Xiaomi Redmi 2 review: Spare hand

Introduction

The Xiaomi Redmi 2 is helping the company cross into the 64-bit era. A catchy enough headline for a sequel that's not overly generous with the upgrades. On second thought, a new generation chipset (lower-midrange but still), a more recent OS and LTE are not a package to frown on. Especially considering that the upgrade costs the same - if not less - than the predecessor.

Xiaomi Redmi 2 official pictures

The Redmi 1S was a huge success with reasonable specs at an unbelievable price. The stakes are high for the successor and the Xiaomi Redmi 2 isn't trying to fix what wasn't broke. It carries over the sober looks losing some body fat without sacrificing the screen real estate and resolution. LTE connectivity on top of the original dual-SIM capability is welcome too.

Xiaomi Redmi 2 official pictures

The elegant MIUI has been further refined as well. Xiaomi have redesigned the launcher, but the logic and functionality are intact - in a bid perhaps to keep both newcomers and upgraders happy.

Key features

• 4.7" IPS 720p capacitive touchscreen with 312ppi; Corning Gorilla Glass 2
• Android 4.4.4 KitKat with MIUI v.6
• 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU; 1 GB of RAM (8GB model) or 2GB of RAM (16GB model); Adreno 306 GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon 410
• 8MP camera with LED flash, 1080p video capture
• 2MP front-facing camera; 720p video recording
• 8GB or 16GB of built-in memory, expandable via a microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
• Cat. 4 LTE (150/50Mbps); Wi-Fi b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0; GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou; microUSB, USB On-The-Go; FM radio
• Dual SIM dual standby (two micro-SIM slots)
• Active noise cancellation with a dedicated microphone
• 2,200mAh battery

Main disadvantages

• The 8GB version has 1GB of RAM
• Limited availability
• Shipping cross-continent may complicate service and warranty

Xiaomi unveiled an upgraded 16GB model with 2GB of RAM just a month after the official announcement of the Redmi 2. It is slightly more expensive, but heavy multitaskers will certainly find the premium is worth it. The very early adopters may have been disappointed by the fast hardware upgrade, but we'd better have it than not.

Xiaomi Redmi 2 live pictures

As usual, availability is an issue - not so much finding a vendor but the potential complications about servicing and warranty. The upside is you're not paying over the odds for hardware - you would normally need to reach much deeper in your wallet to get a package like that.

With a price that's hard to beat and a realistic level of equipment, things are looking good so far for the Redmi 2. Find out what happens next right after the break!

Special thanks to HonorBuy for providing the review unit.