Xiaomi Redmi 2 Review
Xiaomi certainly has ambitions beyond the low end of the Indian market, but its bread and butter so far has been the sub-Rs. 10,000 segment. The launch of the outrageously powerful Redmi 1S was perhaps the most disruptive event in the entire Indian mobile market in all of 2014, and even with competitors coming in, there has been no shortage of demand. Hundreds of thousands of units were sold before the model abruptly disappeared from the scene, and it still commands almost full price when sold second-hand.
The disappearance of the Xiaomi Redmi 1S left a massive hole in the market, which the company is now trying to fill with its successor, the brand newXiaomi Redmi 2. It will cost Rs. 1,000 more than the Redmi 1S did when it goes on sale each week for the foreseeable future but has a few features to make up for that. We're keen to see how much of a difference this generation leap actually makes, and whether Xiaomi can keep its momentum against a backdrop of dead serious new competitors.
Look and feel
There isn't much differentiating the Redmi 2 from the Redmi 1S. Both are roughly the same size and have the same proportions. A glance at their respective spec sheets tells us that the Redmi 2 is slightly smaller and lighter, but this will hardly be perceptible to anyone. The phone is very comfortable to hold and we had no problem using it with one hand.
There isn't much differentiating the Redmi 2 from the Redmi 1S. Both are roughly the same size and have the same proportions. A glance at their respective spec sheets tells us that the Redmi 2 is slightly smaller and lighter, but this will hardly be perceptible to anyone. The phone is very comfortable to hold and we had no problem using it with one hand.
The rear is also quite plain, except for a very noticeable silver Mi logo. The camera lens is slightly raised, and the flash, speaker grille and secondary mic are arranged around it. The power and volume buttons are on the right, the 3.5mm headset socket is on top, and the Micro-USB port is on the bottom. Xiaomi continues to use a rectangular port cutout which makes it difficult to orient Micro-USB cables - no reversible Type-C connector yet, unfortunately!
Specifications and software
There's a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC in place of last year's 1.6GHz Snapdragon 400. The clock speed might be lower, but the four CPU cores are more modern and more powerful. The integrated GPU is also the more recent Adreno 306 compared to the Adreno 305.
There's a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC in place of last year's 1.6GHz Snapdragon 400. The clock speed might be lower, but the four CPU cores are more modern and more powerful. The integrated GPU is also the more recent Adreno 306 compared to the Adreno 305.
There's still 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage space though a more expensive limited edition with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage might be available later. The screen measures 4.7 inches diagonally and its resolution of 720x1280 is one of the main features that sets this phone apart in the budget segment. Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS and FM radio are standard. The rear camera still has an 8-megapixel sensor but the front one gets an upgrade to 2 megapixels from 1.6. The battery has also received a nice bump up from 2,000mAh to 2,200mAh.
Quick Specifications:
GENERAL
| Release date | January 2015 |
| Form factor | Touchscreen |
| Dimensions (mm) | 134.00 x 67.20 x 9.40 |
| Weight (g) | 133.00 |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 2200 |
| Removable battery | Yes |
| Colours | White, Black, Yellow, Pink, Green |
| SAR value | NA |
DISPLAY
| Screen size (inches) | 4.70 |
| Touchscreen | Yes |
| Touchscreen type | Capacitive |
| Resolution | 720x1280 pixels |
| Pixels per inch (PPI) | 312 |
| Colours | 16M |
HARDWARE
| Processor | 1.2GHz quad-core |
| Processor make | Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 |
| RAM | 1GB |
| Internal storage | 8GB |
| Expandable storage | Yes |
| Expandable storage type | microSD |
| Expandable storage up to (GB) | 32 |
CAMERA
| Rear camera | 8-megapixel |
| Flash | Yes |
| Front camera | 2-megapixel |
SOFTWARE
| Operating System | Android 4.4 |
| Skin | MIUI 6 |
| Java support | Yes |
| Browser | HTML |
CONNECTIVITY
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| Wi-Fi standards supported | 802.11 b/ g/ n |
| GPS | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v 4.00 |
| NFC | No |
| Infrared | No |
| DLNA | No |
| Wi-Fi Direct | No |
| MHL Out | No |
| HDMI | No |
| Headphones | 3.5mm |
| FM | Yes |
| USB | Micro-USB |
| Charging via Micro-USB | Yes |
| Proprietary charging connector | No |
| Proprietary data connector | No |
| Number of SIMs | 2 |
| SIM 1 | |
| SIM Type | Micro-SIM |
| GSM/ CDMA | GSM |
| 3G | Yes |
| SIM 2 | |
| SIM Type | Micro-SIM |
| GSM/ CDMA | GSM |
| 3G | Yes |
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