Smartphone manufacturers are now trying to pack as much as they can in their mobile slabs; the mid-range market is no different, as they probably feel pressured from the higher end to raise the bar of their devices. In recent times, we’ve seen Huawei churn out some premium phones, at a fair price – Nexus 6P, honor 7, P8 and the Ascend Mate 7. Now can their main competitor, Xiaomi follow suit? Leak photos of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Pro might be the company’s first stab at an all-metal smartphone.
Released earlier in August, the Redmi Note 2 is a 5.5-inch device equip with a FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS display. Inside, it gets a flagship worthy MediaTek Helio X10; an Octa-core processor clocked to 2.2GHz – also on the HTC One M9+ and the Meizu MX5. There’s also a decent amount of RAM (2GB) and internal storage (32GB) in its 160gram polycarbonate body.
For its photo-taking purposes, it makes use of a 13-megapixel f/2.2 lens that comes with Phase Detection Auto Focus capable of 0.1 focus speeds. It’s secondary front-facing camera is a 5-megapixel shutter with beautification software built into the camera app. Providing the juice to all these components is a 3060mAh battery and it runs on MIUI 6 that is upgradable to MIUI 7, when they start the Global roll-out. The Redmi Note 2 currently retails in China for 999 CNY (RM624).
So what differentiates the Pro from earlier talked about Redmi Note 2? It is rumoured to feature a meta-clad build and also a rear fingerprint scanner. There’s also a likeliness that MIUI 7 will be available out of the box when it goes on sale.
Please note that these are leaks and should always be taken with a pinch of salt but if this is the direction Xiaomi is heading in, we could see their new devices carrying more metal in the near future. How well will these Chinese brands manage in reaching out to the high-end market? Once a brand’s identity has been established, it’ll be tough to shake off and making a new name for themselves just adds another burden. Do let us know what you think of these brands attempting to appeal to the more premium consumer in the comments below.
For a closer look at the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2, head on over here.
