Reliance Jio Partners MediaTek to Make Android Oreo (Go Edition) Smartphone

MediaTek at its Curtain-Raiser for 2018 event in New Delhi on Tuesday revealed its partnership with Reliance Jio for developing an affordable smartphone running Android Oreo (Go edition). The new smartphone is expected to sit alongside the Jio Phone, which was launched in the country in last July with an effective price of Rs. 1,500. Details about the price and availability of the new Android Go smartphone are yet to be released.

At the event, MediaTek confirmed that it has MT6739, MT6739, and MT6580 are its latest SoCs to support the Android Go platform. The chipmaker had announced its collaboration with Google for supporting Android Oreo (Go Edition) last month and stated that the first Android Oreo (Go edition) smartphones powered by MediaTek processors will be launched in global markets by the first quarter of this year. This may be the timeline for the launch of the Reliance Jio Android Go phone as well.

Google announced Android Oreo (Go edition) in India last month. The new platform is the lightweight version of Android 8.1 and is primarily designed to make entry-level devices "fully-functioning" smartphones. MediaTek at its New Delhi event showcased that its MT6739 SoC enables features such as dual camera, face unlock, and dual 4G VoLTE even on the highly optimised Android Oreo (Go Edition). Also, the new processing chip is touted to offer performance-efficient results even with 512MB and 1GB RAM options. We can expect the Reliance Jio Android Go smartphone to be such a basic offering, with a budget price tag.

In addition to Reliance Jio's interest towards Android Oreo (Go edition), Micromax recently proclaimed that its Bharat Go smartphone will run the new platform out of the box. HMD Global is also in the rumours for developing the Nokia 1 its Android Go device, which is likely to be unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in Barcelona, Spain, next month.

Alongside its partnership for Android Oreo (Go Edition), MediaTek at its event showcased the Sensio MT6381 that is the company's first six-in-one smartphone biosensor module. It is specifically designed to enhance operations in the Indian healthcare industry by delivering valuable health data consisting of optical, electrical, and processing components. The module was unveiled last month in Taiwan and is claimed to deliver vital data points, including heart rate, heart rate variability, blood pressure trends, peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), electrocardiography (ECG), and photoplethysmography (PPG), in nearly 60 seconds.

MediaTek additionally reiterated its commitment towards the government's 'Make in India' and 'Skill India' initiatives through its MediaTek Design Training Programme that was announced late last year in partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The Taiwanese company is also enhancing Android certification programmes, namely GMS Express and GMS Express Plus, to help Indian device makers bring Android-powered devices to market faster and with an improved experience than what was available in the market before.

"India is growth intensive, a market of immense opportunities with its own set of aspirations and needs. We continue to intensify our technology collaboration in India, even beyond smartphones, and recognise its importance in the global marketplace," said T L Lee, General Manager, Wireless Communication, MediaTek.