Xiaomi is a strong player in the entry-level mobile segment and the Redmi Y1 strengthens their portfolio with a selfie mobile. The Redmi Y1 mobile is priced started at Rs 8999. Let us check out the review of Redmi Y1 in this article.
In the Box
- Redmi Y1 Mobile
- SIM ejector Pin
- Micro USB Cable
- Charger
- Manuals
Design
Redmi Y1 mobile has a metal finished plastic unibody design. The design identity looks a lot like the Redmi Note series. This is a thin mobile and feels very light to hold in the hand. It has IR port at the top like any other Xiaomi mobile. The fingerprint sensor is at the back and it is very fast and accurate. The mono speaker is at the bottom and it is loud and does not crackle at high volume. Xiaomi mobiles have all started looking alike. I wish Xiaomi changes the design in the future. But with what we have in hand, the Redmi Y1 is a sensibly designed mobile. It is sturdy had has a good feel in the hand.
Display
Redmi Y1 has a 5.5 inch IPS LCD screen supporting 720p resolution. The display has 2.5D curved edges. Though we wish it had a full HD screen, the HD screen is bright and vivid. The text and images are clearly visible under both indoor and outdoor lighting conditions. The viewing angles are good. It has night reading mode and the color temperature can be controlled by settings. For a mid-range mobile, the Redmi Y1 has a good display.
Performance and Hardware
Redmi Y1 is powered by Snapdragon 435 and has Adreno 505 for GPU. The 3 GB RAM variant has 32 GB of internal storage and the 4GB RAM variant has 64 GB. It has all the essential sensors, including the Gyro for VR and magnetometer for the compass. Y1 also has FM Radio. During my review period, I installed over 50 apps and completely filled the memory. Loading resource intensive app and games looks a while, but once loaded, the mobile had no issues handling the games. The graphics rendering quality is average but it does not have any overheating issues. Overall, the mobile has impressive performance, considering the price segment.
Camera
Redmi Y1 is priced at a max of Rs 10999, but this is easily the best selfie mobile under Rs 15k. The front 16MP sensor is capable of shooting sharp and detailed selfies. The skin tone is natural and the front flash also aids in low light selfies. The camera UI is basic and it lacks features like background blur or group selfies, which are common in other selfie mobiles in this range. But it has a good beautification algorithm. The rear camera is a 13 MP sensor with f/2.2 lens. This lens can click sharp shots with good color reproduction. The HDR images are good. It can shoot 1080p videos, but no EIS. The rear camera performance is also impressive.
Software
Redmi Y1 got the MIUI 9 update and it is based on Android Nougat. It gets all the features for MIUI which are very handy and enhances the overall mobile user experience. The UI is fast and has no lags. In total, the Redmi Y1 buyers are in for a smooth and pleasant user experience.
Battery
The 3080 mAh battery lasts for a whole day of normal usage. My PC Mark test gave me about 7.5 hours of screen on time. But on intensive usage, the mobile gives an average of about 6 hours of screen on time. With the included charger, Redmi Y1 gets charged up from 0 to 100% in less than 2 hours.
Verdict
If you are in the market to buy a selfie mobile you may be looking at Asus Zenfone 4 Selfie mobile. It is priced at Rs 9999 for the 3+32GB version. Asus phones have good software algorithm, but it is Rs 1000 more than the Redmi Y1. The 10.or G is priced at Rs 10999 for the 3+32 GB variant, but it has a powerful SD626 processor and a dual camera arrangement. I would not recommend any of the low spec’d Oppo or Vivo mobiles in this range. So Redmi Y1 is the natural choice in terms of price to value ratio.
