Google and Jio Platforms' Smartphone Launch Gets Rescheduled
Google and India's Jio Platforms has announced that its smartphone will now be launched in time for the Diwali festive season in India. This means that the much-awaited phone will now be launched in early November, rescheduled from its earlier scheduled September 10 launch date.
The two companies in a joint press release have said that the delayed launch will also help mitigate the industry-wide semiconductor shortages. Further, they said that the JioPhone Next is now being tested with a limited set of users for "refinement."
Jio Platforms operates India's largest telecom network, which has over 400 million subscribers. It is working jointly with Google to produce an affordable 4G smartphone that will cater to the requirements of roughly 300 million Indians.
"JioPhone Next is built with exciting features like the Google Assistant, automatic read-aloud and language translation for any on-screen text, a smart camera with India-centric filters and much more. The companies remain committed to their vision of opening up new possibilities for millions of Indians, especially those who will experience the internet for the very first time," mentioned the statement.
JioPhone Next will have an operating system based on Android and Play Store. This phone is expected to have premium capabilities associated with more powerful smartphones, including voice-first features. The phone will get the latest Android feature and security updates.