JioPhone Next NOT Launching Today: Reliance Jio

JioPhone Next Launch: Reliance Jio was scheduled to launch its ultra-affordable Android device in partnership with Google, the JioPhone Next, today. This smartphone is expected to be Reliance Jio's key to accessing hundreds of millions of users in the world's second-largest internet market and is clearly highly anticipated. However, it looks like the wait will go on for quite some time. The company announced in a statement issued late Thursday that the JioPhone Next smartphone would not launch on Friday (September 10).

Jio Platforms issued a statement late Thursday in which the company said it has been testing the new smartphone with a "limited set of users for further refinement" and is "actively working to make it more widely available" on Diwali, which is early November. The company blamed a global semiconductor shortage for the delay and said an additional two months to be added to the launch schedule will mitigate the problems.

Reliance Jio introduced the JioPhone Next in early June this year and the device was scheduled to launch today. Designed in partnership with Google, this Android Go device will become the cheapest 4G device in the world once it launches. However, neither Reliance Jio nor Google gave any indication until Thursday night that there were plans to postpone the launch. "The companies remain committed to their vision of opening new possibilities for millions of Indians, especially those who will experience the Internet for the first time," Reliance Jio said in the press release.

At the June event, Reliance Jio and Google had said that the JioPhone Next would feature a "high-quality fast camera" with HDR support and that the device would also be protected by the latest versions of Android and security updates. The smartphone is also expected to launch with a variety of features like Translate Now, Read Out Loud, etc., which will work with any text on the phone screen, including apps, web pages, and photos.