One of the most hyped budget smartphones, JioPhone Next has been delayed. As per the initial announcement, the phone was supposed to launch on the Ganesh Chaturthi festival today, however, a prepared statement released late last night has revealed that the phone will now roll out ahead of Diwali in November.
Jio also confirmed that the device is under advanced trial with a limited set of users which, according to the company, will only help in “further refinement” of the phone.
The statement says the deferred release will help the company to ensure that the phone is made available to a wider audience across the country when the festivities are its peak. The company indicated that the ongoing global chip shortage has played a key role in the postponement of the launch.
- JioPhone Next price in India, specs, and everything we know so far
- Best smartphones under Rs 7,000 in India
The semi-conductor shortage has impacted the launch cycles of various brands and products - including flagship smartphones, tablets, and more. The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has only worsened things. Though initially, it was believed that the short supply will ease out in a quarter or so, however, it has further stretched due to the spike in demand created by remote learning and remote work.
Aimed at first-time internet users, the JioPhone Next is launching with a mantra to make the country #2GMuktBharat. And while only time will tell where the ambitious plan of Jio stands, however, the phone is indeed going to be the cheapest 4G phone.
It comes with key features like Google Assistant, language translation for on-screen text, a smart camera with India-centric filters powered by Snapchat and a customized version of Android that can support low-specced devices. It will support lite versions of various applications like Chrome, Google Camera and Google Duo Go etc.
What's more, Google has also promised that the JioPhone Next will get timely software updates which means that the phone will continue to get the latest features and software even though it may not be a flagship device. We, however, will have to wait for further details around the software update promise.
In terms of specifications, reports reveal that the JioPhone Next will come with a 5.5-inch display boasting HD+ resolution, a Snapdragon 215 Chipset coupled with up to 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. Powering the phone could be a 2500 mAh battery. In terms of pricing, the phone could be available in a couple of variants based on memory and storage and could be priced at Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 7,000 respectively.
Want to know about the latest happenings in tech? Follow TechRadar India on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
