After some speculation whether Xiaomi will launch the Redmi 1S 4G or the Redmi 2 handset today, the company has unveiled the Redmi 2 handset which is definitely an upgrade over its predecessor. This handset not only brings 4G LTE connectivity to the table along with the smaller footprint (in every possible way), but also bumps up the processor by bringing the 64-bit chip on board. The device also remained really cheap, it is priced at 699 Yuan in China, which is about $113.
Xiaomi Redmi 2 is a nice looking phone, though it won’t amaze anyone with its looks. This device sports what I’d called an industrial design, it’s basically a colored slab of plastic, though there’s nothing wrong with it. I actually tend to like these simple, industrial designs, but I know most people prefer a more… well, a different approach. If you’d like to check out the looks of this device from basically every corner, take a look at the gallery below this article, we managed to get some images of the device in order to give you the best look possible at the time. This handset measures 134 — 67.2 — 9.4mm and weighs 133 grams.
The Redmi 2 features a 4.7-inch 720p (1280 x 720) IPS display manufactured by Sharp. The device comes with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card up to 32GB). This handset is powered by Qualcomm’s 64-bit Snapdragon quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz which ships with an Adreno 306 GPU for graphics rendering. 8-megapixel camera (OmniVision sensor) is located at the back of this device and is flanked by an LED flash. There’s also a secondary camera available on the front, the 2-megapixel sensor. The device ships with Android 4.4 KitKat with Xiaomi’s MIUI 6 on top of it and a 2,200mAh battery is a part of this package as well. It is also worth mentioning that this is a dual-SIM, dual-4G handset. If you’d like to take a look at the full specs sheet, visit our specs article.
Xiaomi Redmi 2 is a nice improvement over its predecessor, just like we expected. I believe the company will sell a ton of these handsets in 2015, the 699 Yuan ($113) price is just hard to beat. I hope Xiaomi will find a way to offer the device globally as well, this could be a great year for the company, especially if they manage to expand outside of Asia as they planned. This handset is available for pre-order from QQ Tencent as we speak and it will be available starting January 9, though I bet Xiaomi will quickly sell out every single device, so you might want to react fast.
