The highly anticipated Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro smartphones have been officially launched in India. Xiaomi is usually known for unveiling its smartphones first in China and then making it available in India few months later. Last year, the company had launched the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus in China, but there was no Redmi Note 5. India is the first country to receive the Redmi Note 5 and is advanced sibling Redmi Note 5 Pro.
The main highlight of the Redmi Note 5 it is the first 18:9 aspect ratio supporting Redmi phone for India. It comes with a huge battery and a power-efficient processor. Since it comes with compelling features, Xiaomi has dubbed it as “India’s all-rounder.”
Redmi Note 5 Specifications and Pricing
The Redmi Note 5 is fitted with a 5.99-inch IPS LCD display that supports Full HD+ resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels and offers a maximum brightness of 450nit. The screen is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass. Even though it sports a large-sized display, the size of the phone is almost same as a traditional 5.5-inch smartphone.
It measures 158.5 x 74.45 mm and it weighs 180 grams. With a thickness of only 8.05mm, it becomes the thinnest Redmi phone from the company. It comes with a premium aluminum build with tapered rear. The Note 5 can be availed in color choices like Black, Gold, Rose Gold and Blue.
The Snapdragon 625 powers the Redmi Note 5. Yes, it is the same old chipset that powers the likes of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, Redmi Note 4X, Mi Max 2, and Mi A1. It comes in 32 GB and 64 GB storage models that respectively feature 3 GB and 4 GB of RAM. Xiaomi has included dual pyrolytic graphite sheet inside the phone. It helps in reducing the temperature by 2-degree Celsius.
The Redmi Note 5 is powered by 4,000 mAh battery that comes with 5V/2A charging support. The handset is preinstalled with MIUI 9 based Android 7.0 Nougat. The fingerprint scanner is located on the backside of the phablet.
For photography, Xiaomi has included a 12-megapixel rear camera with f/2.2 aperture. It has a pixel size of 1.25μm. It comes with features like fast autofocus and PDAF. The 8-megapixel camera sitting on the frontside of the Note 5 has been optimized to capture good quality selfie shots in low-light conditions. It is equipped with an LED flash and Beauty 3.0 for snapping enhanced selfie shots. The handset features a hybrid SIM slot which also supports a microSD card. The connectivity features available on the Redmi Note 5 include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, microUSB and 3.5mm audio jack.
Redmi Note 5 Pricing and Availability
The 32 GB and 64 GB Redmi Note 5 are respectively priced at Rs. 9,999 (~$155) and Rs. 11,999 (~$187). It will be exclusively available through Flipkart. Xiaomi has confirmed that it will begin the first sales of the phone on Feb. 22 through Flipkart, Mi.com and Mi Home stores. It will be also available through other offline channels soon. The box package of the phone will include an ultra-slim case.
