Xiaomi has announced a new smartphone, the Redmi Pro. At some point when it was making rounds in the rumour circuit we mistook it for the Redmi Note 4. It makes sense that the device turned out to be the Redmi pro. It would’ve been too soon for another Redmi Note. The Redmi Note 2 is only going to market in Kenya in a few days time and the Redmi Note 3 is yet to become available in most markets.
A quick first look at the Redmi Pro’s feature set reveals why we are truly convinced that you no longer need to spend a small fortune to get a quality smartphone with features and specifications that match devices selling for over $600.
For just half that amount ($300 or even less depending on the processor you choose to go with), the Xiaomi Redmi Pro offers a premium design and build (brushed aluminium unibody), a big OLED display, a huge battery that should last long, a dual-camera setup that we have so far seen on high-end smartphones like the Huawei P9, a fingerprint sensor at the back, an IR blaster to control your TV and other entertainment equipment and enough memory and processing power to make sure its users never desire anything else.
Here are the specifications of the Xiaomi Redmi Pro:
- Display: 5.5-inch Full HD OLED
- Processor: Deca-core MediaTek X20 and X25
- Camera: 13MP main, 5MP selfie
- Memory: 32, 64 and 128GB internal storage; 3GB, 4GB RAM
- Operating System: Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Xiaomi’s MIUI 8 overlay
- Battery: 4,050mAh
- Network: 3G, 4G LTE
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB Type-C
- Others: Fingerprint sensor, IR blaster, Dual-SIM (second SIM slot doubles up as microSD card slot)
The Xiaomi Redmi Pro, as previously stated, costs $300. That’s for the model with the Helio X25 processor. The 64GB and 128GB storage models have the Helio X25 processor and 4GB RAM. The model with the Helio X20 chip will cost $45 less in exchange for 32GB onboard storage and 3GB RAM.
Mind you, Xiaomi’s flagship smartphone, the Mi5, starts at just $305.
The new BlackBerry DTEK50 and the Alcatel Idol (which the BlackBerry is based on) cost just $300 making them the Redmi Pro’s immediate competition. A little farther up the road, OnePlus’s third generation flagship device, easily one of the best smartphones in the market, costs just $400.
The Redmi Pro will go on sale on August 6th online and in shops in China with availability in other markets set to be announced going forward.
2016 is turning out to be a very interesting year for the smartphone buyer with so much to choose from at very tempting prices. What excuse do you have for not having a quality smartphone/for spending so much on a smartphone when you could spend so little and get better value?
