Looking for a phablet with decent specs and without the expensive price tag? The Redmi Note 2 appears to be heading for Malaysia and Singapore very soon as a new device with the model 2015051 has appeared on both Malaysian SIRIM and Singapore IDA databases. If the Mi 4i is a let down, this could be the better “flagship alternative” that you’ve been looking for.
Replacing its former Redmi Note, the Redmi Note 2 retains the similar sized 5.5″ display but it now pushes a clearer Full HD resolution. It is more compact as well at 8.25mm thin and weighs just 160 grams. Under the hood, it gets MediaTek’s 64-bit Helio X10 MT6795 processor that’s also found on the HTC One M9+ and The Xperia M5. There are 2 specs available, a 2.0GHz processor, 2GB RAM + 16GB storage variant or a higher-end 2.2GHz clocked processor, 2GB RAM + 32GB of storage. If that’s still not enough, you can expand using microSD unlike the Mi flagship models.
For taking pictures, the Redmi Note 2 gets a 13MP f/2.2 camera with Phase Detection Auto Focus while the front gets a 5MP shooter. In addition, the Redmi Note 2 also gets 802.11ac WiFi and an extra infrared blaster that you can use as a remote. Powering the device is a 3,060mAh capacity battery which supports fast charging.
Available with dual-SIM and 4G LTE, the Redmi Note 2 is priced at 899 CNY (about RM602) for its lower spec version and 999 CNY (about RM669) for its high-spec unit. With the recent price hike, expect a slight mark up to buffer for our fluctuating currency exchange rates.
You can get more details in our previous Redmi Note 2 post.