Xiaomi announces Redmi Note 7 with 48MP rear camera for just 999 Yuan ($150)

As promised, Xiaomi today at an event in China has officially announced the launch of the first independent Redmi smartphone, the Redmi Note 7. The newly launched Redmi Note 7 is the successor to the Redmi Note 6 Pro smartphone launched last year.

According to Redmi, Note 7 will be available initially in China and will be offered in three different configurations. The 3GB RAM with 32GB internal storage is priced at 999 Chinese Yuan, which is roughly $150 or Rs. 10,000. On the other hand, the 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage variant costs 1,199 Chinese Yuan (~ $177 / Rs. 12,500) and the 6GB RAM variant with 64GB storage costs 1,399 Chinese Yuan (~ $206 / Rs. 14,500).

The pricing of the Redmi Note 7 is very aggressive compared to the other devices with similar specifications. It is the cheapest 48MP camera phone available in the market. Redmi is expected to launch the Note 7 in India and other usual regions in coming months.

Talking about the details of Note 7, it comes in a glass body with a metal chassis. Both the front and back have 2.5D curved edges on its sides and gradient color combinations. The device will be available in three different shades of Fantasy Blue, Bright Black and Twilight Gold, which looks more like Red.

The Redmi Note 7 comes with a 48MP primary rear camera with f/1.8 aperture and Samsung's GM1 sensor (0.8-micron pixels size), paired with a 5MP secondary rear camera. Redmi reveals that the sensor is larger than what's found in typical smartphones, allowing it to capture more light thereby producing clear night shots. On the front is a 13MP camera for clicking selfies. Both the cameras come with AI studio software features.

Xiaomi Mi A2 gets upto Rs. 3,000 price drop in India, now starts at Rs. 13,999

Introduced in August 2018, the Xiaomi Mi A2 succeeded the highly popular Mi A1 smartphone, the first Xiaomi phone under the Android One scheme. Xiaomi launched the Mi A2 in India starting at Rs. 16,999, and a few months later dropped the price of the same by Rs. 1,000.

Today, Xiaomi has again dropped the price of the Mi A2 smartphone in the country. The price cut, according to Xiaomi is a permanent one and is now effective across all authorized online and offline distributors.

The Mi A2 with 4GB + 64GB configuration is now available at Rs. 13,999, which is Rs. 2,000 cheaper than the earlier price. On the other hand, the 6GB + 128GB configured Mi A2 is now retailing for Rs. 15,999, a Rs. 3,000 price drop. Considering the new price tag, the Mi A2 will be giving tough competition to many budget smartphones in the similar price segment.

Talking of the USPs, the Xiaomi Mi A2 is the company's second Android One smartphone, which not only brings stock Android but also gives Unlimited Google Photos storage for up to 2 years. The Mi A2 comes in five color variants including Black, Red, Blue, Rose Gold and Gold, and has a metal unibody design which makes it premium and sturdy.

Xiaomi Mi A2 Specifications

• 5.99-inch Full HD+ display with 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 1500:1 Contrast ratio and 2160x1080 pixels resolution
• 2.2GHz Octa-Core 14nm Snapdragon 660 processor with Adreno 512 GPU
• 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage / 6GB RAM with 128GB internal storage
• Stock Android 9.0 Pie
• 12MP primary rear camera with Sony IMX486 sensor, LED flash, f/1.75 aperture, 1.25μm pixel size, EIS
• 20MP secondary rear camera with Sony IMX376 sensor, f/1.75 aperture, 4 in 1 – 2.0μm pixels
• 20MP front-facing camera with Sony IMX376 sensor, soft LED flash, 4 in 1 – 2.0μm pixels 
• 3010 mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0
• Fingerprint scanner on the back, Infrared sensor for controlling electronic devices
• Dimensions: 158.7 x 75.4 x 7.3mm; Weight: 168g
• Dual SIM Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 LE, USB Type-C

Is Xiaomi working on a dual-sided foldable smartphone? Alleged video leaked

Smartphones are getting crazy every year. A few years back phone manufacturers were focusing on eliminating the bezels around the screen so that users get a more screen-to-body ratio. Also, today an ideal smartphone screen-size is anywhere between 5.8-inches to 6.3-inches, which previously used to be tagged as phablets.

Now, in 2019, the trend will be to bridge the gap between a tablet and a smartphone, by making the tablet foldable. Korean giant Samsung is working on producing a foldable smartphone for many years and it also showcased the same last year in November. Honestly, that particular Samsung foldable smartphone was more like a brick.

Out of the blue, highly recognized leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks) on Twitter shared an alleged video of a foldable smartphone today, which according to his source is made by Xiaomi. So, is Xiaomi indeed secretly working on a two-sided foldable smartphone?

As you can see in the video below, its a tablet-sized device which can be folded from both the sides to change its form factor. The bezels on the top and the bottom are minimal, but the device definitely appears thick after getting folded as a smartphone.

