Redmi Note 2 Release in India Delayed Indefinitely; Xiaomi vs Ericsson Patent Issue to Blame?

The release of Xiaomi's recently unveiled Redmi Note 2, which was previously rumoured to be released in India this month, has been delayed.

"We are continuously evaluating new products that can be launched in India. But, as of now we do not have plans to launch Redmi Note 2 in India," BGR India quoted Xiaomi Spokesperson as saying.

Why Xiaomi Withheld the Redmi Note 2 (& Prime) Launch in India?

Though the company has not formally acknowledged why Redmi Note 2 launch is getting delayed in India, it is believed that Xiaomi is yet to settle the patent dispute with Ericsson. This issue first cropped up in December 2014, leading to the ban of first generation Redmi Note as it was found to have infringed Ericsson's Standard, Essential Patents (SEPs), which are subject to FRAND (Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) terms.

Redmi Note 3G variant was the victim of the ban as it was running MediaTek processor and reportedly used some of the Ericsson patent technology. It's 4G sibling, which featured Snapdragon 400 series, was allowed for sale in India as it didn't violate any term.

It's a simple open and shut case; if Xiaomi agrees to pay the royalty to Ericsson, this issue gets closed. Other smartphone makers are following the same sales model. Even Micromax faced similar patent infringement suit amounting to Rs. 100 crore by Ericsson, but got dropped as the Indian company agreed to pay the fees.

But, no one knows why the Chinese company is taking time to settle the case. If the issue does not get resolved soon, Xiaomi may launch a new Redmi Note 2 model, probably with a Snapdragon 615 Octa-core SoC (System on Chip), which is almost on par with MediaTek Helio X10 and is also found in most of rival mid-range devices in India.

The delay in Redmi Note 2 launch in India will cost the company's smartphone market share to rivals such as Lenovo, Motorola and Micromax's YU, who sell similar budget phablets for a lesser price.

Redmi Note 2:

Redmi Note 2 comes in two models, one regular model and the other Prime variant. The key difference between the two is that the former runs on 2.0GHz MediaTek Helio X10 processor with 16GB storage, whereas the latter boasts faster 2.2GHz MediaTek Helio X10 CPU with larger 32GB storage capacity. The rest of the hardware remains same in both the Xiaomi phablets.

They sport 5.5-inch full HD display, 2GB RAM, an impressive 13mp Samsung/OV camera with PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus) function and 0.1s focus speed. And on the front, it houses a 5mp OmniVision snapper with 5-element lens and f/2.2 aperture.

Key Specifications of Xiaomi Redmi Note 2: