The reign of the fourth is over as Xiaomi announces the first of the Fifth-Gen Redmi Series. After months of leaks, the Redmi Note 5A is now official.
The Redmi Note 5A can be said to be the successor to the Redmi 4A released in November 2016. The 4A was the cheapest Xiaomi phone ever made but didn’t compromise on quality. The Note 5A is slightly more expensive but has specs that justify the increase.
Redmi Note 5A Design
Xiaomi hasn’t really changed the design of the series. The Redmi Note 5A is just a bigger version of its successor, though it has ditched the polycarbonate body for metal.
The speaker has been moved from the back to the bottom just beside the micro USB port. The rear camera still sits on the antenna line but the LED flash is now on the right.
This is the Redmi series so it is still uses capacitive buttons. Power button and volume rocker are on the right and the SIM tray is on the left. Sitting at the top is an audio jack and an IR blaster.
Redmi Note 5A Specs
The first major change is the display. Instead of the 5-inch size of the Redmi 4A, the Note 5A moves to a 5.5-inch display but keeps the resolution at 720p. Xiaomi says even with the increase in size, it can still be operated with one hand.
We checked out the dimensions since it doesn’t sport thinner bezels. The Redmi Note 5A measures 153 x 76.2 x 7.7 mm. While there is a significant increase in the length and breadth of the phone, it is thinner than the Redmi 4A.
The Note 5A comes in three different variants:
- A 2GB RAM + 16GB model powered by the Snapdragon 425 mobile platform and no fingerprint scanner.
- A 3GB RAM + 32GB model with a Snapdragon 435 processor and a rear fingerprint scanner. The display is also covered with a 2.5D glass.
- A 4GB RAM + 64GB model with a Snapdragon 435 SoC and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
The Redmi Note 5A continues with the upgrade with a 16MP front camera and front flash limited to the (3GB and 4GB models only). Seems it is all about the selfies with this device. The camera has a f/2.0 aperture with a 76.4° viewing angle and beauty mode for videos too.
The base model has a 5MP f/2.0 front camera but skips the flash. The rear camera for all three models is a 13MP f/2.2 sensor with PDAF, HDR, and low-light enhancement.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A is the first of Xiaomi devices in a long while with a dedicated microSD card slot. So irrespective of the version you buy, you get a SIM tray with two SIM slots (nano only) and a microSD slot (128GB max).
The phone ships with MIUI 9 out of the box, bringing features like split-screen multitasking, image search, and an AI assistant. There is a 3080mAh battery under the hood that supplies juice. Check out full Redmi Note 5A specs here.
READ MORE: Xiaomi Mi A1 Could be the Next Android One Smartphone
Redmi Note 5A Availability and Price
The Redmi Note 5A comes in Champagne Gold, Platinum Silver Gray and Rose Gold.
The 2GB RAM base model is priced at ¥699 (~$105), the 3GB RAM model will sell for ¥899 (~$135) and the 4GB RAM edition will go for ¥1199 (~$180).
Sale begins tomorrow on the official Xiaomi website and on JD.com at 10:00 AM. As at the time of writing there have been more than 86,000 registrations recorded on JD.com.
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