What will you do if you want to buy a popular budget smartphone but its successor will be released soon? Will you buy it anyway or wait for the new device? It will be confusing but you have to take a decision. This is what Xiaomi fans, who are planning to buy the Redmi Note 4, will face as the Redmi Note 5 is on the way.
Is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 still worth the money? Yes. It is said to be the best selling smartphone in India in the first half of this year. It also made it to the top 10 best selling smartphone globally in October 2017 according to a research by Counterpoint.
Also read: Affordable smartphones you can expect in 2018: Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, Moto G6 and more
The Redmi Note 4 sports a 5.5-inch IPS LCD screen with 1,080x1,920 pixels (401 ppi pixel density), powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, and runs Android Marshmallow operating system (upgradable to Android 7.0 Nougat). It also features a 13MP main camera with BSI CMOS sensor, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus), dual-tone LED flash and 1.12µm pixel size, a 5MP front-snapper with f/2.0 aperture and 85-degree wide angle view of field, and a 4,100mAh battery.
On top of that the Chinese company has cut the price of the device ahead of the release of the Redmi Note 5. It was priced at Rs 10,999 for 3GB RAM + 32GB storage and Rs 12,999 for 4GB RAM+64GB storage at the time of launch but has been brought down to Rs 9,999 for the former and Rs 10,999 for the latter.
But what about the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 which is coming in a few weeks? Well, all eyes are on the device after the success of its predecessor. It is expected to be unveiled next month (January 2018), of course with several feature upgrades.
According to reports that have appeared so far, the device will feature either a 5.5-inch full HD display with 401 ppi (pixel density) or a 5.99-inch Full HD screen with 2,160x1,080 pixels resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. It is expected to be powered by a MediaTek Helio P25 octa-core processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 octa-core chipset for Indian market), powered by Android Nougat-based MIUI 9 operating system, come packed with a 3GB/4GB RAM, a 32GB/64GB storage, mount a dual 16MP main camera and a 5MP front-snapper, and house a 4,000mAh battery.
It is also reported that the handset will come with a price tag of 1,200 Yuan ($175 / €155 / Rs 11,680) for the 3GB RAM + 32GB storage, 1,400 Yuan ($205 / €180 / Rs 13,626) for 4GB RAM + 32GB and 1,500 Yuan ($220 / €195 / Rs 14600) for 4GB RAM + 64GB storage.
If reports are anything to go by, the upcoming Redmi Note 5 will have several feature upgrades over its predecessor but with a higher price tag. The Redmi Note 4 has received a decent price cut despite its popularity among price-conscious consumers. So, it appears like the release of the Redmi Note 5 won't affect the sales of its predecessor.
