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Xiaomi Redmi 2 Review, Unboxing, Benchmarks, Gaming, Camera and Verdict

Just how much can you wager on a budget smartphone? The question has been challenged by smartphones manufactures again and again over last year, but we will have to admit Xiaomi Redmi 1S offered the best price-performance-prowess for its time last year. It’s not easy being the successor of the best selling Xiaomi smartphone, especially at an augmented price and with stiffer competition around, but Redmi 2 tries and succeeds.

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Xiaomi Redmi 2 Quick Specs

  • Display Size: 4.7 inch IPS LCD capacitive touch screen with 720 x 1080 HD resolution
  • Processor: 1.2 GHz 64 bit Quad Core Snapdragon 410
  • RAM: 1 Gb
  • Software Version: Android 4.4 KitKat based MIUI6
  • Camera: 8 MP AF camera, 1080p Videos
  • Secondary Camera: 2 MP front-facing camera FF [Fixed Focus], HD videos
  • Internal Storage: 8 GB
  • External Storage: Expandable up to 32GB
  • Battery: 2200 mAh battery Lithium Ion Removable Battery
  • Connectivity: 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, aGPS, 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
  • Others: OTG Support – Yes, Dual SIM – Yes, , SAR Value – 0.725W/Kg (Max)

Xiaomi Redmi 2 India Unboxing, Review, Features, Camera, Overview HD

MIUI 6

It would have been tough for us to like Xiaomi Redmi 2 as much if it weren’t for MIUI 6. While introducing MIUI 6 in India, Xiaomi claimed that Redmi 2 is a software company and it totally makes sense why. Abundant and precise customization options and plenty of subtle animations give us a lot to be hooked to and toggle with.

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We have been admirer of Google’s stock Android but having spent some time with Xiaomi MIUI 6 makes stock android look a bit boring, even though it comes at an expense of minute delays here and there. The MIUI 6 is a thick skin. No Lollipop? No big deal.

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There are options like multi color LED lights, DND mode, lockscreen notifications, Swiftkey keyboard, Flesky keyboard, changing Color saturation- all the way to directly boot in recovery mode from updater app. There are several hidden options like single handed mode (hold in one hand and swap from home key to back button or menu button depending on what hand you are using), gestures, etc. as well.


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Of course there is room for more. There are things like customizable onscreen gestures (predefined gestures are present) and option to left swipe away notification which we miss (left swipe takes you to quick settings).

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Display and Design

It’s the same 10 point multi touch HD IPS LCD display as last time and it facilitates gorging at vibrant MIUI6 software. The display quality is one of the best that we have seen in under 10k price range, with great viewing angles and sharpness.

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Xiaomi has also improved overall design too. The new Redmi is more compact, lighter and curvy. The three red navigation keys underlining the display are not backlit, which isn’t a deal breaker but takes some getting used to, since there is some gap between corners and menu/ back button. After couple of days of usage, we got easily used to it and it wasn’t a problem.

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Xiaomi Redmi 2 is made from good quality plastic and the white color variant which we have looks quite premium. The back cover is removable and feels good to touch but can accumulate scratches, so its important to you invest in a case. All this adds up for an easily manageable 4.7 Inch display device which commands admiration, but won’t be a head turner.

Performance and Heating

Xiaomi Redmi 2 employs 1.2 GHz quad core 64 bit snapdragon 410 processor, which is a decent overall performer. MIUI 6 is a heavily customized Android and thus, there are occasional stutters with this 1 GB RAM device when too many apps are open in background, but there is nothing to put you off. The performance is mostly smooth.

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You can run high end games with a few frame drops in performance mode, but again, this isn’t a gaming device (limited storage for apps). You can play casual games like subway surfer, candy crush, etc without any hiccups. On first boot around 330 MB RAM is free but Xiaomi has improved with respect to RAM management this time. The RAM cleaner in notification shade works well too.

By default the phone is set in balanced mode which is what we preferably used, but you can quickly toggle to performance mode from quick settings. The benchmark scores have been taken in both performance mode and standard mode.

There is no heating issue that we noticed in our review units. After several minutes of high end gaming, benchmarking and video recording the maximum temperature we recorded was 42 degrees, which is pretty good.

Benchmark Balanced Performance
Quadrant 11532 11815
Antutu 20398 20801
Vellamo (single core) 806 804
Nenamark 2 53.5 54.2

Camera and Internal Storage

The rear 8 MP camera is again impressive in this price range. It’s very snappy and can click moving objects with ease. Image quality in day light is very good, but suffers a bit in low indoor lighting. Xiaomi has included a very powerful flash light, which doesn’t completely destroy low light shots.

The 8 MP rear camera is one of the best Redmi 2 features which makes it a good recommendation for most quotidian users. The front 2 MP selfies camera is also a very good performer. The camera app again has several interesting modes, filters and options. You can just tap to focus and toggle exposure with a circular slider before clicking images.

Internal storage is 8 GB out of which 4.4 GB (5.7 GB for apps) is available at user end. USB OTG is also supported. Apps cannot be transferred to SD card. But you can transfer media content to 32 GB external storage space. If you would like to keep high end gaming apps or several hundred other apps on your device, this could be a limitation in long run.

Camera Samples

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Battery and Other Features

Battery capacity is 2200 mAh, and in standard mode, even demanding users can cross one day mark. With low to moderate usage, you can also comfortably reach beyond one day mark. In performance mode (which you are advised to use occasionally) battery will drain faster. Battery charged from 10 percent to 100 percent in 2 hours and 22 minutes.

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Secondary mic is present for noise cancelation and we didn’t experience any problem with call quality. We had the opportunity to test this on poor roaming networks in remote area’s but call quality wasn’t a problem.

Audio from headphones and loudspeakers is very pleasing. GPS locking and Navigation also work very efficiently.

Xiaomi Redmi 2 Photo Gallery

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Conclusion

The beautiful UI, improved design and great camera, make Xiaomi Redmi 2 a very impressive device in its price range. We have no qualms recommending it to average users who aren’t intent on aggressive high end gaming. The overall user experience of Xiaomi Redmi 2 is very satisfying. You can register and buy it from Flipkart for 6,999 INR.

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Deepak Singh

The Author spent a significant chunk of his formative years resisting technology. He now keeps an eye on where the world is heading to, and drives a passive pleasure from this indulgence. His passion to write, learn and improve drives him each day. When his day ends, he enjoys the pleasant languor and detoxifies with family. You can connect with him on and Twitter

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