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Xiaomi is no stranger to teasing its products prior to launch, and they have been at it again today, with what’s believed to be their Redmi 1S smartphone being posted on Xiaomi’s Facebook page. It’s not a clear picture at all, its entirely fuzzy (as you can see by the picture in the gallery below), but it fits with previously known details stating that the Redmi 1S would be released around August-September.
India is a fast growing market for mobile phones, with local and international handset makers battling each other for sales. A relative newcomer to this is Xiaomi, launching its Mi3 smartphone in the country just last month exclusively via FlipKart, whose website crashed in response to demand. The Mi3 sells for Rs.13,999 ($231) and is a prime example of value-for-money, selling high-end hardware such as the Snapdragon 800 CPU, 2GB of RAM and a 13MP primary camera for a more than reasonable price.
So whats so special about the Redmi 1S? Well, firstly, its a budget device that is priced at just Rs.6,999($115). The handset is powered by a Snapdragon 400 Quad-Core that is clocked at 1.6GHz, has 1GB of RAM and a 4.7-inch HD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720. An 8MP camera is on the rear with a LED flash, with a 1.6MP camera on selfie duty on the front of the device. Considering the phones it is competing against in a similar price range, phones such as the Moto E and the Micromax Unite 2, the Xiaomi Redmi 1S is looking pretty good. Especially when you remember that its still powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, instead of the MediaTek chips that budget phones often use.
A Micro-SD card slot is provided, allowing the user to increase the phones 8GB of internal storage by up to 64GB. As with many phones aimed for the Indian market, the Redmi 1S feature Dual-SIM support. A 2000mAh battery is included, its not the biggest battery we’ve ever seen, but its should do the job. With its thickness of 9.9mm, and weighing in at 158 grams means it might not be the thinnest nor lightest phone you’ve ever handled, but considering the price and the hardware inside, its easily forgivable. The Redmi 1S is running Miui 5, which is based on Android version 4.3 Jelly Bean.
The combination of decent hardware and its low price of Rs.6,999 should see the Xiaomi Redmi 1S become a popular sight in India, so long as Xiaomi has learned lessons from the Mi3 launch and built up a more substantial stockpile. FlipKart will no doubt be hoping that their website proves more resilient for the Redmi 1S launch. Touching on the upcoming launch of Android One in India by Google and its partners, the Redmi 1S would seem to be competing on both the hardware and price fronts, although the software side of things will be down to personal preference.
For its price, the Xiaomi Redmi 1S seems to pack quite a punch, is it on your radar? Is it an early competitor for Android One? Let us know in the comments or at our Google Plus page.
