Xiaomi launches 'Selfie-centric' phones Redmi Y1 & Redmi Y1 Lite
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has introduced a completely new series in India, the Redmi Y (the Y apparently stands for "You"). The company has unveiled its new selfie centric smartphones Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite in India with top-notch hardware. In terms of pricing, both the phones Redmi Y1 and Y1 Lite are priced below Rs 10,000. Redmi Y1 is available in two storage variant - 3GB RAM + 32GB and 4GB RAM + 64GB. Its base variant will be priced at Rs 8,999 whereas its higher variant will be available at Rs 10,999. On the contrary, budget Redmi Y1 Lite will cost Rs 6,999 to the consumers. Both the phones can be purchased exclusively on Amazon from November 8 onwards.
How is Redmi Y series differ from other Xiaomi phones?
For the first time, the company Xiaomi is offering a bigger display of 5.5 inches in sub-10K price range though they sport HD resolution (720p) and not 1080p. Its previous phones Redmi 4 and Redmi 4A both sport 5-inch displays. Unlike other budget phones, Redmi Y1 has high resolution 16MP front camera with selfie LED flash. However, Redmi Y1 Lite sports 5MP camera.
Both the devices sport similar design and look. They feature 5.5-inch HD (1280x720p) display with curved edges around the corners and smooth metallic cover on the rear panel. In terms of specifications and features, Redmi Y1 scores over Redmi Y1 Lite. Redmi Y1 flaunts 16MP front shooter with dedicated LED flash, fingerprint scanner on the rear panel and its front display is protected by 2.5D curved glass. On the otherhand, Y1 Lite sports a less superior 5MP camera and lacks LED flash support, fingerprint sensor and 2.5D glass protection.
Redmi Y1 comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 453 octa-core with 3GB/4GB RAM and 32GB/64GB storage. Whereas Redmi Y1 Lite comes with lower configuration which is quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset backed by 2GB RAM and 16GB storage. Redmi Y1 series also comes with a dedicated microSD slot for 128GB internal storage along with two Nano-SIM slots unlike other Xiaomi phones which come with hybrid SIM slot. Both of them will run the MIUI 9 beta build based on Android Nougat operating system. Both the Redmi Y1 and the Y1 Lite come with 3,080mAh battery.
Our Viewpoint
Looking at the design and hardware specifications, Xiaomi's new phones will surely be cost-effective camera phones along with good configuration (Processor+ RAM+ storage). Redmi Y1 at a price of Rs 10,999 will compete with the likes of Vivo, Oppo, Asus (Zenfone Live and Zenfone 4 Selfie series) in selfie-camera phones segment.
