Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Xiaomi steals Samsung’s big-screen thunder with 5.5-inch Redmi Note 2, which will cost about $125

Andy Boxall
By

Xiaomi has held a launch event in China, where it announced the Redmi Note 2 smartphone, and gave us a sneak peak to MIUI 7, the next version of its custom Android user interface. The Redmi Note 2 is a follow-up to its original Redmi Note, a big-screen smartphone with a strong spec, but a low price tag. It’s announcement comes on the same day the world’s expecting to meet the latest Samsung phablet, the Galaxy Note 5, which will also have a big screen and a strong spec, but not a low price tag.

The Redmi Note 2 has a 5.5-inch display, and Xiaomi has bumped the resolution up from 720p to 1080p. The processor is another MediaTek chip, but this time it’s the powerful 64-bit octa-core Helio X10, which is also found inside certain versions of the HTC One M9+, and the Meizu MX5. It’s joined by 2GB of RAM, and the phone comes with either 16GB or 32GB (called the Note 2 Prime) of internal storage space. There’s also a MicroSD card slot onboard, and the whole device weighs 160 grams.

Recommended Videos

A 13-megapixel camera is fitted to the Redmi Note 2 and has phase detection autofocus (PDAF), which apparently speeds up auto-focusing — down to just 0.1s according to Xiaomi — particularly in low light. It’s a feature previously seen on the Samsung Galaxy S5. The camera has a five-element lens and an f/2.2 aperture. Around the front is a 5-megapixel selfie cam with a refined beautify mode. Other phone specs include a 3060mA removable battery, 4G LTE, and a dual-SIM card tray.

Related

Although Xiaomi isn’t fully revealing MIUI 7 until August 19, the new UI will be installed on the Redmi Note 2 when it goes on sale, so a few choice screenshots were shown off during the presentation. Xiaomi has a 750-person R&D team working on MIUI 7, and says it will have more than enough customization options onboard that no two phones will look alike. Another feature revealed is face recognition in the gallery app, ready to create groups based on individuals, rather than situations or places.

The release date for the Redmi Note 2 hasn’t been confirmed, but it’ll cost the local equivalent of around $125.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Andy Boxall
Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Samsung’s Note 10 Plus 5G hits nearly 2Gbps on Verizon’s network
Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G

The Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G is Samsung's latest phone to support the next-gen network, and to test it out, I visited Providence, Rhode Island, one of the earlier cities to get Verizon's Ultra Wideband 5G.

It's worth noting that the Note 10 Plus 5G is almost exactly the same phone as the Galaxy Note 10 Plus: it's just 2 grams heavier and supports 5G. Check out our Note 10 Plus review for in-depth impressions of the phone.

Read more
I can’t wait for Nothing to launch this stunning phone
Nothing Community Edition Project winner.

Say what you will about Nothing, but this brand certainly has a taste for flashy design. After all, how many phones out there light up and sync to the beat of music? But the company's latest smartphone endeavor could just be its best yet.

In March, Nothing introduced its Community Edition Project. The goal was to take ideas from its fans for hardware design, with the Nothing Phone 2a serving as the foundation. The company also has similar plans for wallpaper, packaging, and marketing shenanigans. Today, Nothing announced its winning entry for the phone design, and it’s a stunner.

Read more
The best tablets in 2024: top 11 tablets you can buy now
Disney+ app on the iPad Air 5.

As much as we love having the best smartphones in our pockets, there are times when those small screens don't cut it and we just need a larger display. That's when you turn to a tablet, which is great for being productive on the go and can be a awesome way to unwind and relax too. While the tablet market really took off after the iPad, it has grown to be quite diverse with a huge variety of products — from great budget options to powerhouses for professionals.

We've tried out a lot of tablets here at Digital Trends, from the workhorses for pros to tablets that are made for kids and even seniors -- there's a tablet for every person and every budget. For most people, though, we think Apple's iPad Air is the best overall tablet — especially if you're already invested in the Apple ecosystem. But if you're not an Apple user, that's fine too; there are plenty of other great options that you'll find in this roundup.

Read more