Redmi 2 – The best budget phone just got better
When Xiaomi’s Redmi 1s was launched in India, it instantly rose to stardom. Packed with all the sweet spec, the pricing was just too good for Indian customers to give it a pass. Now Xiaomi is back with the next version of the Redmi and its called the Redmi 2. Is the Redmi 2 a worthy successor of the phone that literally set the Indian mobile market ablaze.
In the Box
Redmi 2
2200 mAh batter
Wall Charger
USB to microUSB cable
Manuals
Video Review
Design
The Redmi 2 has a simple design. It is not a head turner but it is slimmer and lighter than the Redmi 1s. The body is made of regular plastic and not poly-carbonate. The back panel is flexible but not flimsy. At the back you have the 8MP camera with a LED flash and noise cancelling mic. It has a single speaker at the back. The speaker is not loud enough, just like the Redmi 1s. At the front is the 4.7 inch IPS display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 2. Below the display is the capacitive Android menu keys. They are not back lit which is a big bummer. Above the display is the 2 MP camera along with earpiece and sensors. The left side has the volume rocker and power button which has a hint of metal. The right side is plain. The USB port is at the bottom and the 3.5 mm audio jack is at the top. This mobile is designed to fit in a budget and not as a fancy accessory. It fits in the palm perfectly and very comfortable to handle and operate. It has got a decent grip and it wouldn’t slip off your hands easily.
Hardware and Performance
Redmi 2 is powered by a 64 bit 1.2 GHz quad core qualcomm snapdragon 410 processor. It comes in 2 versions, the 1 GB RAM and 8 GB ROM and the 2 GB RAM and 16 GB ROM. For now, the 2 GB variant is not yet available in India. It has a dedicated GPU, the Adreno 306. The memory is expandable with microSD card storage. The device supports 4G LTE in both its SIM card slots. The performance of this mobile is not the greatest we have seen so far. It is a mediocre performer. The UI lags and at times it is sluggish. The benchmark scores are not encouraging as well. It definitely is not a snappy mobile. The UI is sluggish because of the overly animated micro gestures in the MIUI V6. It is not something the hardware cannot handle. But the is a bit of software optimization to be done to make it snappier. But the mobile did handle the heavy apps with ease. I played a few games and once in the game, the mobile is snappy and responsive like any high end devices.
Also the much dreaded heating issue from the Redmi 1S, is not present in Redmi 2. The device does not heat up unnecessarily. When there is some intense game or app being the heat goes up to a max of 36 degree Celcius. That is definitely a good news.
Display
The display is a 4.7 inch IPS panel. The size and resolutions gives it a pixel density of 312 ppi, which is decent for a device at this price point. The screen is not vibrant but is close to natural most of the times. The white balance is warm and pleasant on the eyes. It has decent viewing angles and sunlight visibility. The touch is responsive and as I said earlier, the only issue is the lagging animation and micro gestures from the MIUI Rom.
Camera
The Redmi 2 has the same camera spec as the Redmi 1. 8 MP at the back and 2 MP at the front. But definitely it is a better camera than the Redmi 1s. The software and hardware optimization for the camera is really working wonders here. The primary camera can shoot 1080p videos and the front facing camera can shoot 720p videos. The front camera is wider, brighter and sharper than it predecessor or competitor in the same price band. The primary camera is an autofocus camera and it snaps to focus instantly. The Camera UI is minimal and functional.
Check out the camera samples here
Software
Redmi 2 runs on MIUI v6 on top of Android kitkat 4.4.4. People who are complaining about Lollipop update, do understand that, MIUI is not an usual skinned ROM. It has a mind and body of its own. It doesn’t matter if it really runs on Kitkat or jellybean. As long it is the latest version of the MIUI, it has got all the top gun functionalities out of the box. But MIUI v6 is a bit too heavy for the spec of Redmi 2. It clearly shows lag and I really find the micro gestures annoying. Instead of fading in or out, I would prefer an app launches instantly when I touch the icon. I really don’t care about the animation and the wait is annoying me. I wish they release an update with a much better optimized UI for the Redmi 2.
Battery
The device is powered by a 2200 mAh battery and the battery life is a tad bit better than the Redmi 1s. With my regular usage it lasts a little longer than a day. However it still takes awefully long to get fully charged.
Conclusion
At Rs 6999, the closest competitor is the Lenovo A6000 and Moto E (2nd Gen). Among these phones I would prefer and recommend the Redmi 2. Redmi 2 has got an ergonomic design, a highly functional UI, awesome camera and decent performance. If you already have a Redmi 1s, there is no impending reason to buy the Redmi 2. But if you are looking to buy a good mobile and on a tight budget, this is the one. It is sad that Xiaomi is sticking to its Flash sales model. But if you climb that hurdle and grad one of this, it would be money well spent.