Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has launched its budget smartphone Redmi 2 in the Indian market at Rs 6,999. This 4G-capable smartphone was originally launched in January this year.
At this price point, this smartphone will directly compete against the upcoming second-generation Moto E with 4G, along with Lenovo A6000.
While Redmi 2 shares a few features with its predecessor, it has a few upgrades apart from the 4G-capability. The new model is powered by the 64-bit 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor, while Redmi 1S comes with the 1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 chipset.
The front camera gets a resolution bump, from 1.6MP in Redmi 1S to 2MP in Redmi 2. The battery is also slightly beefier at 2,200mAh in the new smartphone, up from 2,000mAh of Redmi 1S. Xiaomi’s Redmi 2 smartphone also supports QuickCharge 1.0 technology for faster battery charging.
Xiaomi will be preloading the Android 4.4-based MIUI 6.0 software with Redmi 2, while the Redmi 1S runs on the Android 4.3-based MIUI 5.0 custom skin.
The new model is thinner (9.2mm) and lighter (134gram) than its predecessor (9.9mm and 158gram).
The remaining features of Redmi 2 are same as that of its older sibling, including the 4.7-inch HD screen with DragonTrail glass, 8GB internal storage, up to 32GB microSD card support, 1GB RAM and connectivity options.
The new Redmi 2 will be available exclusively on Flipkart in India, like other Xiaomi products. ?The registrations for the smartphone start today at 6 PM, while the first flash sale will be held on March 24. The company said that 30,000-40,000 units will be available on launch day.
Xiaomi Redmi 2 will be available via Airtel stores a few weeks after the first flash sale.
Xiaomi global vice president Hugo Barra said that another Redmi 2 variant with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage will be released in India later, without specifying a price range. He added that the model will be priced higher than the standard Redmi 2 model.