JioPhone Next to launch by Diwali, Confirms Google CEO Sundar Pichai

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has confirmed the launch of the JioPhone Next by Diwali. The smartphone has been co-developed by Reliance and runs on Pragati OS – new Android-based software that includes optimizations for the Indian audience.

Pichai explained to investors that the JioPhone Next is seen as a foundation for digital transformation in India.

“On India, I think, obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic has been hard. But through it all, the people are looking for access and there’s definitely been a wave of people who have adopted smartphones, and there is still – we see the demand for people looking to shift from feature phones to smartphones,” Pichai said.

Pichai said he is excited about the partnership with Jio in “building a phone and really investing beyond just English and getting languages and getting the local right for people and doing it in a way that many more people can take advantage of a smartphone”.

The new JioPhone Next was detailed in a teaser video recently. JioPhone Next is teased to run on an optimized Android-based Pragati OS and get automatic software upgrades.

Reliance Jio has also announced the phone will feature a Qualcomm mobile processor, but the exact chipset model remains unclear. Moreover, the price and availability of the JioPhone Next are yet to be announced.