The JioPhone Next which was first announced in June during the Reliance AGM has been finally launched in the country. The phone's launch was announced to coincide with Ganesh Chaturthi (in September) but was postponed. Even the collaboration of Reliance, Google and Qualcomm couldn’t save the phone from getting impacted by the global chipset shortage.
Aimed at luring 2G users to upgrade to 4G, the JioPhone Next is being pitted by the company as an affordable entry-level phone which will go on sale from Diwali - November 4.
The JioPhone Next, unlike any other affordable 4G phone, has managed to remain in focus due to the sheer market size of Reliance led Jio and its penetration into the first-time smartphone users thanks to the original Jio Phone and the Jio Phone 2.
Additionally, since the phone is a result of the combined effort of three different market leaders - Google, Qualcomm and Reliance – it has been able to garner more attention. Let us take a quick look at the price of the JioPhone Next and some of its key features.
JioPhone Next Price in India and availability
As mentioned, the JioPhone Next will be available starting November 4. In terms of pricing, the JioPhone Next’s retail price has been set at Rs. 6,499. However, to target entry-level smartphone users, Jio is letting them purchase the phone at Rs. 1,999, however, the rest need to be paid as EMIs and the company is allowing the users to choose the tenure between 18 or 24 months.
There are 4 different EMI plans that the company has announced which not only include the price of the phone but also covers the cost of data and voice calls. The JioPhone Next EMI plans are mentioned below.
- Always-on Plan: available in 18- and 24-month EMIs costing Rs. 350 and Rs. 300 per month, respectively. Offers 5GB data and 100 minutes of calls
- Large Plan: This is priced at Rs. 500 per month for 18 months and Rs 450 if you opt for 24 months EMI. Users get unlimited voice calls and 1.5GB 4G data every day.
- XL Plan: Costs Rs. 550 for 18 months and Rs. 500 for 24 months. Offers unlimited calls and 2 GB/daily 4G data bundled.
- XXL Plan: Costs Rs. 600 for 18 months and Rs. 550 for 24 months. Offers unlimited calls and 2.5 GB/daily 4G data bundled in.
Additionally, the company is charging Rs. 501 as a processing charge for this financing scheme. The phone can be bought from the nearest Jio Mart digital retailer or can be registered on the Jio website. Though after the registration is complete the user needs to visit the nearby JioMart retailer to collect their JioPhone Next.
JioPhone Next features and specifications
The JioPhone Next is an entry-level 4G phone which competes against the phones from Xiaomi, Realme, Infinix, Poco, Micromax and more in the same price range. However, apart from the pricing, the phone’s internals and the software are of major interest.
The JioPhone Next is powered by a custom fork of Android which is called Pragati OS and has been developed by Google. This near-stock version of Android is specifically made for phones that are low specced and are aimed at an entry-level smartphone audience. It offers some exclusive features like Read Aloud, Translate, and also even supports all Google apps. Reliance Jio apps like MyJio, JioCinema, JioTv, JioSaavn, etc. also come pre-installed on the phone.
Powering the device is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 SoC coupled with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. The phone supports storage expansion of upto 512 GB via micro-SD card. The JioPhone Next has a 5.45-inch LCD display with HD+ resolution and corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection – both of which are rarely seen on phones at this price range.
A 3500 mAh battery powers the JioPhone Next which comes with dual sim connectivity. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel selfie camera.
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