JioPhone Next launch NOT happening today, Reliance Jio announces

JioPhone Next launch: Reliance Jio announced in a statement late on Thursday night that the JioPhone Next smartphone is not going to be launched today.

JioPhone Next launch: Reliance Industries had announced that the JioPhone Next would be launched on Ganesh Chaturthi, which is today, September 10. (Reliance Jio)

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

Jio Platforms issued a statement on Thursday night where 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 available more widely” around Diwali, which is in early November. The company blamed the global semiconductor shortages for the delay and said that an additional two months that's being added to the launch timeline “will” mitigate the issues.

Reliance Jio unveiled the JioPhone Next earlier in June this year and the device was scheduled to launch today. Designed in partnership with Google, this Android Go device is being pegged to be the cheapest 4G device in the world once it launches. However, neither Reliance Jio nor Google, gave any indications till late Thursday that there were plans to postpone the launch. “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,” Reliance Jio said in the press statement.

The JioPhone Next, which is going to run Android Go - the “extremely optimised Android” operating system is being marketed as an “ultra-affordable 4G smartphone”. With this, the company is hoping to tap into roughly 300 million users in India who are still on slower networks like 2G. Both Reliance Jio and Google have said that they plan to launch the smartphone in other markets too, eventually.

At the event in June, Reliance Jio and Google had said that the JioPhone Next was going to feature a “fast high-quality camera” with HDR support and the device would also be protected by the latest Android releases and security updates. The smartphone is also expected to launch with a range of features like Translate Now, Read Aloud, etc, that will work with any text on the phone screen, including apps, webpages, and photos.