Just last Sunday, January 4th, Xiaomi officially took the wraps off its new Redmi 2 (also known as Hongmi 2 in China). The successor to the cheap-yet-decent smartphone that is the Redmi 1S, has the same display size, but runs on a newer 64-bit processor, now supports 4G LTE, and its still dirt cheap at less than RM400 in China.
Let’s jump right into the specifications:
- Dimensions: 134 x 67.2 x 9.4 mm
- Weight: 133 grams
- Color options: White, Dark Gray, Bright Yellow, Light Green, Pale (Pink)
- Main camera: Omnivision 5-lens 8MP sensor, f/2.2 aperture, 28mm wide-angle, face detection, real-time HDR, panorama, burst mode, exposure control, real-time filters, 10-second continuous shooting, 1080p video
- Front camera: 2MP, supports Xiaomi’s 2nd-generation ‘Intelligent Beauty’, 720p video
- Display: Sharp/AUO 720 x 1280 resolution at ~312ppi, support for color temperature adjustment
- Processor: 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916
- CPU: Quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A53
- GPU: Adreno 306
- RAM: 1GB
- ROM: 8GB, up to 32GB microSD? (could be an error in specs sheet)
- SIM: Dual Micro-SIM support, dual standby, dual 4G
- Network: GSM, CDMA, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, TDD-LTE, FDD-LTE
- Operating system: Android 4.4 with MIUI 6
- Battery: Sony/LG 2200mAh Lithium-ion Polymer battery, supports QuickCharge 1.0 technology
From here you can see that while it retains the 4.7-inch 720p display, Redmi 2 is able to be smaller, thinner, and even lighter than the Redmi 1S. While it ships with Android 4.4 and you may think it won’t be able to utilize the 64-bit processor, there will sure be a performance bump, with Xiaomi claiming up to 50% increase in performance over Snapdragon 400. Its Adreno 306 is an upgrade over last year’s 305 too.
The memory and storage remains the same at 1GB and 8GB respectively. Curiously however, on the specs sheet, it says that it could only take microSD up to 32GB, even though Redmi 1S could go up to 64GB; not sure what’s going on there (could be lost in translation).
Redmi 2’s main camera remains at 8 megapixels, while it upgrades the front to now have 2 megapixels (1S has a 1.6MP front sensor). Even the battery has been increased to a 2200mAh capacity from last year’s 2000mAh. It now supports QuickCharge 1.0, with Xiaomi saying it could charge up 40% faster than on conventional phones. I’m also made to believe it is user-removable, though at this point I can’t confirm it yet.
Lastly, because of its cheap price tag, the main draw would be its 4G LTE support. There appears to be three separate variants, but one of it does support WCDMA (850/1900/2100 MHz) and FDD-LTE Band 3 and 7 used for Malaysian 4G networks.
Xiaomi Redmi 2 can be pre-ordered in China now for 699 Chinese Yuan, which converts to around RM399.39. Sure, there are cheaper Android smartphones out there, but this may as well be the cheapest LTE smartphone yet.
More information over at http://www.mi.com/hongmi2/.
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