Here we are going to take a look at everything we know about the upcoming affordable 5G smartphone from Jio. (Representational Photo: Jio Phone)
Mukesh Ambani at Reliance AGM 2020 announced that the company is building its 5G infrastructure in the country and said that the network will be available for all soon. Ambani also announced Reliance’s partnership with Google and said it will work with the tech giant to build an Android JioPhone for the masses. The company is expected to bring a 4G and also 5G smartphones in partnership with Google.
Not a lot of details are available about the upcoming Jio – Google smartphone so far but is said that Reliance will make the hardware and Google will supply the software for it. The company is expected to launch the device alongside its 5G network later this year or in early 2021. Ambani is yet to officially confirm the release of the network and the device.
We are going to take a look at everything we know about the upcoming affordable 5G smartphone from Jio.
Will it be called JioPhone 3?
Reliance is yet to reveal the name of the upcoming device. However, rumours suggest that the device will be called JioPhone 3. This rumour does hold some merit, as during his AGM speech Ambani, started talking about the JioPhone as the phone that got 4G to the masses, then about JioPhone 2, and after which he said that the next affordable smartphone from the company will emulate the same for 5G network mass adoption.
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What could be the price?
Reliance has not stated a price upcoming device and has only said that the device will be affordable. According to Counterpoint Research, the company will be targeting the sub Rs 10,000 segment with this smartphone, which sells around 60 million smartphones in a year.
If Jio is able to meet the sub Rs 10,000 price bracket, it will become the cheapest 5G smartphone in the world. Currently, the cheapest 5G device you can get in India is the OnePlus Nord with a starting price of Rs 24,999.
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5G chipsets
Both Jio and Qualcomm can come together to develop a chipset with an integrated 5G modem. (Image: Bloomberg)
Even though, Reliance revealed that it plans to work with Google, that is not the only investment it will be taking advantage of in manufacturing this device. To ensure the cost stays low, Jio will require an affordable chipset along with an affordable 5G modem, this is where the Jio-Qualcomm investment will come into play. Both companies can come together to develop a chipset with an integrated 5G modem, comparatively much cheaper than its current most affordable 5G chipset, the Snapdragon 765G 5G.
Operating system
Given it will be an entry-level device, the latest version of Google’s Android operating system will not work properly. Google will have to provide Reliance with a stripped-down version of the operating system.
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4G phone first
According to a report from Business Insider, the new version of the JioPhone 3 will be first launched as a 4G smartphone. Following which, the company is expected to bring a 5G variant of the same.
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