Since its maiden Redmi device, Xiaomi has played the budget-, value-game with an expert hand. It hasn’t only given the big boys something to worry about, but it has subsequently propelled itself to the top in its domestic market – China.
It’s slowly but surely reaching out to other countries like India, Singapore, Malaysia. We may not always promptly get new devices here in Malaysia, but the Chinese device maker is certainly trying. At least when Xiaomi Global VP, Hugo Barra shows up, you know it’s for something notable. Enter the Redmi Note 2.
The outgoing Redmi Note was a decent phablet and building on the success, Xiaomi has upped the game with its successor. The Redmi Note 2 sports a 5.5-inch Full HD display and is powered by the impressive octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 processor.
The X10 powers other high-end flagships like the HTC One M9+ and Sony Xperia M5. And it’s the only MediaTek processor worth to shout about. And that’s a big deal.
It gets 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD. Unfortunately, we won’t be getting the 32GB version (except via unofficial channels).
Design-wise, the Redmi Note 2 sticks to the Redmi design language. That means a polycarbonate removable back and minimalistic outlook. Nothing fancy here.
It’s a dual-SIM, dual-LTE device with quicker Wi-Fi 802.11ac. There’s also an IR Blaster, something of a rarity in devices nowadays.
A large 3,060mAh battery powers the device throughout the day.
A familiar 13MP rear camera with PDAF (phase detection autofocus) and LED flash is standard feature, with a 5MP unit up front. The camera is something Xiaomi lauds although I’d reserve my comments until a full hands-on.
The Redmi Note 2 will run Android 5.0 Lollipop with the latest MIUI 7 on top.
Pricing and availability
Pre-orders start from 11 November and the device will retail from MYR649. Order online from mi.com/my/
Catch the official launch video with Hugo Barra here:
