Is this Xiaomi’s new budget smartphone?

The Redmi 2 is probably the best entry-level device for those with a tight budget. It offers a decent 4.7″ HD 720p screen, dual-SIM slots and 4G LTE for under RM400. While the specs are impressive, the build quality is still quite plasticky, which is understandable for its low price tag.

Following the release of its metal-clad Redmi Note 3, Xiaomi appears to be taking the same premium route for its upcoming budget device.

The phone you’re seeing here has just appeared on China’s TENNA certification and it is believed to be the new Redmi 3. It gets an all metal back like its larger Redmi Note 3 but without a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. Being a unibody design, the back cover doesn’t seem to be removable, which means you can’t replace the battery on your own. According to its purported spec-sheet, there will be a microSD expansion, which is likely to be housed on the SIM tray slot.

The Redmi 3 is said to be having a slightly larger 5″ HD 720p display and it is expected to run on a higher 1.5GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 615 processor with 2GB of RAM. On-board storage is listed at 16GB and it also comes with a standard 13MP + 5MP camera combination. This is quite a huge step up, pushing the Redmi into the mid-range category, even if this was an “enhanced version”.

With better specs and premium materials, we are curious if Xiaomi could maintain its affordable 699CNY (RM463) price tag as the Redmi 2. It is likely to priced higher but it shouldn’t exceed its bigger Redmi Note 3 that starts from 899 CNY (about RM595).

[ SOURCE, VIA ]