As predicted, Xiaomi has announced the Redmi Note 5, Redmi Note 5 Pro, and Mi TV 4 at an event in India. All 3 are set to go up for sale on February 22 via Flipkart, the brand’ site, and Mi Home outlets.
While the Redmi Note 5 is a rebranded version of the Redmi 5 Plus, the Redmi Note 5 Pro is a completely new phone making its first appearance in India. The pair have a lot in common, with the exception of the latter’s dual 12MP + 5MP camera setup, 20MP selfie snapper, and Snapdragon 636 processor.
Interestingly enough, the Snapdragon 636 is actually making its global debut in the Redmi Note 5. It uses a Kryo architecture to improve performance and power efficiency. Another first for the series is the presence of an 18:9 aspect ratio. It allows the 5.99-inch FHD+ display to cut down on bezels for more screen real estate without making the overall size too unwieldy.
The twin lenses at the back are enclosed in a very iPhone X-looking ring which juts out slightly. The 12MP one has a Sony IMX376 sensor with a 1.25μm pixel size to shoot good quality photos even in low-light conditions, while the 5MP one gets a Samsung sensor to add depth to portrait shots with bokeh effects.
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Even the 20MP front-facing camera can shoot in portrait mode. It’s gotten paired with a 4500k selfie light to brighten up dark surroundings. On the software side of things, Beautify 4.0 has now been blessed with artificial intelligence to smartly analyze a face and offer enhancements. Xiaomi’s added a Face Unlock feature as well, but it’ll be coming as an update in March.
Common specifications of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro:
– OS: Android 7.1.2 Nougat-based MIUI 9
– Display: 5.99-inch 18:9, 1080 x 2160p
– CPU: Snapdragon 625 (Note 5)/Snapdragon 636 (Note 5 Pro)
– Storage: 32GB/64GB, expandable up to 128GB
– RAM: 3GB/4GB/6GB
– Camera: 12MP/5MP (Note 5), 12MP + 5MP/20MP (Note 5 Pro)
– Battery: 4000mAh
– Connectivity: 4G VoLTE, dual-SIM, Bluetooth 4.2, A-GPS, GLONASS, Wi-Fiac, microUSB 2.0
The Redmi Note 5 (Flipkart/Xiaomi) is priced at Rs 9999 (3GB/32GB) and Rs 11999 (4GB/64GB). The Redmi Note 5 Pro (Flipkart/Xiaomi) starts at Rs 13999 (4GB/64GB) and ends at Rs 16999 (6GB/64GB). The two will go up for sale at 12 pm on February 22 before eventually making its way to offline shops.