Reliance Jio unveils its smartphone in collaboration with Google

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Mukesh Ambani on Thursday unveiled the new JioPhone Next in India in collaboration with Google, touting the device as the most affordable smartphone in the world. 

The company did not reveal the price of the mobile device, but shared a few pictures to give users a glimpse of what can be expected.

Speaking at Reliance’s Annual General Meeting, Ambani said the new smartphone will be available from Ganesh Chaturthi, September 10, 2021 this year. The move comes as the India’s top telecom operator looks to expand its footprint in the smartphone market.

The phone is powered by an optimised OS that is leveraged from Android and Play Store built especially for JioPhone Next. It will support suite of applications from Jio to Google as well as Android Play Store.

“Our teams have optimized a version of our Android OS especially for this device. It will offer language and translation features, a great camera, and support for the latest Android updates,” Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google and Alphabet  said in a statement.

“It is built for India and it will open up new possibilities for millions of new users who will experience the internet for the very first time.”

The phone will allow users to read content in their language, ask Google Assistant to play music on JioSaavn and check their Jio balance. The company is also boasting of a fast, high-quality camera that can click clearer photos at night and in low-light situations to HDR mode. Besides, Google has partnered with Snap to integrate Indian-specific Snapchat Lenses directly into the phone’s camera.

 In addition to the new phone, Google and Jio announced a new 5G partnership to deliver high speed internet in India. “The two companies will collaborate to bring a portfolio of 5G edge computing solutions as Jio builds new services across many verticals including gaming, healthcare, education, and entertainment,” Google said in a blog post.

 “These will be powered by Jio’s 5G network and Google Cloud’s innovations in AI/ML, data and analytics, and other cloud-native technologies.” As per the collaboration, Reliance will migrate many of its core businesses such as Reliance Retail, JioMart, JioHealth, JioSaavn and others to Google Cloud’s infrastructure.

Last year, Reliance had announced that Google invested Rs. 33,737 crore for 7.7% stake in Jio Platforms.