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This affordable smartphone from Google and Reliance will help bring millions of people online
Runs an optimized version of Android called Pragati OS
In 2016, Reliance Jio brought about a 4G revolution in India by launching its affordable 4G network with among the lowest mobile data prices in the world. Fast forward to 2020, and Google invested $4.5 billion in Jio Platforms and decided to work with the operator to bring online millions of users from India who continued to use a 2G feature phone. After a slight delay due to the semiconductor shortage, Reliance and Google have finally announced the JioPhone Next running a customized version of Android.
Google and Jio are launching a budget Android phone
We know what the JioPhone Next looks like but not what it will cost
Google and Jio joined hands last year to co-develop entry-level smartphones in a multi-billion-dollar deal. There were speculations that the two companies would launch a cheap 5G smartphone in India, but today’s announcement doesn’t live up to those rumors. Instead, what we’re getting is a 4G smartphone, called JioPhone Next, running a special version of Android.
Google invests $4.5 billion in Jio, plans to co-develop entry-level smartphone
Optimized versions of Android and the Play Store are also planned
Reliance’s Jio Platforms has been on a funding spree over the past few months with some sizable investment coming from Facebook, Qualcomm, and other global names. Joining this extensive list is Google, which will pick a minority stake in India’s biggest telco to create custom software and hardware solutions for India’s growing appetite for smartphones, particularly in the lower-end segment.
JioChat is a WhatsApp clone from the maker of the popular Zoom knockoff
With its Zoom copycat complete, Jio takes aim at the popular chat app
India’s biggest telecom operator Reliance Jio got richer by billions of dollars in the last couple of months with funds coming from left, right, and center. But it seems that instead of finding some good use for all that cash on hand, the company’s been busy cloning popular apps to offer its own alternatives. Last week, JioMeet was called out for being a Zoom rip-off, and now Jio is back with JioChat, which looks like a photocopy of WhatsApp.
The signs have been popping here and there and everywhere and now it's finally official: Google is bringing its smart speaker duo, the Home and Home Mini, to India. But before you get ahead of yourself and jump in excitement, you may want to do a double check on the prices: Rs 9,999 for the larger Home (approx. $154) and 4,499 (approx. $69). As always, prices outside the US are higher, and the sting is even more palpable in this case when the Home is over a year old and has been discounted to around $80 a few times and the Mini to $29 in the US.