JioPhone Next Unboxing and First Impressions


Reliance Jio launched its first smartphone – JioPhone Next last week after a slight delay due to chip shortage. The phone runs Android 11 Go Edition with Pragati OS on top. It has a 5.45-inch HD+ screen, is powered by quad-core Snapdragon 215 SoC with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Here we have the first impressions of the phone.

Box Contents

  • JioPhone Next in Blue colour
  • 2-pin charger (5V-1.5A)
  • micro USB Cable
  • 3500mAh battery
  • User guide and warranty information

The phone has a 5.45-inch  HD+ display with a resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels. The display is bright indoors, but the outdoor visibility and the viewing angles are strictly average. It has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, and the screen has anti fingerprint coating, says the company, but I could see fingerprint on the screen.

Powered by 1.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 215 Mobile Platform with Adreno 308 GPU, it has 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The phone runs Android 11 Go Edition with Pragati OS on top, which the company says is built specifically for India by Jio and Google. This adds Read Aloud and ‘Translate Now’  features OS-wide.

Jio says that it will get over the air updates that will add support for new features, customization, security updates and more, which will continue to enhance the phone experience over time. However, it doesn’t confirm if the phone will get Android 12 update. There is a slight lag when using the phone, mainly due to the quad-core processor and less RAM.

On the front, there is an 8-megapixel auto focus camera next to the earpiece on the bezel. It doesn’t miss out on the ambient light and proximity sensors, but it doesn’t have a gyroscope sensor.

Coming to the build quality and button placements, the phone has a plastic body with a matte finish that doesn’t attract fingerprints. The power button and the volume rockers are present on the right side that are actually attached to the plastic back cover. The primary microphone and the micro USB port are on the bottom, and the 3.5mm audio jack is present on the top.

Removing the back cover, you can see the removable battery compartment. There is a primary nano SIM slot on the right side which is locked to Jio, and the data also works only on the primary slot. Next to it is the microSD slot, which accepts cards up to 512GB. On the other side, you can see the secondary SIM slot, which lets you use any SIM, but only for calls and SMS, and not for data.

Jio says that you can use any Jio SIM card in the phone, even if you buy the phone in EMI option, but if you don’t pay the EMI on time, Jio can lock the phone remotely.

On the back, you can see the 13MP auto focus camera. Above it there is a secondary microphone. You can also see the Jio branding below it. It has Camera Go app which integrates, HDR, portrait mode that works both for front and rear cameras, and there is also a night mode option, but the resolution goes down to 2MP when you use right mode.

HDR shots are brighter, but they look over processed and doesn’t have a lot of details. Night mode shots have a lot of noise. It can record videos at 1080p resolution using front and rear cameras. The camera is just average for a phone with a 13MP sensor. Check out the samples below.

Even though the phone has a plastic body, the build quality is decent. The speaker is present in the lower part of the back.

The JioPhone Next is priced at Rs. 1,999 if you go for easy EMI option, and the plans start at Rs. 300 per month. You can also purchase the phone without any plans or EMI by paying Rs. 6499 in full.

You can get it from Diwali, November 4th through JioMart Digital’s network of more than 30,000 retail partners, Jio Store offline, Jio.com or on WhatsApp Send ‘Hi’ to 70182-70182.


Author: Srivatsan Sridhar

Srivatsan Sridhar is a Mobile Technology Enthusiast who is passionate about Mobile phones and Mobile apps. He uses the phones he reviews as his main phone. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram