Redmi 2 Announced: Should You Wait or Get the Redmi 1S Now?

Redmi 2 Announced: Should You Wait or Get the Redmi 1S Now?

Xiaomi announced the new version of it’s extremely popular Redmi, the Redmi 2 – which would start sales in China on Jan 9th. Minor improvements all around, primarily on the upgrade of the processor. The Redmi 2 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 Quadcore 64-bit 1.2 GHz processor as compared to the Redmi 1S’s Snapdragon 400 1.6GHz 32 bit processor. The Redmi 2 will also support 4G LTE, together with improved front camera and a bigger battery at 2,200 mAH. The Redmi 2 processor should be slightly faster than its predecessor thanks to an improved ARM Cortex A53, with branch prediction accuracy improvements and datapath throughput increased.

Redmi 2 Specifications

  • Snapdragon 410 1.2GHz, quad-core 64-bit SoC
  • 4.7-inch 720p IPS LCD
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 2200mAh battery
  • 8GB storage with microSD card
  • 8MP rear camera, 2MP front camera
  • 4G LTE support
  • Dual SIM
  • Price: 699 RMB (China)
  • Colors: white, black, yellow, pink, and green
  • Weight: 132 grams
  • Dimensions 134 × 67.2 × 9.4mm

One nice aspect is that the Redmi 2 will retain dual sim compatibility as compared to the Redmi Note 4G, which drops to a single SIM configuration. Dual SIM 4G support would be a strong feature that distincts the Redmi 2 from other similarly priced budget phones that are getting more common in Singapore. I like that the Redmi 2 is also lighter and smaller than the Redmi 1S, which was a common complaint with regard to the phone being bulky. Price also seems to be slightly cheaper compared to the announced 799 RMB for the Redmi 1 and Redmi 1S but would likely retain its Singapore pricing of S$169.

The Note 4G was announced in August and arrived in Singapore on November 18. A similar schedule would probably see the Redmi 2 start selling in Singapore in around March 2015. I would recommend waiting for it. The Redmi 2 wouldn’t be remarkably faster than the Redmi 1 or 1S, leaked Antutu scores for the Redmi 2 Snapdragon 410 indicates around 19898, while the Redmi 1S scores around 21k. This is also leaked early data which could be from a beta debugging set, and final scores might be better. However, benchmark scores aren’t everything. I think the upgrade to dual SIM 4G, a lighter/slimmer phone, improved architecture, and newer software updates are worth waiting for.