Xiaomi has launched its mid-range Redmi Note 4 smartphone in India before other global markets. The Chinese smartphone maker announced the release of the new mobile device powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor on Feb. 3, Friday. Xiaomi claimed the new device was designed to supplant the Redmi Note 3 launched in February 2016.
The Redmi Note 4 has a starting price of 9,999 Indian rupees (about $149). International Data Corporation (IDC) reported Redmi Note 3 was the all-time highest-shipped smartphone in India during any quarter.
Last year the smartphone manufacturer shipped more than 3.6 million units of the Redmi Note 3, according to The Economic Times. The company hopes the new Redmi Note 4 will set new records.
Xiaomi claimed that Redmi Note 4 provides fast and smooth performance. The chipset is the first in its class that uses 14-nanometer Fin Field Effect Transistor (FinFET) technology.
This spec provides more power efficiency than 22nm technology-based processors. The tech company claims this allows the 4100mAh battery to last on average one-quarter longer than the Redmi Note 3.
Redmi Note 4 offers 32 gigabytes of storage for its base model with 2GB of RAM, and up to 64GB flash in the version with 4GB of RAM. The storage of all of the models can be expanded up to 128GB (via an SD card).
This dual-SIM phone runs MIUI 8, which is an operating system based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It includes a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080-pixel x 1920-pixel) 2.5D curved glass in-plane switching (IPS) display. The Redmi Note 4 also includes a 13-megapixel rear camera and 5MP front camera.
All models are available in Gold and Grey color variants. Xiaomi has announced that a Matte Black version of the newest Redmi phone will be available but it is not yet listed for sale.
Redmi Note 4 is also built to work with India's long-term evolution (LTE) cellular networks. That includes support for LTE Band 5 used for LTE/voice over LTE, which allows HD calls over 4G Internet.
Manu Jain is head of Xiaomi India. He shared in a Facebook post that the Chinese company earned $1 billion in revenue last year. Jain explained that the company hopes to reach new milestones this year and launch several new products in India.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is now available at Mi.com. The new handset was launched in India on Jan. 19 and went on sale on Jan. 23, according to NDTV.
Here's a reivew of Xiaomi's Redmi Note 4: