The successor to the best-selling phone of 2017 is here.
Xiaomi broke all sales records last year with the , with the device enabling the brand to overtake Samsung and become the largest smartphone vendor in the country.
A year on, sales of the Redmi Note 4 continue to be brisk, and with its successor for 2018, Xiaomi is playing it safe. The Redmi Note 5 shares the same core as its predecessor, including a similar design and Snapdragon 625 chipset, but introduces an 18:9 display and a new camera sensor at the back. The best part about the device is the pricing, which at ₹9,999 is lower than the Redmi Note 4's launch price.
Although Xiaomi is labeling the phone as the Redmi Note 5 in India, the device debuted in China last December as the . Xiaomi's reason for rebranding the device for the Indian market is that the Redmi Note series has more brand recall in the country, with the Redmi lineup primarily catering to the entry-level segment.
Coming to the device itself, the main attraction with the Redmi Note 5 is the 5.99-inch 18:9 display at the front, which has a resolution of 2160x1080 (FHD+). The tall display means the bezels have shrunk considerably, with the hardware navigation buttons making way for on-screen keys. The design at the back, however, is virtually unchanged from the Redmi Note 4. You still get a metal back, with plastic antenna inserts at the top and bottom that have a metallic finish.
The internal hardware is also unchanged from last year, with the Redmi Note 5 featuring a Snapdragon 625. The phone will be sold in two variants — one with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, and the other with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. We saw the same variants last year as well, but there's not going to be a 2GB option this time around.
The rear camera is now a 12MP sensor, with the module itself identical to that featured on the . The rear camera has large 1.25um pixels, allowing for more light to pass through the sensor. As for the front, the 5MP camera is the same as last year, but it now comes with an LED flash module. The basics are all there — you get an IR blaster, and the 3.5mm jack is thankfully intact.
The battery has shrunk slightly, from 4100mAh to 4000mAh. It still charges over microUSB, which is a letdown seeing as how other devices in this segment — — feature the newer USB-C standard. There's no fast charging either, with the bundled charger maxing out at 5V/2A. On the software side of things, the Redmi Note 5 is running the latest version of atop .
Clearly, not a lot has changed from the Redmi Note 4, and Xiaomi is touting the new display as the main differentiator. As the hardware is nearly unchanged, the pricing is also the same as last year, which should make the new device much more palatable to potential customers.
The Redmi Note 5 variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage will retail for ₹9,999, with the 4GB version offering 64GB of storage costing ₹11,999. The phone will go on sale exclusively on Flipkart starting later this month, and will also make its way to Mi Home stores across the country as well as Xiaomi's offline retail partners. Initial availability was a big problem with the Redmi Note 4, and that shouldn't be an issue with the Redmi Note 5.
What do you think of the Redmi Note 5? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Xiaomi broke all sales records last year with the , with the device enabling the brand to overtake Samsung and become the largest smartphone vendor in the country.
A year on, sales of the Redmi Note 4 continue to be brisk, and with its successor for 2018, Xiaomi is playing it safe. The Redmi Note 5 shares the same core as its predecessor, including a similar design and Snapdragon 625 chipset, but introduces an 18:9 display and a new camera sensor at the back. The best part about the device is the pricing, which at ₹9,999 is lower than the Redmi Note 4's launch price.
Although Xiaomi is labeling the phone as the Redmi Note 5 in India, the device debuted in China last December as the . Xiaomi's reason for rebranding the device for the Indian market is that the Redmi Note series has more brand recall in the country, with the Redmi lineup primarily catering to the entry-level segment.
Coming to the device itself, the main attraction with the Redmi Note 5 is the 5.99-inch 18:9 display at the front, which has a resolution of 2160x1080 (FHD+). The tall display means the bezels have shrunk considerably, with the hardware navigation buttons making way for on-screen keys. The design at the back, however, is virtually unchanged from the Redmi Note 4. You still get a metal back, with plastic antenna inserts at the top and bottom that have a metallic finish.
The internal hardware is also unchanged from last year, with the Redmi Note 5 featuring a Snapdragon 625. The phone will be sold in two variants — one with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, and the other with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. We saw the same variants last year as well, but there's not going to be a 2GB option this time around.
The rear camera is now a 12MP sensor, with the module itself identical to that featured on the . The rear camera has large 1.25um pixels, allowing for more light to pass through the sensor. As for the front, the 5MP camera is the same as last year, but it now comes with an LED flash module. The basics are all there — you get an IR blaster, and the 3.5mm jack is thankfully intact.
The battery has shrunk slightly, from 4100mAh to 4000mAh. It still charges over microUSB, which is a letdown seeing as how other devices in this segment — — feature the newer USB-C standard. There's no fast charging either, with the bundled charger maxing out at 5V/2A. On the software side of things, the Redmi Note 5 is running the latest version of atop .
Clearly, not a lot has changed from the Redmi Note 4, and Xiaomi is touting the new display as the main differentiator. As the hardware is nearly unchanged, the pricing is also the same as last year, which should make the new device much more palatable to potential customers.
The Redmi Note 5 variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage will retail for ₹9,999, with the 4GB version offering 64GB of storage costing ₹11,999. The phone will go on sale exclusively on Flipkart starting later this month, and will also make its way to Mi Home stores across the country as well as Xiaomi's offline retail partners. Initial availability was a big problem with the Redmi Note 4, and that shouldn't be an issue with the Redmi Note 5.
What do you think of the Redmi Note 5? Share your thoughts in the comments below.