Xiaomi Redmi Y1, Redmi Y1 Lite launched for India: Are these worth considering?

Xiaomi Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite come with a price tag of Rs 8,999 and Rs 6,999 respectively: Here’s what’s new.

Xiaomi Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite are two new smartphones launched in India starting at a price of Rs 6,999 for the Lite and Rs 8,999 for Redmi Y1. If one goes by the specifications and features, Redmi Y1 and Y1 Lite are rebranded versions of Redmi Note 5A and Redmi Note 5A Prime. The latter two smartphones were launched in August this year in China. Previously we saw Xiaomi launch Mi A1 in India, which was an Android One phone, but also sported a similar specifications and features like the Mi 5X from China.

When it comes to pricing, Redmi Y1 and Y1 Lite are priced under Rs 10,000. Redmi Y1 comes in two variants: 3GB RAM + 32GB storage priced at Rs 8,999. The 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant is priced at Rs 10,999. The budget Redmi Y1 Lite will cost Rs 6,999. Both phones are Amazon Exclusive and the first sale takes place on November 8 on Amazon India and Xiaomi’s Mi.com website. After this sale, the phone will eventually be made available online as well.

So what’s really new with the Xiaomi Redmi Y1 and Y1 Lite?

First, Xiaomi is offering a bigger display of 5.5-inches in the under Rs 10,000 segment. Of course, this is still at HD resolution (720p) and not at 1080p. The Redmi 4 and Redmi 4A both sport smaller 5-inch displays.

The other big change is the focus on the selfie camera with the Redmi Y1, which has the same specifications as the Redmi Note 5A Prime. The Redmi Note 5A Prime also has a 16MP front camera like the Redmi Y1 along with a selfie flash. However, the Redmi Y1 Lite has the same 5MP camera we have seen on some of the earlier budget smartphones from the company.

Redmi Y1 series also comes with a dedicated microSD slot along with two Nano-SIM slots, and this was a feature Xiaomi was keen to highlight during the launch event. The China variants of the phone also sport the same feature. So far, Xiaomi phones had a hybrid dual-SIM slot, which meant a customer could use either a micro-SIM + nano-SIM combination or nano-SIM + microSD one. The Redmi Y1 series has 128GB support on the microSD slot.

Redmi Y1 series has a 16MP front camera with flash.

However, Redmi Y1 and Y1 Lite both come with a 3080 mAh battery. Unlike the Redmi 4 and Redmi Note 4 which sport bigger 4100 mAh batteries, the Redmi Y1 battery specifications are similar to the Redmi 4A. Xiaomi is still promising a day’s worth of battery life, though that can only be confirmed after extensively testing the device.

Both phones will run the MIUI 9 beta build at launch, though the stable build come by mid-November. However, both are on Android Nougat, and there’s no word on whether an Android Oreo update will eventually come to these phones.

If one goes by the processor, rear camera specifications, Redmi Y1 series doesn’t have anything new to offer. Redmi 4 also runs the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor, while the 4A is powered by the 425 series.  Xiaomi’s latest Redmi Y1 series comes at a time when the company is already number two in the market, and closing the gap against market leader Samsung.

While Samsung shipped 9.4 million smartphones in Q3, 2017 in India, Xiaomi was not far behind with over 9.2 million shipments. Xiaomi also claims the Redmi Note 4, Redmi 4 and Redmi 4A are the top selling smartphones in the Indian market. Now, the company has introduced another set of smartphones, even though the specifications are not drastically different from other offerings.

The selfie camera is the highlight in the Y1 along with the bigger display. Xiaomi also introduced a brand ambassador for the Redmi Y1 series: Bollywood actor Katrina Kaif. This is a first for a company, which has so far relied on social media and fans for spreading the buzz around its phones. So clearly there’s a shift in strategy on some aspects.

Redmi Y1 comes with a bigger 5.5-inch HD resolution display.

The company has always said it plans to ramp up its offline presence in the country and has been doing so, making its phones available in local mobile stores in cities like Delhi. It also announced a partnership with Reliance Digital stores at the launch event. In South India, Xiaomi has already partnered with mobile retailers like Poorvika, Sangeetha, etc.

With Redmi Y1 series, we will have to wait and see the kind of response they generate and whether they help Xiaomi take the number one spot in the Indian smartphone market.