Xiaomi makes the Redmi Note 2 official in Malaysia

Chinese manufacturers usually have their hands in more than one market segment; their strategies have to appeal to a wide range of price-points for consumers in order to occupy a place in their minds. Indifferent, Xiaomi has always been affordable but have stepped up their game with their recent releases, though they haven’t forgotten their loyal customers – priced almost at a reasonable mid-range, Malaysians can now get their hands on the Redmi Note 2.

A phablet that carries a 5.5-inch Full HD screen (1920 x 1080), a vast improvement from its predecessor that only had a 720p display. It’ll run a MediaTek Octa-core Helio X10 processor and be mated to 2GB of RAM. Malaysians will get the smaller 16GB model but regardless, the smartphone has a microSD expansion slot for extra storage space. Its internals prove that this mid-range is no push over, since releasing with the same processor found in some higher-priced devices such as the HTC One M9+ and the Sony Xperia M5.

The Redmi Note 2 will arrive with a 13-megapixel camera with phase detection auto focus and LED flash, while the front gets a 5-megapixel lens. The design of Xiaomi’s latest device has understated similarities with its smaller Mi 4i flagship, in terms of look and feel. However, internally there are many differences – no unibody design, a dual-SIM 4G LTE slot and also a removable battery (just to name a few).

Unlike its old-guard, it’ll receive the greatest 802.11ac Wi-Fi support and have an IR Blaster, that allows you to use it as a remote control for your household devices. Even while being lighter, thinner and smaller than the model it replaces, the phablet has a 3060 mAh battery underneath its matte back cover. The charging port will maintain a traditional micro-USB slot.

Pre-orders will be available from the 11th of November, the 160gram phablet will retail for RM 649 and run the latest MIUI 7 on top of Android 5.0 out of the box. Playful in its global colour options, you’ll only be able to choose from White and Dark Grey locally, when purchasing on the Mi Malaysia online store.

You can expect us to give a hands on with the device, along with our initial thoughts after having some time with it. Let us know what you’d like to know about the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 in the comments below.