The Indian smartphone market is one of the most crowded when we speak of the budget segment. We have seen some major growth in this segment with numerous devices being introduced by the Chinese as well as homegrown brands. While a major chunk of the budget audience has transitioned from feature phones to smartphones, there’s still a large number that is yet to get on board with this process. Reliance Jio is one of those few brands which have been ruling the feature phone market ever since it ventured into the mobile space in the Indian market.
The brand has now opted for a new strategy of grabbing the audience with its first feature-rich smartphone. Called the JioPhone Next, the most affordable 4G phone in the market has finally arrived in the country and is already up for pre-bookings. Bundled with several user-friendly features, this device aims at getting 2G users to get a taste of the fast-speed 4G networks.
Reliance has launched the JioPhone Next at Rs. 6,499 in India and can be purchased in black and blue shades. We at Giznext managed to get our hands on India’s most affordable 4G phone and below is our feedback if it makes the cut. Will the affordable pricing or the user-friendly features save the day for this handset? Or will the budget Chinese phones have an edge? We are breaking it down for you in this quick review:
JioPhone Next Review: Design And Display
We’ll start things off with design since appeal is a crucial aspect in determining the success of a handset. The JioPhone Next doesn’t fall in line with modern-day’s smartphones where you get a slim and tall profile and non-removable battery setup. Rather, it brings a basic entry-level design where you get thick bezels without any notch or punch-hole and a removable back/battery setup.
While this might not be suitable if you are an ardent smartphone user, it is practical for users who are transitioning from feature phones to smartphones for the first time. What we liked is despite a thick body (plastic built), the handset is lightweight which makes it all practical for daily usage. As mentioned earlier, the device comes with a removable back. It has dual SIM and microSD card storage support.
Do note that you will have the option to use one Jio SIM and one SIM from any other operator. The internet connectivity/ mobile data can be used only via the Jio SIM. The remaining design aspects are the same as you would find on any other budget handset. It has the volume and the power keys on the right spine, while the bottom panel only accommodates the micro USB port. The speaker grille is at the lower bottom of the back panel. You get a textured back that allows for a good grip.
Speaking of which, the JioPhone Next flaunts a 5.45-inch display that supports standard 720 x 1440 pixels screen resolution, 18:9 aspect ratio, and 60Hz refresh rate. It gets a Corning Gorilla Glass layer that safeguards the panel from accidental scratches. The display does its job fine and you will have no issues consuming 720p videos on the go. Besides, the compact form factor makes single-hand usability quite easy. The brightness levels seem optimum, but it might not be sufficient outdoors. But, that’s okay considering this is an entry-level phone and has all the basic elements in place.
JioPhone Next: Camera Review
The JioPhone Next features basic camera hardware with both rear and front panels featuring a single sensor for imaging. At the rear, this budget phone packs a 13MP main camera. The image clarity is ample if you are clicking pictures in broad daylight or well-lit areas. The edge-detection as well as the color production is decent in such scenarios. The camera app has an integrated Google lens support which comes in handy to get details related to any image.
Several pre-set shooting modes will enhance the imaging experience. But, the night shots would be average and it would be criminal to expect a high-resolution output from a budget phone with a single camera. To capture selfies and video calling, the JioPhone Next features an 8MP camera up front. The selfie camera setup is adequate for social media platforms. You get clean and subtle-looking self-portraits which you can easily flaunt at Instagram, Facebook, and other similar websites.
JioPhone Next: Hardware, Software User Experience
The JioPhone Next runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon QM215 processor. This is a low-end Qualcomm chipset that has quad-cores and a clock speed of 1.3GHz. This processor is specifically designed for budget phones with Android Go Edition. That said, the device will ship with Pragati OS which seems to have borrowed some key aspects from the Android Go.
During our brief usage, we didn’t notice any major lags while loading apps or using them. Several pre-loaded apps make user operability simple. The device has been launched with 2GB RAM and a 32GB storage configuration. The RAM capacity is also ample for a low-end phone that uses a quad-core chipset. The JioPhone Next also has an expandable microSD card support which will take care of the additional storage space. Performance-wise, this handset lives up to the expectations.
As far as the UI is concerned, there are all the Google apps pre-installed along with a few other third-party apps. You also will get a bunch of Jio apps pre-installed including MyJio, JioTV, JioSaavn, JioMeet, JioMart, and others. The UI experience is decent and isn’t too laggy. Thankfully, the company hasn’t added any extra set of customizations over the interface (Pragati OS) that would hamper the user experience.
JioPhone Next: Battery Performance
The JioPhone Next, unlike most budget smartphones, packs rather a smaller 3,500 mAh battery unit. You can get a setup bigger than 4,000 mAh on the competitions. There is no fast charging support, but the device still gets a complete refuel within an hour. We are yet to test the battery capacity to its full potential. But with the brief testing, we can say that the device can last more than half a day on a single charge.
JioPhone Next: Verdict
Reliance had a successful run with the Jio feature phone lineup. The brand’s primary focus right from the beginning has been on the budget audience which doesn’t change with the latest offering. The JioPhone Next also caters to price-conscious consumers in India. Specifically, this device comes as the best option for users who are yet to own a smartphone. So getting used to a large touch display and other modern features would be easy for such masses. Besides, the company aims to get onboard the large number of masses that are still using a 2G internet connection. The JioPhone Next comes as an all package deal for the audience looking for a 4G handset that retails below Rs. 7,000.