JioPhone Next, the device made possible by the collaboration of two giants, Google and Jio, is finally available to buy in India. It is claimed to be the world’s most affordable 4G smartphone yet, but is it worth the hype? Let’s take a look at its price, EMI tariff plans, and features in detail.

The JioPhone Next is priced at Rs. 6,499 in India, but if you want to buy it in installments, you can take advantage of Jio’s combined EMI tariff plans. You can get the device by paying a down payment of Rs. 1,999 and a processing fee of Rs. 501. You can then choose any plan that works for you and pay the amount in monthly installments. There is an Always-on plan, Large plan, XL plan, and XXL plan. All of them have 24 and 18-month installment options. You will get data and calling benefits each month as per the chosen plan.

Out of these four, the most affordable EMI plan is priced at Rs. 350 per month for 18 months. So, eventually, the phone will cost you Rs. 8,800 in total including the down payment (Rs. 1,999) and processing fee (Rs. 501). The next best plan will cost Rs. 300 for 24 months, which is a lower monthly payment, but will work out to Rs. 9,700 over a period of 2 years.

The target audience for the JioPhone Next is feature phone users who are yet to come online, so considering these EMI plans, the JioPhone Next could be a great deal for first-time smartphone users.

But, overall, if you compare the JioPhone Next in terms of specs with competition such as the Realme C11 and Redmi 9A, you can get much better features at this price point. The JioPhone Next has a dated design with very basic features and a small 5.45-inch HD+ display. Additionally, you can only use a 4G JIO SIM, and SIMs from other networks will only work with 2G networks.

However, it has some standout features as well. The device runs on Pragati OS, which is a tweaked version of Android 11 Go Edition. It has Google Assistant and support for 10 languages including Hindi. Jio promises on-screen and voice translation features, plus text-to-speech for anything on the screen. These could be useful to many first-time smartphone users.

You can remove the back panel to replace the battery, and insert two SIMs and a microSD card. Further, in the camera department, it has a single 13-megapixel back camera and an 8-megapixel front camera. Jio says there’s a portrait mode and even a night mode. There are also Snapchat filters right inside the camera app, some with Indian festival themes.

The JioPhone Next could be great for those who are still using a 2G feature phone. It can connect Indian users with the internet with easy EMI plus tariff plans. However, people who are looking to buy the best value for money smartphone under Rs. 7,000 or even under Rs. 10,000 might be disappointed with the JioPhone Next, but the appeal lies in the low entry cost, local-language integration, and the reach of the Jio network.

Let us know in the comments section below what you think about it.