Popular Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is reportedly planning to launch a new device on Thursday in India.
Xiaomi, on Facebook, has claimed that some exciting announcement will be made on 14 January and has asked Mi fans to predict what it will be.
"#MiGeneration Attention, this will just be the start. An exciting announcement is happening TOMORROW. Always believe something wonderful is about to happen. What do you think we will reveal tomorrow? Take a wild guess & leave your comments below!," reads the Xiaomi India Facebook page.
Going by the numerous comments posted on the Xiaomi's Facebook promo wall, many are hoping that the company might announce either Redmi Note 3 phablet or the recently unveiled Redmi 3 smartphone.
So which device is more likely to debut tomorrow- Redmi Note 3 or Redmi 3?
Our logical intuition dictates us to incline towards Redmi 3 for one simple reason, the budget phone is powered by Snapdragon 616 Octa-core SoC (System-on-Chip).
Last month, Xiaomi and Qualcomm officially renewed the 3G/4G license agreement. So the Chinese company will not face any sanctions on sales of Redmi 3 in India as it does not violate Ericsson patents.
But Redmi Note 3, which houses MediaTek Helio X10 Octa-core processor, will not be entering India anytime soon. Its predecessors Redmi Note 2 (with the same MediaTek Helio X10) and the first generation Redmi Note (with MediaTek CPU) got banned in India as they were found to have infringed Ericsson's Standard, Essential Patents (SEPs), which are subject to FRAND (Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) terms.
Read more: Redmi Note 2 Release in India Delayed Indefinitely; Xiaomi vs Ericsson Patent Issue to Blame?
Last month, a new Redmi Note 3 model featuring Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 appeared on TENAA, the Chinese government owned telecommunication certifying agency website hinting Xiaomi might be prepping a global variant of the budget phablet.
So there are two possibilities tomorrow, Xiaomi will either unveil the new Redmi Note 3 variant or the Redmi 3. We have to wait for a few more hours to know what Xiaomi has in store for fans in India.
Key specifications of Xiaomi Redmi 3:
| Model | Xiaomi Redmi 3 |
| Display | 5.0-inch HD (1280x720p) screen
|
| OS | Android OS with MIUI 7.0 |
| Processor | 64-bit class Qualcomm Snapdragon Octa-core (1.5Ghz ARM Cortex A53 quad-core + 1.2GHz ARM Cortex A53 quad-core) CPU |
| GPU | Adreno 405 |
| RAM | 2GB LPDDR3 |
| Storage capacity | 16GB (eMMC4.5), expandable up to 128GB |
| Camera |
|
| Battery | 4100 mAh |
| Network | 4G-LTE |
| Add-ons | Full-metal body, Dual-SIM (micro+ nano/microSD card) slots, Bluetooth v4.1, micro-USB 2.0, GPS/GLONASS, A-GPS, |
| Dimensions | 139.3 x 69.9 x 8.5 mm |
| Weight | 144 g |
| Colours | Classic gold, fashion gold, fashion grey and fashion silver |
| Price (in China) | ¥699 (around $107/€98/Rs. 7,143) |
