When you look at the Indian smartphone market in 2017, one device that will definitely cross your mind is Xiaomi Redmi Note 4. It was the bestselling smartphone in the country last year, shipping more than five million units in the first half of 2017 itself.
It did extremely well despite stiff competition from rivals like Huawei Honor 7X, Moto G5 Plus, Honor 9 Lite, and Lenovo K8 Note.
The Chinese technology giant has unveiled its successors -- the Redmi Note 5 and the Redmi Note 5 Pro -- but the big question is whether they will take the Indian smartphone market by storm like their predecessor.
As expected, Xiaomi has competitively priced its new device Redmi Note 5 at Rs 9,999 for the 3GB RAM + 32GB storage, and Rs 11,999 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant. On the other hand, the Redmi Note 5 Pro comes with a price tag of Rs 13,999 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage model and Rs 16,999 for the 6GB RAM + 64GB storage variant.
The price of the Redmi Note 5 is especially reasonable, compared to the Redmi Note 4 which is currently priced at Rs 10,999 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant. The new device is just Rs 1,000 costlier than its predecessor.
To be available in Black, Gold, Lake Blue, and Rose Gold colors starting February 22 on Flipkart, Mi Home, and Mi.com, the Redmi Note 5 is the India-variant of the Redmi 5 Plus that was released in China last year.
The device features a 5.99-inch full-HD touchscreen with1,080x2,160 pixels (403 ppi density), a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, Android 7.1.2 Nougat operating system, 3GB/4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage, expandable up to 128GB via microSD card.
It also features a 12MP main camera with f/2.2 aperture, 1.25 μm, phase detection autofocus and dual-LED dual-tone flash, a 5MP front-snapper, and a 4,000mAh battery with fast charging 5V/2A.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro also will be made available in India on Flipkart, Mi Home, and Mi.com starting February 22. It sports a 5.99-inch full-HD touchscreen with1,080x2,160 pixels (403 ppi density), a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, Android Nougat operating system, 4GB/6GB RAM, 64GB storage expandable up to 256GB via microSD card, and a 4,000mAh battery with fast charging 5V/2A.
In terms of camera, it has a dual 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1.25 μm) + 5MP (f/2.0, 1.12 μm) main camera setup with phase detection autofocus and dual-LED dual-tone flash, and a 20MP front-snapper with f/2.0, 1/2.8" and LED flash.
On the other hand, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 has a 5.5-inch IPS LCD screen with 1,080x1,920 pixels (401 ppi pixel density), a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, Android 7.0 Nougat OS, 3GB/4GB RAM, 32GB/64GB internal memory expandable up to 128GB via microSD card, and a 4,100mAh battery.
In terms of camera, it has a 13MP main camera with f/2.0 aperture, 1.12µm pixel size, PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus) and dual-tone LED flash, and a 5MP front-snapper with f/2.0 aperture and 85-degree wide-angle view of field.
Given the key specifications, the Redmi Note 5 Pro is superior to the Redmi Note 4 and the Redmi Note 5 – from display to processor to RAM to storage to camera. It also comes with a higher price tag.
However, the Redmi Note 4 and Redmi Note 5 (Redmi 5 Plus) are not very different in terms of specifications, and even share the same processor, software, RAM and storage. The handsets differ in screen size, camera and battery, but these are not significant differences.
