(UPDATE 1, April 15: Talk about timing. Xiaomi has made the Redmi 2 official in the Philippines — while we were writing the article. The phone will retail for P5,999 when it arrives at a still-undisclosed date.)
(UPDATE 2, April 20: And we just got word that the Redmi 2 will officially go on sale on the 28th. That’s eight days from now.)
The Xiaomi Redmi 2 is on its way to the Philippines. That’s assuming the company’s latest posts on the Mi Philippines Facebook account are indeed about the budget smartphone sequel.
The three short video teasers weren’t exactly giveaways, mind you. But at least one of them pointed out something specific: a product weighing 133 grams, coincidentally also the official weight of the Redmi successor.
While that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re just a few weeks away from a Xiaomi launch event — it’s been a while since we last heard from the Chinese outfit — at least we now know what’s coming next for the local market.
As for the specs, the Redmi 2 sports a 4.7-inch IPS display with a screen density of 312ppi and a layer of scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 2. Inside, you’ll find a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor that supports 4G LTE connections; 1GB of RAM; and 8GB of expandable storage. The removable battery holds a respectable 2,200mAh of power, and the rear and selfie cameras are rated at 8 and 2 megapixels, respectively.
Somewhat disappointingly, the Redmi 2 runs Android KitKat out of the box, in an age where Android Lollipop is fast becoming the norm.
Nonetheless, Xiaomi’s latest entry-level offering should prove to be a worthwhile upgrade over the original — if only to enjoy faster connection speeds on 4G LTE networks. (RL)
Specs of the Xiaomi Redmi 2 (Price in the Philippines: P5,999):
* Dual-SIM (primary SIM slot offers 4G/LTE speeds)
* 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410
* Adreno 306 GPU
* 1GB RAM
* 8GB internal storage
* microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
* 4.7-inch IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 (720 x 1,280 resolution)
* 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash
* 2-megapixel front camera
* 2,200mAh battery
* Android KitKat 4.4
ALORA UY GUERRERO’S TAKE: “You’ve been teasing the Xiaomi Redmi 2, but I don’t know if it’s just that or the phone is really arriving in the Philippines soon. My bet is on the latter. Am I right?”
It’s about time you introduce a new phone in the Philippines, Xiaomi.
Well, what do you know? That text to the PR of Xiaomi in the Philippines triggered a new post on its Facebook page. Guess I hit the bull’s-eye. It’s about time you introduce a new phone in the country, Xiaomi.
RAMON LOPEZ’S TAKE: The Xiaomi Redmi 2 isn’t a significant upgrade over its predecessor, at least not on paper, but it’s just as important a smartphone — if not more so — as anything the company has produced so far. As far as the local market is concerned, I mean.
Let me tell you why: The Redmi 2, when it finally arrives on Lazada Philippines (you know, because Xiaomi and Lazada have a thing going on), will set the pace for the company’s local operations for 2015. How aggressive or cautious Xiaomi will be in the Philippine market hinges on the success or failure of the Redmi 2. How well the public will respond to the device may even decide how quickly, if at all, the flagship Mi Note will arrive locally.
How aggressive or cautious Xiaomi will be in the Philippine market hinges on the success or failure of the Redmi 2.
Here’s to the success of the Redmi 2, then.
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