FIRST IMPRESSIONS | Xiaomi RedMi 2

Reviews June 26, 2015 MattGuyver 0

Last month, the Xiaomi RedMi 2 was released via Lazada. Is the successor to the well-received RedMi 1S able to live up to the...

Last month, the Xiaomi RedMi 2 was released via Lazada. Is the successor to the well-received RedMi 1S able to live up to the expectations of users? Before diving into the phone, we check out what’s inside the box!

Xiaomi has gained a cult-like following here in the Philippines due to the Mi 3 and the RedMi 1S. Of course, you can also get the Mi Pad and a whole slew of accessories including the Mi Power Bank for these phones, but it was high time the Chinese company gave fans something new to tinker.

Enter the RedMi 2, a sleek and lightweight update to the midrange RedMi 1s. Before we go any further, here are the official specifications of RedMi 2, so you could get an idea of what the phone is capable of:

Processor: 1.2GHz 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core CPU
RAM: 1GB LPDDR3
Display: 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 Sharp / AUO IPS display, 312ppi
Screen glass: AGC Dragontrail Glass
Storage: 8GB internal storage & up to 32GB via microSD
Front Camera: 2MP front camera
Rear Camera: 8MP BSI rear camera, Omnivision sensor, F2.2 aperture
Sim: Dual-SIM, Dual-Standby, Dual-LTE
Connectivity: 4G LTE, 3G HSPA+
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0
USB Connectivity: Micro USB / USB OTG
GPS: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity & Compass
OS: Android 4.4.4 KitKat via MIUI 6
Battery: 2,200mAh battery
Weight: 133g
Dimensions: 134 x 67.2 x 9.4mm
Colors Available: White, Green, Yellow, Pink & Dark Grey

With that out of the way, it’s time to see what you get (with the help of a little buddy)!

The contents of the box were very basic: just the charging/USB cable and a pair of earphones. Since it was a simple affair, we decided to initially play around with it. The RedMi 2 is surprisingly lightweight! We had the chance to use the RedMi 1S before and we believe the RedMi 2 is lighter. The curved sides make it comfy in the hand and made it feel like a tad thinner than its predecessor. As with Xiaomi phones, the power button and the volume rocker were located at the right side of the phone, while the speaker is at the top left side (when holding the phone with the display facing you).

We also did some tinkering with the camera. It really felt like this was a Xiaomi phone, as the touch-to-focus feature was snappy and the display had a familiar brightness to it. It made us remember the Mi 3 and the RedMi 1S’ cameras.

The next thing we are going to do is to put the phone through its paces to see if it holds up to everyday use. We expect this little phone to impress us the way we were impressed by Xiaomi’s previous offerings!

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