JioPhone Next launch delayed until Diwali

The launch of JioPhone Next, a first-of-a-kind smartphone being developed by Jio and Google, has been postponed by a few weeks. 

In a statement on Friday, Jio and Google announced that the device will now launch before the Diwali festive season. Originally, the companies had promised to make it available from September 10. 

“Both companies have begun testing JioPhone Next with a limited set of users for further refinement and are actively working to make it available more widely in time for the Diwali festive season,” the statement said. 

The reason for the delay appears to be the global shortage in the semiconductor supply chain, which has affected the smartphone, PC, and automobile industries. While both companies have made significant progress towards launching the phone, the additional time will help mitigate the current industry-wide, global semiconductor shortages, the statement noted. 

Announced earlier this year at Reliance’s 44th AGM, JioPhone Next will run on an optimized version of Android operating system.  

The specs of the phone remain under the wraps but the companies have assured that the phone will offer premium features, including voice-first capabilities to let people consume content and navigate the phone in their own language, a great camera experience, and the latest feature and security updates. It will also pack features like automatic read-aloud and language translation for on-screen text, and a smart camera with India-centric filters. 

Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani had said at the AGM that JioPhone Next would be the most affordable 4G smartphone in India and the world.