World’s most affordable Android smartphone to launch in India under the Reliance Jio brand: JioPhone Next runs on Google Android Pragati OS

The world’s most affordable, not necessarily cheap, Android smartphone will officially launch in India next week. The JioPhone Next Android device will run modified and optimized Pragati OS which Google and Reliance Jio have jointly developed.

Indian multi-sector company Reliance, and Google, jointly announced the official arrival of JioPhone Next. The third-generation of “feature-rich” Android smartphone benefits from the nation-wide 4G network, and software optimizations.

JioPhone Next Android smartphone specifications:

JioPhone Next is positioned as an ultra-affordable Android smartphone. It runs on an optimized version of Android called Pragati OS.

The Android device has full access to Play Store. Google is promising multiple Over The Air (OTA) updates support for new features, region-specific customizations, security updates, and more.

The JioPhone Next packs Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 processor, 2GB RAM, and 32GB internal storage. These specifications are certainly quite low, and under normal circumstances, such devices would not attract a lot of customers.

However, the JioPhone Next benefits from Google and Reliance Jio’s optimizations. The device places a lot of emphasis on Voice.

Simply put, customers can access the device and the majority of its features using their voice. From navigating the phone in their regional language to consuming content, JioPhone Next is essentially a “Voice-first” Android smartphone.

JioPhone Next features, price, and availability:

As Google and Reliance Jio have jointly collaborated and developed the JioPhone Next, it has several features and apps that are company and region-specific.

However, Google is promising a heavily optimized rear camera on the ultra-affordable Android smartphone. Software manipulations promise to offer HDR photos.

Camera Go, the phone’s camera app even has Indian-specific Snapchat Lenses. It is surprising to see an affordable device promising advanced features such as Night Mode, Portrait, and HDR.

JioPhone Next also promises instant sharing of content, with or without access to cellular data. With OTA updates, the phone also benefits from Google Play Protect that offers Google’s security and malware protection.

The JioPhone Next will cost INR 6499 or about $86. Needless to mention, this is an absurdly low and attractive price. At this price, the phone beats even feature phones with no touchscreen.

Google’s official blog post repeatedly mentions the device’s primary market in India. “The JioPhone Next is an affordable smartphone designed for India, inspired by the belief that everyone in India should benefit from the opportunities the internet creates,” mentioned Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google and Alphabet. In other words, there’s little possibility the affordable Android smartphone will be available outside the country.