According to a report, Reliance Jio is set to launch its anticipated entry-level Android-powered phone in collaboration with Google sometime in the beginning of 2021. It was previously speculated that this phone would arrive as early as December. Jio Platforms was announced in July at the 43rd annual general meeting (AGM) of Reliance Industries to receive an investment of Rs. Thirty-three thousand seven hundred thirty-seven crores from Google for a 7.7 percent stake.
With its affordable 4G Android smartphone, that investment would help the Indian telecoms giant take on Realme and Xiaomi.
91mobiles reports that the Jio Android phone is still in testing and could take about three months to debut on the market, citing individuals familiar with the development. The latest report contradicts an earlier revelation suggesting the introduction of the entry-level smartphone in December.
To attract the masses in India, Jio is likely to consider a price tag of around Rs. 4,000 for his Android smartphone. Bloomberg’s September report also suggested that telco could introduce up to 200 million smartphone units over the next two years by increasing its production capacity to take on Chinese rivals, including Xiaomi, over the next two years.
A strategic agreement with Google to develop a custom Android-based operating system was signed by Reliance Industries in July and a new entry-level Android phone with the Google Play store. That growth could help Jio boost its presence in the Indian mobile phone market and go beyond the Jio Phone 4G-support, which it introduced back in July 2017 and upgraded a year later with the Jio Phone 2.
Though announcing its alliance and investment in Jio Networks with Reliance Industries, Google CEO Sundar Pichai had said that “Through this partnership with Jio Platforms, we see the chance to have an even greater impact than either company could have alone.”
Jio has Qualcomm Ventures as one of its primary partners, in addition to Google. To introduce 5G connectivity to the region, the help will be leveraged. At the Qualcomm 5G Summit in October, the operator detailed its 5G plans and promised to scale up its tests. However, Jio 5G’s exact rollout details are yet to be revealed.
