JioPhone Next, a budget 4G smartphone co-developed by Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. and Google, will go on sale starting Diwali, Nov. 4 at a price of Rs 6,499. It was expected to launch in September.
Buyers will also have the option of purchasing it on instalments after an upfront payment of Rs 1,999, according to a statement by Jio Platforms Ltd. There are four EMI payment plans.
Always-On
EMI: Rs 300 for 24 months or Rs 350 for 18 months
Plan: 5GB + 100 minutes a month
Large
EMI: Rs 450 for 24 months or Rs 500 for 18 months
Plan: 1.5GB a day + unlimited voice
XL
EMI: Rs 500 for 24 months and Rs 550 for 18 months
Plan: 2GB a day + unlimited voice
XXL
EMI: Rs 550 for 24 months or Rs 600 for 18 months
Plan: 2.5GB a day + unlimited voice
A processing fee of Rs 501 will be charged additionally.
View: Reliance Industries Ltd. Chairman Mukesh Ambani announces JioPhone Next
The phone will be available across the country at Reliance Retail's network of JioMart Digital retail locations. The smartphone is expected to accelerate the transition of around 30 crore feature phone/2G users to smartphones, the company said.
"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," Mukesh Ambani, Reliance Industries Ltd.'s chairman and managing director, said in the statement. "We have done it in the past with connectivity. Now we are enabling it again with a smartphone device."
JioPhone Next will be powered by a Qualcomm processor and will feature Pragati OS, an optimised version of Android, which is tailored to deliver a simplified experience for users in India. It will also have features like the Google Assistant, automatic read-aloud of screen text, language translation, and smart camera with augmented reality filter.
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