor and has higher clock speeds for faster performance, compared with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 which is a 4-core processor. The Redmi 9A also offers a slightly larger 6.53-inch display which more pixels (1600 x 720 resolution). There’s a larger battery as well (5,000mAh).
Indian smartphone maker Lava’s BeU phone, which is priced at ₹6,388 also offers an 8-core processor, a 6.08-inch display (1560 x 720 resolution), 13-megapixel and 2-megapixel dual camera combination at the back and a 4,060mAh battery. The Realme C11 2021 which has a price tag of ₹6,699 also offers a large 5,000mAh battery and a 6.5-inch display.
Reliance Jio and Google said the Pragati OS integrates Google Assistant’s voice commands in multiple Indian languages, the translate feature integrated across the interface which supports 10 Indian languages, a built-in Play Store for downloading apps, portrait mode for the camera, a ‘Nearby Share’ feature that doesn’t use the internet data and updates for security and feature additions — though it hasn’t been confirmed till when these updates will be available.
On the launch of the JioPhone Next, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said, “To build it, our teams had to work together to solve complex engineering and design challenges.”
The long-term payment options for the JioPhone Next, in case you don’t pay the ₹6,499 sticker price upfront, add definite value to the overall proposition.
These are available in the choice of 18 and 24 months duration. The prices for these start at ₹300 per month for the 24-month payment option and ₹350 per month for the 18-month payment option. Depending on your usage, there is the choice of the Always-on plan (5GB data and 100 minutes of calls per month), Large plan (1.5GB data per day and unlimited local and national voice calls), XL plan (2GB data per day and unlimited local and national voice calls) and the XXL plan that gets you 2.5GB data per day with unlimited calls as in the other plans.
For all the latest business News Click Here
