Xiaomi has launched a number of mid-range and even high-end devices this year. This doesn’t mean, however, that the company doesn’t focus on budget phones anymore. Just today, Xiaomi announced its new budget handset, the Xiaomi Redmi 5A. This is the successor of the Xiaomi Redmi 4A, which was quite a popular smartphone. And, indeed, it is a true budget phone, as its price tag is ₹4,999, which translates into around $77. That is probably one of the lowest smartphone prices we’ve ever seen. It is definitely the lowest priced phone Xiaomi has to offer.
Surprisingly enough, for this lowe price, users will actually get a decent device. Naturally, the design of the Xiaomi Redmi 5A is not the one of a flagship handset. It features a 5-inch HD screen, surrounded by rather thick bezels. Under the screen, users will find three capacitive buttons that will help them find their way through the smartphone’s menu. On the back of the smartphone, there is a camera sensor, the antenna lines, and the company’s logo. There is also a speaker grill on the back of the handset, on the bottom of the back cover. The device will become available in four different color variants: Dark Gray, Gold, Rose Gold, and Blue.
On the inside, the Xiaomi Redmi 5A is quite similar to its predecessor. It sports the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset, and the base variant includes the same amount of RAM and internal storage, as the base variant of the Redmi 4A did. However, this year, alongside the base model which includes 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, there is also a version that offers 3GB of RAM and 32GB of flash storage. However, there is no version including 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage anymore. The handset’s primary camera has a 13MP sensor, just like last year, and a 5MP selfie-camera. The battery has shrunk a little bit. The Redmi 4A came with a 3,120mAh battery, while this year’s model only offers a 3,000mAh one.
Another thing that changed is the operating system version. The Redmi 4A last year ran Android Marshmallow out of the box, with MIUI 8 on top of it. This year’s model, the Xiaomi Redmi 5A comes with MIUI 8.5 on board, which means that its operating system is based on Android Nougat, not on the Marshmallow. Given the fact that it is a budget phone, it’s highly unlikely that it will ever get the Android Oreo upgrade. Other features of the smartphone include Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, a micro USB 2.0 port, and a microSD card slot that supports up to 256GB of additional storage.
The ₹4,999 price tag is a promotional one. It only stands for the first five million units to sell. After this threshold is reached, the handset’s price will go up to ₹5,999, which was actually the starting price of the Xiaomi Redmi 4A too. The variant including 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage will have a higher price. It will sell for ₹6,999. That still translates into only $108, which is a great price for a smartphone with these specs. The smartphone will go on sale on December 7 in India. It will become available in the MI stores, Xiaomi’s partner stores, on the company’s online store, and on Flipkart.
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