Xiaomi will soon start selling a new device in India starting from 12th March as is indicated by their latest facebook post. The Chinese behemoth is running a crossword puzzle contest, where you could win priority pass by spotting features related to the upcoming device.
Some of the words in the puzzle include Snapdragon, Wide Angle and Expandable, which hint at Redmi 2, the successor of very successful Redmi 1S in India. This also makes sense, since the dates conflict the arrival of new Moto E in India, which will be available in the same price bracket.
The handset was originally launched in China at the start of this year. It improves upon Redmi 1S without changing too much. There is the same 4.7 Inch IPS LCD HD display with 312 pixels per inches, powered by 1.2 GHz quad core Snapdragon 410 with 1 GB RAM and 8 GB internal storage. You can further extend this by another 64 GB using MicroSD support.
Software remains Android 4.4.4 KitKat based MIUI6, but a Lollipop update is under works. There is a decent 8 MP rear camera and a 2 MP front facing unit for photography. Battery capacity has been slightly bumped up to 2200 mAh. The handset is likely to be priced around 6,500 INR and will challenge the new Moto E which is set to arrive starting from 6,999 INR.
Like always, you will need a bit of divine blessing, to successfully buy it from the first flash sales.
Key Specs
| Model | Xiaomi Redmi 2 | Xiaomi Redmi 1S |
| Display | 4.7 inch, 1280 x 720 | 4.7 inch, 1280 x 720 |
| Processor | 1.2 GHz 64 bit quad core | 1.6 GHz Quad Core |
| RAM | 1 GB | 1 GB |
| Internal Storage | 8 GB, Expandable up to 32GB | 8 GB, Expandable up to 32GB |
| OS | Android 4.4 KitKat Based MIUI6 | Android 4.3 Jelly Bean Based MIUI5 |
| BCamera | 8 MP/ 2 MP | 8 MP/ 1.6 MP |
| Battery | 2200 mAh | 2050 mAh |
| Price | Approx $113 | 5,999 INR |
