DELHI: Xiaomi has announced the Redmi 2, a follow up to the Redmi 1S Smartphone it released last year and the Mi Pad, an iPad Mini rival priced aggressively at just Rs. 12,999.
The Redmi 2 is a 4.7-inch Smartphone aimed at budget buyers. It runs on a fairly low-end Snapdragon 410 processor and has 1 GB RAM. The built-in storage is 8 GB but can be expanded to 32 GB via a microSD card. It supports dual SIM cards with 4G support on both. There’s also an 8 megapixel camera on the back and a 2 megapixel front camera for selfies.
The Redmi 2 differentiates from its competition like the recently released second-generation Moto E in several ways: it allows flash drives to be plugged in directly to copy files to the phone (and vice versa); calls can be recorded with a single tap; and there’s a built-in Cleaner app to get rid of unwanted files, app caches and duplicate photographs.
Registrations for the Redmi 2 will start on Flipkart. Xiaomi India head, Manu Jain, said that 30 to 40 thousand units will be available in the first flash sale.
Xiaomi also announced that the Mi Pad, a 7.9-inch tablet that runs on a Tegra K1 processor will be launched in India on Flipkart on March 24. Customers can buy the tablet without registering before.
The Mi Pad’s aggressive pricing of Rs. 12,999 is a bold move. Tablets in this class usually cost upwards of Rs. 20,000.
