This  last Thursday, Ambani addressed the nation in the most ‘socially relevant’ annual general meeting that Indians, over the years, have come to follow. The jaw-dropper was a new budget smartphone — JioPhone Next — that Jio has made in partnership with Google.

 


JioPhone Next price in India is yet to be revealed. However, the phone is slated to be available for purchase from September 10.

The JioPhone Next is designed for people looking to upgrade from 2G to 4G connectivity along with an affordable smartphone. The new offering is based on a custom Android operating system that has been specifically designed by Google for Jio.

The JioPhone Next also includes a rear camera along with an LED flash. There is also a preloaded HDR mode. Further, Google has partnered with Snap to integrate India-specific Snapchat Lenses into the phone's camera.

Google has also promised to provide support for the latest Android releases and security updates on the JioPhone Next. Additionally, the phone comes preloaded with the Google Play store along with Google Play Protect.

"JioPhone Next is powered by an extremely optimized version of the Android operating system that has been jointly developed by Jio and Google, especially for the Indian market," said Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries, at the virtual AGM. "This is a testimony to a global technology giant, and a national technology champion, working together to make truly a breakthrough product that can be first introduced in India, and then taken to the rest of the world."


In July last year, Jio Platforms received an investment of Rs. 33,737 crores from Google. That deal, which was a part of Google's India Digitisation Fund, included the plan to build the affordable Android phone.