Xiaomi is making headlines with the launch of its two new phones, Redmi Note 2 and Redmi Note Prime, alongside its updated Android skin, MIUI 7, in China on 13 August. The new launches were specifically for the Chinese audience, but gave an early look at what to expect from at the 19 August event. Xiaomi is said to finally bring MIUI 7 to the Indian audience on 19 August, but we are also expecting to see the newly-launched Redmi Note 2 in India.
While fans are speculating what the new products will be like, Gadgetraid has come up with the roadblocks that Xiaomi might hit with Redmi Note 2. As per the report, if it launches Redmi Note 2 in India, Xiaomi will undergo a lot of scrutiny because of its MediaTek processor.
Taking hints from last year's legal troubles, Xiaomi will face obstruction while launching the MediaTek Helio X10-powered Redmi Note 2 in India. The Chinese corporation was banned in India for a brief period after Ericsson filed a copyright infringement lawsuit for violating 8 of its patents. After week-long ban on sales and marketing of Xiaomi phones in India, the court lifted the restriction and allowed the Chinese manufacturer to sell Qualcomm-powered smartphones. Since then, Xiaomi has only been selling smartphones with Qualcomm chipset in the country, reserving its MediaTek use for international markets.
What does it mean for Redmi Note 2 release in India?
Xiaomi can work around its specifications to use a Qualcomm chipset inside Redmi Note 2 before launching it in India to avoid any further scrutiny from the government. But, the company will face challenges matching the processing power generated by MediaTek's Helio X10, the flagship SoC that powers handsets like HTC One M9 Plus, Digit reports.
Xiaomi can get close to its Chinese variant of Redmi Note 2 by packing a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chipset. But going beyond that will likely increase the price of the handset, which may not be a great selling point for Xiaomi in India. The Indian budget smartphone market is already dominated by handsets like Lenovo K3 Note, YU Yureka Plus and others. So, it is necessary that Xiaomi matches a similar price range without compromising the performance.
Other specifications of Redmi Note 2 will remain unchanged for its India release. The handset features a 5.5-inch Full HD display, 13-megpixel rear-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture, LED flash and a 5MP front snapper. The 2GB RAM and 16GB on-board storage will accompany the processor that will be used in the Indian variant of the Redmi Note 2. The battery will remain the same at 3,060mAh.
