As the selfie-focused-smartphone trend continues to pick up steam, China’s Xiaomi is the latest brand to throw its hat into the ring after announcing the Xiaomi Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite in India.
It was only a matter of time, we suppose; OPPO and Vivo’s success despite not being in the industry for a considerable amount of time can’t be ignored forever. Seven-year-old Xiaomi isn’t old guard either, but it has built up a name around quality hardware that doesn’t cost much.
SEE ALSO: OPPO F5 review: An all-improved selfie expert
The Xiaomi Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite seem to fit that bill nicely. They also match the appearance of the recently unveiled Redmi Note 5A. (In fact, we suspect the Note 5A and Y1 Lite are the same device assigned to different markets.) However, the Redmi Y1 enjoys the distinction of having a fingerprint reader round the back.
Xiaomi Redmi Y1
Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Lite
If you were hoping to see razor-thin bezels and a taller or wider display format, you’re out of luck. Neither of these two phones have an 18:9 display; you get a 5.5-inch LCD display of HD resolution on both, as well as Android Nougat-based MIUI 9. Xiaomi’s new software skin promises better notifications, faster app launches, and split-screen multitasking, among others.
READ ALSO: Vivo V7+ hands-on review: Ushering selfie phones into a borderless future
The major difference between the two — you know, besides the fingerprint hardware strapped to the back of the Y1 — is the front-facing camera: 16 megapixels on the Y1, accompanied by LED flash for brighter, sharper images in low light, whereas the Y1 Lite uses a 13-megapixel camera to take selfies.
The major difference between the Xiaomi Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite — besides the fingerprint sensor on the back of the latter — is the front-facing camera: 16 megapixels on the Y1 and 13 megapixels on the Y1 Lite.
The standard version ought to be faster as well, courtesy of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 chipset with 3GB or 4GB of RAM under the hood. A lower-specced Snapdragon 425 chip with half the number of CPU cores (four) and 2GB of RAM powers the Lite.
The Xiaomi Redmi Y1 comes in two memory variants and starts at 8,999 rupees (about P7,161 or $139) for 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Lite is priced at 6,999 rupees (P5,571 or $108). Both smartphones will be exclusive to Amazon India, with the first sale date happening November 8th.
SEE ALSO: ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Lite now official
According to Counterpoint Research, Xiaomi is currently neck-and-neck with Samsung in terms of sales in India. It made up 22 percent of the Indian market throughout the last quarter, or only a percentage behind the Korean manufacturer.
Top 5 smartphone brands in India: Q3 2016 vs. Q3 2017 (via Quartz)
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