Today is an exciting day for Xiaomi fans. This Chinese smartphone OEM has introduced the new version of their Android-based MIUI OS, and a new smartphone. We’ve already covered the announcement of the MIUI 7, in case you’d like to check that out. Let’s focus on the other announcement Xiaomi made today, they’ve finally announced the long awaited Redmi Note 2 handset. The original Redmi Note was announced back in March 2014, and it was about time Xiaomi announces its successor. We’ve seen a ton of leaks thus far, let’s see how accurate they were.
The long-awaited Redmi Note 2 mid-ranger has finally been uneviled by Xiaomi, and it turns out that the rumors which surfaced recently were somewhat accurate, not entirely though. The Redmi Note 2 features a 5.5-inch 1080p (1920 x 1080) display along with 2GB of RAM and either 16 or 32GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card), depending on which variant you decide to purchase. MediaTek’s Helio X10 (MT6795) 64-bit octa-core SoC running at 2.0GHz powers this handset, and the device will ship with a 3,060mAh removable battery on the inside. The Redmi Note 2 features a 13-megapixel camera (Samsung’s sensor) on the back, and PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus) is also included here. The 5-megapixel snapper (OmniVision’ sensor) is located up front, and this device also comes with a built-in IR blaster up top. The Redmi Note 2 will come in five color options: Black, White, Cyan, Yellow and Pink. The device measures 152 x 76 x 8.25mm, while it weighs 160 grams.
One thing worth mentoining here is the fact that Redmi Note 2 won’t ship with MIUI 7 out of the box, new version of Xiaomi’s UI will reach Redmi Note 2 at a later date. That being said, the Redmi Note 2 will be available online in China starting August 16th, and will be priced at 799 Yuan ($125) and 899 Yuan ($140). Both prices refer to the 16GB model of the device, the only difference is in LTE bands. The cheaper variant supports TDD-LTE and TD-SCDMA, while the more expensive variant comes with support for TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE (Chinese carriers). It is also worth mentioning that the 32GB model of this device carries the name Redmi Note 2 Prime and costs 999 Yuan ($156).
