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Building upon the success of the first Xiaomi Redmi Note released last year, Xiaomi Redmi 2, a premium Android phablet, was announced last month by the Chinese company. Given Xiaomi’s success in China, it came as no surprise when it announced its expansion to Africa recently.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 has the specifications of a premium device and looks like a pretty expensive gadget, but as with the company’s marketing strategy, it is probably one of the most affordable premium device in the global market selling for only about $168 on Gearbest.
Variants
There are two major variants: the standard edition and the prime edition. Both have the same amount of random access memory, the differences lie in the processor speed and internal storage. The standard version has a 16GB ROM and a 2.0 octa-core processor while the prime version has a 2.2 octa-core processor with a 32GB ROM.
Display
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 has a 5.5″ IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16 million colors and a HD resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. The screen appears bright and the HD resolution makes it crystal clear with a wide viewing angle. It has a pixel density of 401ppi, an equivalent of what’s on the iPhone 6 Plus.
The device has the soft keys just below the screen, backlit with red LED.
Storage
The standard version of this device has a 16GB ROM, it also supports TF card up to 32GB for storage expansion. The Prime version however comes with 32GB internal storage.
For multitasking, there’s an efficient 2GB RAM that lets applications run smoothly.
Camera
Xiami Redmi 2 comes with a 13 MP camera that can take pictures with resolution up to 4128 x 3096 pixels. The primary camera has phase detection autofocus feature and comes with LED flash. It also records high definition videos at 1080p@30fps.
The 5MP front camera too records HD video at 720p.
Network and Connectivity
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 is a 4G LTE phone that works with almost all 4G LTE / 3G /2G bands. It’s a phone that should work almost anywhere in the world since it supports a wide range of network bands. For connectivity, it’s WiFi and Bluetooth enabled.
Software & Performance
A device packing a processor as powerful as the latest Mediatek MT6795 Helio X10 is expected to be powerful and the benchmarking results, what we’ve seen so far proves this.
Fer the standard version, there’s a super-fast 2.0GHz octa-core processor and a 2.2GHz octa-core processor for the prime version. The device got a score of 45,373 points on Antutu, placing it ahead of OnePlus One. HTC One M8 and Huawei Mate 7.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 runs the latest version of Android OS, 5.1 Lollipop, with Xiaomi’s custom UI (MiUi 7) making it look and work better.
Battery
With a battery capacity of 3060mAh, you can be sure its the kind of device that can be used for the whole day. It has a Lithium-ion Polymer battery that’s removable.
Price & Where to Buy
Till September 16, there are only a few places you can pre-order this device online. Pre-order stared on the 18th of August and there’s only a few dyas left. For only $168, you can get this awesome device on GearBest. This is only the pre-sale price, it may go up later.