Redmi 2 Unboxing and Impressions [Video]

Ever since it came out in the Philippines last April 2015, Redmi 2 is considered one of the bang-for-the-buck dual LTE enabled devices by gadget enthusiasts. Its number of sales are seemingly lesser though compared to Xiaomi 3, probably overshadowed by a plethora of equally priced smartphones by both local and international brands.

Priced at PhP5,999, Redmi 2 comes in two different colors – white and dark gray.There’s nothing really striking about its design especially when compared to its predecessor, the Redmi 1S. Xiaomi retained its matte designed phone casing, which I still find very attractive, plus the fact that it gives the phone a more grip-friendly feel.

Its earpiece, 2 megapixel camera and light sensors are placed above its 4.-7-inch screen while its red capacitive buttons are placed at the bottom. Its chrome-coated volume rockers and sleep/wake button are on the right side. Its 3.5mm headphone jack is found at the top of the phone, while its microphone and micro-USB jack are placed at the bottom.

Its 8 megapixel camera, LED flash and speaker are found at the back of the phone. Its secondary microphone, moreover, is located just above its camera.

It’s powered by a quad-core 64-bit Snapdragon 510 processor, and an Andreno 306 GPU and 1GB RAM. These hardware specs are really capable of kicking in especially when we tried playing our favorite games: Contest of Champions, Future Fight and yeah, even Clash of Clans. Performance was satisfactory but not too far from the Redmi 1S as its major difference from the latter are processor, GPU and LTE capability.

The device is pre-installed with Android 4.4.4 Kitkat with MIUI 6 sitting on top of the said operating system. MIUI is known to be one of the most advanced and security-centric user interface that plays nicely on Android. It also added several enhancements and applications to Android Kitkat like camera features, advanced security settings and UI customization options.

During our brief test, we snapped a couple of photos using the smartphone’s front and rear facing cameras. So far, the smartphone’s camera takes great photos with astounding color accuracy, reproduction and level of detail.

We pit the photos we took against the ones we took using the Galaxy S6. We thought of showing these photos you can have a good grasp of how capable Redmi 2’s camera is compared to much more expensive devices.

Both photos are taken with Auto Mode enabled. Due to Redmi 2’s f/2.2 aperture, it is able to suck in more light so its sensors didn’t have to increase the ISO levels. Due to this, photos are brighter and less grainy.

Redmi 2 shoots photos with acceptable but somets highly blown color saturation.

Here’s another sample photo with flash enabled.

Redmi 2’s front camera is quite dismal at low light as seen on this sample photo. It is clearly no match with Galaxy S6’s front facing camera.

Redmi 2 is definitely a worthy purchase especially if you’ve got a limited budget. At PhP5,999, it’s indeed one of the most affordable dual LTE devices that work on all networks (provided that you get the variant that’s compatible with Band 1 and Band 3 networks). Let’s also add the fact that it’s from the guys that brought us the Xiaomi Mi 3 and Mi Pad, which are known to be really great devices.

If you haven’t watched the video above, click this.

Redmi 2 Specifications:

• OS: Android 4.4 KitKat, MIUI 6 launcher
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor, Adreno 306 GPU
• Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, microSD expandable up to 32GB
• Display: 4.7-inch HD display, 1280×720 resolution, 312 ppi, AGC Dragontrail Glass
• Camera: 8-megapixel rear camera w/ AF, BSI, and LED flash, f/2.2; 2-megapixel front-facing camera w/ BSI and 720p video recording
• Connectivity: 4G LTE; WiFi, WiFi hotspot; Bluetooth 4.0; GPS w/ A-GPS; microUSB 2.0, USB OTG
• SIM: Dual SIM
• Battery: 220mAh Li-ion battery, removable
• Dimensions: 9.4mm thin, 133 g

Giancarlo Viterbo

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Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.