The Xiaomi Redmi 1S goes on sale starting tomorrow and if you’re planning to pick up a unit, we’ve put together a brief review of the phone’s pros and cons. This way, you’ll know what you’re getting into and you’ll also be able to decide whether this handset is the right choice for you or not.
At Rs 5999, the Xiaomi Redmi 1S is the most affordable mid-range smartphone on the market. Other OEMs like Karbonn, Spice and Lava amongst others have alluring devices in the same category, but none even come close where price and features are concerned. Now just because the handset is cheap, it doesn’t mean that it’s of low-quality.
The Redmi 1S comes in a simple packaging made from recycled material. Along with the usual documentations and warranty info, the company has bundled the phone with a USB cable and a wall socket. Sadly, there are no earphones onboard and you’ll have to supply your own. Being made from polycarbonate, the phone doesn’t look cheap and it has a very durable feel to it.
In fact, its curved edges deliver a comfortable grip, although a weight of 158 grams is a bit outside our comfort zone. And the handset isn’t the slimmest either as it measures 9.9mm thick. Well, these small drawbacks can be easily overlooked them moment you glance at that attractive price tag.
Let’s take a quick look at the Xiaomi Redmi 1S’ specs:
- Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
- 4.7-inch 720p HD display
- 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, 64GB expandable
- 1.6GHz quad core Snapdragon 400 processor
- 8MP rear camera, 1.6MP front snapper
- Dual SIM (3G + 2G) support, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity
- 2000mAh battery (removable)
In the same price range, the Moto E from Motorola has been a hot seller. Well, Xiaomi’s cheapest smartphone is capable of delivering 2x performance, while selling for a little cheaper. The hardware found here is quite similar to the components you’d get on the Rs 11990 Moto G. The 4.7-inch display on the front looks great and visuals are crisp with great color reproduction and viewing angles.
There’s a lot of eye candy delivered through the MIUI interface which is basically Android like you’ve (probably) never seen before. Compared to the standard UIs we’ve seen on most Google-powered smartphones, the Xiaomi phone is customizable to a great extent via downloadable themes which can modify everything from the lock screen style, to the notification bar, to the icons to the boot animation and more.
It’s a bit hard getting your way around the UI, but it didn’t take us long to feel at home. Where performance is concerned, the Redmi 1S managed to run everything we threw at it. Games like Real Racing 3 and Asphalt 8 as well as the benchmarking title Epic Citadel , work flawlessly and the credit goes to the higher clocked 1.6GHz quad core Snapdragon 400 SOC.
Coming to the cameras, the 1.6MP lens on the front is a fixed-focus one and it can deliver decent selfies under good lighting. The 8MP sensor on the rear is also an average shooter and performs well in bright conditions. For low-light capturing, the LED flash works well, but can overexpose the image at times leaving you with an excessively bright picture.
You’ll also be able to record video in 1080p FHD which makes the device all the more desirable. Coming to battery life, Xiaomi has included a 2000mAh cell and our tests have shown that the phone can deliver over 5 hours of FHD video playback or around 7 hours of activity on moderate usage.
The Xiaomi Redmi 1S is certainly a bang for your every buck and we’d definitely recommend it not only to first-time smartphone buyers, but also customers looking for a great mid-range handset on a budget. To round things up from this review, you get a decent looking phone with a great display, brilliant performance and moderate battery life.
At Rs 5999, the Xiaomi Redmi 1S is the most affordable mid-range smartphone on the market. Other OEMs like Karbonn, Spice and Lava amongst others have alluring devices in the same category, but none even come close where price and features are concerned. Now just because the handset is cheap, it doesn’t mean that it’s of low-quality.
The Redmi 1S comes in a simple packaging made from recycled material. Along with the usual documentations and warranty info, the company has bundled the phone with a USB cable and a wall socket. Sadly, there are no earphones onboard and you’ll have to supply your own. Being made from polycarbonate, the phone doesn’t look cheap and it has a very durable feel to it.
In fact, its curved edges deliver a comfortable grip, although a weight of 158 grams is a bit outside our comfort zone. And the handset isn’t the slimmest either as it measures 9.9mm thick. Well, these small drawbacks can be easily overlooked them moment you glance at that attractive price tag.
Let’s take a quick look at the Xiaomi Redmi 1S’ specs:
- Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
- 4.7-inch 720p HD display
- 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, 64GB expandable
- 1.6GHz quad core Snapdragon 400 processor
- 8MP rear camera, 1.6MP front snapper
- Dual SIM (3G + 2G) support, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity
- 2000mAh battery (removable)
In the same price range, the Moto E from Motorola has been a hot seller. Well, Xiaomi’s cheapest smartphone is capable of delivering 2x performance, while selling for a little cheaper. The hardware found here is quite similar to the components you’d get on the Rs 11990 Moto G. The 4.7-inch display on the front looks great and visuals are crisp with great color reproduction and viewing angles.
There’s a lot of eye candy delivered through the MIUI interface which is basically Android like you’ve (probably) never seen before. Compared to the standard UIs we’ve seen on most Google-powered smartphones, the Xiaomi phone is customizable to a great extent via downloadable themes which can modify everything from the lock screen style, to the notification bar, to the icons to the boot animation and more.
It’s a bit hard getting your way around the UI, but it didn’t take us long to feel at home. Where performance is concerned, the Redmi 1S managed to run everything we threw at it. Games like Real Racing 3 and Asphalt 8 as well as the benchmarking title Epic Citadel , work flawlessly and the credit goes to the higher clocked 1.6GHz quad core Snapdragon 400 SOC.
Coming to the cameras, the 1.6MP lens on the front is a fixed-focus one and it can deliver decent selfies under good lighting. The 8MP sensor on the rear is also an average shooter and performs well in bright conditions. For low-light capturing, the LED flash works well, but can overexpose the image at times leaving you with an excessively bright picture.
You’ll also be able to record video in 1080p FHD which makes the device all the more desirable. Coming to battery life, Xiaomi has included a 2000mAh cell and our tests have shown that the phone can deliver over 5 hours of FHD video playback or around 7 hours of activity on moderate usage.
The Xiaomi Redmi 1S is certainly a bang for your every buck and we’d definitely recommend it not only to first-time smartphone buyers, but also customers looking for a great mid-range handset on a budget. To round things up from this review, you get a decent looking phone with a great display, brilliant performance and moderate battery life.
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