Xiaomi’s Redmi Pro is the beginning of what’s likely to become a staple in Xiaomi’s yearly releases henceforth. Sitting somewhere in between the Redmi Note and Mi line of phones, the Redmi Pro’s base model features a MediaTek Helio X20 2.0GHz processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and retails for around $224. For just $30 more ($254) you can get the upgraded model that comes with a faster MediaTek Helio X25 2.5GHz processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The final price category of $299 keeps those upgraded specs and pushes the internal storage up to 128GB, giving you oodles of space to store your apps, games and especially pictures and video, not to mention the fact that all three models feature microSD card support for expandable storage.
It’s the photos and videos taken with the Redmi Pro that are the most unique part of the phone by far, as this is the first time Xiaomi has ever tried a dual camera system on the back of any of its phones. Sporting a 13-megapixel Sony Exmor IMX258 sensor as the main shooter, you’ll also find a secondary 5-megapixel Samsung sensor below the main one. This second sensor is here to add some really cool depth of field effects by allowing you to virtually adjust the f-stop rating of the camera from a super low f/0.95 up to f/5.6. A super low f-stop rating will bring in a nice blurry background that helps separate foreground objects from background ones and give the appearance of a much more expensive, professional camera instead of a smartphone camera.
This effect can even be used in video mode, where it’s quite a bit harder to line up the shot just right to make the best effect, but regardless is still a pretty fantastic idea. Whether or not Xiaomi will expand this functionality in the future remains to be seen, but given Xiaomi’s weekly update schedule for MIUI it’s certainly not out of the question. Speaking of MIUI, the Redmi Pro launches with MIUI 8 and is powered by Android 6.0 Marshmallow. This brings a massive feature set to the table and one that adds even more value to the phone than its build, specs and price already do. Check out our video review on YouTube below and don’t forget to subscribe if you like what you see!