At its 44th Annual General Meeting (AGM) today, Reliance announced the JioPhone Next -- an ultra-affordable Android phone developed in collaboration with Google. It will run an optimized version of Android that will offer first-time smartphone owners access to features like a voice assistant, text-to-speech capabilities, language translation, smart camera with AR filters, and much more.

As seen in the screenshots attached below, the JioPhone Next will feature an outdated design with chunky bezels around the display, a plain plastic back with a single camera, and the Jio logo bang in the center. But that was to be expected from a device that Reliance claims to be the most affordable Android phone by far. Design set aside, the JioPhone has the potential to be a complete game-changer as it will bring all of Google's and Jio's services within reach of even more users. Interestingly, Google says it will also offer support for the "latest Android releases and security updates."

At the moment, Reliance hasn't shared any details about the JioPhone Next's specifications except for the fact that it will offer 4G connectivity. We expect to learn more in the months leading up to the launch.

It's worth noting that while Google's Sundar Pichai didn't specify exactly which version of Android will be available on the JioPhone Next, the Google Camera Go app icon spotted in one of the promotional images leads us to believe that it might feature Android Go. As mentioned earlier, the phone will offer voice assistant support, text-to-speech capabilities, and language translation. Google has shared the following short clips of these features in action:

L to R: Google Assistant and Text-to-Speech on JioPhone Next

The JioPhone Next will also come with the Google Camera Go app pre-installed, which will enable features like Night Mode, HDR enhance, and Snapchat AR filters.

L to R: Night mode, HDR enhance, and Snapchat AR filters on JioPhone Next

The JioPhone Next will go on sale in India on September 10th, and it will likely be available in two colorways -- blue and black. Unlike previous Jio phones, the JioPhone Next will also make its way to international markets. But Reliance Jio hasn't shared any details about the global launch at the moment. We'll update this post as soon as we have more information about the upcoming phone.