If you think Xiaomi has “spoilt” the Singapore market with its low-cost phones so far, it’s now bringing in even more spoilers with a 4G version of its popular Redmi Note smartphone.
The first Xiaomi device to feature 4G here, it costs a very competitive S$229. That’s just S$30 more than the original Redmi Note that cost S$199.
According to the mainland Chinese company, this 4G version was made specially for the Southeast Asian region, as the networks here are different from what is used in China.
Essentially, Xiaomi has swapped out a MediaTek processor and gone for a more common Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chip that is used in many low-cost 4G smartphones.
The new processor may not be the fastest around, but the Redmi Note 4G has 2GB RAM which should make the swapping of tasks and apps less of an issue.
Interestingly, the new phone is 10g lighter than the original. Okay, it’s not that you can practically feel that in the hand, but the lighter frame is still good to have considering much of the phone has remained the same.
You get a 5.5-inch screen with a modest 1,280 x 720 resolution that is common for phones at this price range.
Like the original Redmi Note, there’s only 8GB of onboard storage, so be prepared to fork out a little more – as low as less than S$20 for a 16GB card – if you want movies and music on the go.
Instead of cards with a maximum of 32GB, now you can stuff 64GB microSD cards in the new phone. That will delight users who regularly watch videos on the large screen.
For folks who want the latest software, the good news is that the new phone, now with the common Qualcomm chipset, supports Android 4.4 and Xiaomi’s handy MiUI interface.
Perhaps the biggest drawback is for those who are used to dual-SIM Xiaomi phones that let them use both a home and foreign SIM card when travelling. In the 4G version, they can only use one SIM card.
When will the Redmi Note 4G go on sale in Singapore? November 18. Hopefully, the company has enough stock this time, given the mad rush to buy one previously.
If you are seeking out a low-cost 4G phone, the new Xiaomi gadget is yet another option on a growing list that includes Asus’ Zenfone 5.
That starts from S$249 for a 1GB RAM version and S$269 for a 2GB RAM one, though both have a 5-inch screen that’s smaller than the Redmi Note 4G’s 5.5-incher.
