Xiaomi Redmi 5A Launched with Snapdragon 425 and 13MP Rear Camera

Aweek ago, Xiaomi said that it would launch a new Redmi smartphone in India. Some reports suggested that it was the Redmi 5A, the successor to the Redmi 4A, which launched in India in March. Those reports turned out to be true: On Thursday, Xiaomi has officially took the wraps off the India-bound variant of the Redmi 5A, an entry-level budget smartphone that doesn’t break the bank.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Redmi 5A.

Redmi 5A Hardware

The Redmi 5A, which slots just below the Redmi 4 in Xiaomi’s ever-expanding product portfolio, isn’t new. It launched in China in October, and it’s cut from the same cloth as the Redmi 4A, which is to say that it shares the same plastic materials, dimensions (140.4 x 70.1 x 8.35mm), weight (137 grams), 3.5mm headphone jack, and micro-USB port. The only differences are the Redmi 5A’s battery capacity, new dual SIM/microSD slot, and newer software — it’s powered by MIUI 9 out-of-the-box, based on Android 7.1.2 Nougat. All the rest of the specifications are the same.

Redmi 5A Specifications

That said, the Redmi 5A’s specifications aren’t bad for a budget phone. The Redmi 5A packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425, a 28nm SoC with four ARM Cortex-A53 cores and an Adreno 306 GPU, and a 5-inch HD (1280×720) display with a 16:9 aspect ratio and 296-pixel density (PPI). The phone’s available in two models: One with 2GB of RAM with 16GB of storage, and one with 3GB of RAM with 32GB of storage.

Both models have a microSD card slot which supports up to 128GB of expandable storage. And both have a 13MP rear camera with a f/2.2 aperture, 1.12μm pixels, 5P lens, and phase detection autofocus, and a 5MP front-facing camera with a f/2.0 aperture.

The Redmi 5A sports a 3000mAh battery, which is a bit smaller than its predecessor (the Redmi 4A had a 3120mAh battery). Xiaomi says that the battery is rated for 8 days of standby time and 7 hours of video playback, and that it charges up to 5V/1A.

Rounding out the phone’s internals are sensors including an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, and proximity sensor, and an array of connectivity options: 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth v4.1, and GPS.

Redmi 5A Availability and Pricing

The Xiaomi Redmi 5A comes in Dark Grey, Gold and Rose Gold colors. Its price in India starts at ₹5,999 (~$93) for the 2GB RAM and 16GB storage variant. The 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant will cost ₹6,999 (~$108), and the first five million units of the 2GB RAM and 16GB storage variant will be sold at ₹4,999 (~$77), which makes the device the cheapest Xiaomi smartphone in India for the time being. It will be available on December 7 at 12 p.m. on Flipkart and Mi.com, as well as Xiaomi’s Mi Home Stores. It will then be made available at offline retailers including Mi Preferred Partners.

Our take: The Redmi 4A has proven to be one of Xiaomi’s bestsellers, and it seems likely that the Redmi 5A will follow in its footsteps. There’s a negligible difference between the two, but Xiaomi doesn’t have much competition in the sub-$100 price segment.

The ₹1000 discount is a clever idea, as it practically guarantees the 2GB/16GB Redmi 5A will gain a foothold right away. The buyers of the first five million units will get it at a cheaper price than Chinese customers, which is a testament to Xiaomi’s persistence.