The UI, which does match to Xiaomi's proprietary MIUI 10 looks responsive and also blends quite fast depending on the number of folds. One fold and the device turns into a box-shaped device and two folds turn it into a smartphone.

Blass is not sure about the authenticity of the video or device, but if true, Xiaomi could be one of the many companies to launch a foldable smartphone later in 2019. The current list of companies planning to launch a foldable smartphone includes Samsung, Huawei, Lenovo.

Xiaomi's Redmi will become an independent brand, first phone with 48 MP camera launching on January 10th

Xiaomi is a known brand worldwide because of its Redmi series devices and flagships series like the Mi, Mi Note, and Mi Mix. The company is highly recognized for selling phones with mid-to-high-end specs at a very cheap price sold under the Redmi brand.

The Redmi series started off with the Xiaomi Redmi smartphone in July 2013. Since then the line-up has grown extensively and the latest devices include the Xiaomi Redmi 6 and the Redmi Note 6. Both of which are doing extremely well in the markets like India, Indonesia, and China.

Today, in surprising news, Xiaomi on Weibo and its official website have announced that it will be separating the Xiaomi and the Redmi brand, making both as an independent marque. This isn't the first time a brand is making a line-up as an independent brand, Huawei did the same with its Honor series way back in 2013.

The announcement was shared along with a teaser image with "Redmi" keyword in the center followed by some text at the bottom in Chinese which reads "New independent brand, Xiaomi Redmi Conference." A closer look at the teaser reveals the number 4800 in the shadows of the Redmi keyword. The number points towards Xiaomi launching the first smartphone under Redmi brand with 48 MP camera.

This aligns with the teaser shared by the Xiaomi president Lin Bin back in December 2018, showing a part of an unannounced smartphone with the text "48MP Camera". Rumored to be the Redmi Pro 2, the device is expected to come with a 5.84-inch display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor and 48 MP rear camera with 4-in-1 pixel combination technology.

Xiaomi launches Redmi Note 4 with Snapdragon 625 SoC in India starting at Rs. 9,999

As scheduled, Xiaomi has officially launched the successor of the highly-popular Redmi Note 3 smartphone in the Indian market. Called the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, the device will be available in India in three different configurations. The Redmi Note 4 comes with metal-unibody design and better specifications compared to its predecessor.

The Redmi Note 4 launched in India comes with Snapdragon 625 processor rather than MediaTek Helio X20 found on the Chinese variant of the smartphone. You can find the complete specs sheet below.

According to Xiaomi, the Redmi Note 4 will be available in India in three different color options including Dark Grey, Gold and newly introduced Matte Black. The latter will be available sometime in the third week of February, says Xiaomi. 

Xiaomi will be selling the Note 4 in India starting January 23rd (12 noon), exclusively from e-retailer Flipkart and Mi.com. On the pricing front, the 2GB RAM with 32GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 9,999, whereas the 3GB RAM with 32GB storage costs Rs. 10,999 and the 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage will be available for Rs. 12,999.

Talking of specifications, the Redmi Note 4 comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD display with 2.5D curved glass, 403ppi pixel density and upto 72% NTSC color gamut. The device is powered by 2GHz 14nm octa-core Snapdragon 625 processor with Adreno 506 GPU. The device runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with MIUI 8 on top. 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 with metal build, Snapdragon SoC, MIUI 8 launching in India on January 19

After officially announcing the device last year in August, Xiaomi has finally decided to launch the successor of Redmi Note 3 in India. Xiaomi has started sending out invites to the press media for the launch of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 in the country. The invite does not explicitly reveal the launch details, but considering company's social media posts — the launch is of Redmi Note 4.

The Redmi Note 3 was a huge success to Xiaomi in India. The device was launched in the country last year in March. The upcoming Redmi Note 4 comes with better build and better specifications.

Xiaomi announced the Redmi Note 4 in China with Helio X20 processor, but the company will be launching a new Snapdragon variant of Redmi Note 4 in India, most probably with Snapdragon 625 processor. The device comes in three colors including Gray, Gold and Silver.

Xiaomi to launch Redmi Note 4X with upgraded specifications soon, images leaked via TENAA

Every year Xiaomi announces array of new smartphones including Redmi, Note and Mi series. Last year in August, Xiaomi announced the Redmi Note 4 in China with metal body, which is soon going to launch in India. Now, the company is rumoured to launch an upgraded version of Redmi Note 4 smartphone, which is allegedly reported to launch as Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X.

Following the same, the Redmi Note 4X was found listed on Chinese certification regulatory authority TENAA website lately. The images leaked by TENAA reveal that the upcoming device looks familiar to its predecessor with metal build and fingerprint scanner beneath the camera module.

Major difference between the Redmi Note 4 and the Redmi Note 4X is visible when it comes to specifications. According to TENAA website, the new Redmi Note smartphone will come with upgraded processor, and extra RAM and storage capacity.