Smartphone-maker Xiaomi is reportedly planning to expand the availability of the company's popular entry-level Redmi 5 series outside China.
Reputed tipster Roland Quandt has claimed that Xiaomi will release the generic Redmi 5 model in global regions in mid-February with support for LTE 20 band, meaning, it will certainly be rolled out in Europe.
But, will Xiaomi Redmi 5 come to India?
Very likely. Though Xiaomi is aggressively expanding in Europe after its debut in Russia, later to Spain and Portugal, the company's second biggest market after China is India.
Xiaomi, which was not even in the top 5 smartphone-makers list in India, witnessed huge response to its feature-rich Redmi Note 4, Redmi 4, Mi Max 2 and Mi A1 over the last one and half year, which helped it jump to the second spot in early 2017 and squared level with Samsung to become the leader of the pack by the end of the fourth quarter of 2017.
Xiaomi, which is now in a hot streak, will not waste time to bring the Redmi 5 with cost-effective price. Furthermore, long reigning leader Samsung is reportedly planning to bring an online-only series on the lines of Redmi Note 4 to beat Xiaomi in its own game in India.
Coming months will see intense competition between the two. Having said that, the consumer will be the ultimate winner, as they will be spoilt for choices, while companies engage in price-war by releasing feature-rich phones, at dirt-cheap price.
Xiaomi Redmi 5 going global in the second half of February. Including LTE Band 20 making it work in full on certain Euro operators,
— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) January 17, 2018
For those unaware, Redmi 5 sports 5.7-inch HD+ (1440x720p) FullView display and 18:9 aspect ratio, offering rich cinematic viewing experience , 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core, 2GB/3GB RAM, 16GB/32GB storage, a 3,300mAh, 12MP primary camera with f/2.2 aperture, LED flash and a 5MP front snapper with dedicated LED flash.
Word on the street is that Xiaomi might rebrand the Redmi 5 Plus as the Redmi Note 5 in global markets, but Xiaomi has not commented on the rumours so far.
Read more: Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 may not launch, but THIS phone is set to replace Redmi Note 4 successor
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Key specifications of Xiaomi Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus:
| Models | Redmi 5 | Redmi 5 Plus |
| Display | 5.7-inch HD+ (1440x720p) with 2.5D curved glass screen
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5.99-inch full HD+ (2160x1080p) with 2.5D curved glass screen
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| OS | Android Nougat-based MIUI 9 | Android Nougat-based MIUI 9 |
| GPU | Adreno 506 | Adreno 506 |
| Processor | 14nm-based 64-bit class 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core | 14nm-based 64-bit class 2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core |
| RAM | 2GB/3GB RAM | 3GB/4GB RAM |
| Storage | 16GB/32GB + expandable up to 128GB via microSD | 32GB/64GB + expandable up to 128GB via microSD |
| Camera |
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| Battery | 3,300mAh | 4,000mAh |
| Network | 4G-LTE with VoLTE (Voice-over-LTE | 4G-LTE with VoLTE (Voice-over-LTE) |
| Add-ons | Dual-SIM (+ extra microSD slot), Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n; dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz), fingerprint sensor, infrared sensor (IR blaster) | Dual-SIM (+ extra microSD slot), Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n; dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz), fingerprint sensor, infrared sensor (IR blaster) |
| Dimensions | 151.8 x 72.8 x 7.7 mm | 158.5 x 75.45 x 8.05 mm |
| Weight | 157g | 180g |
| Colours | Black, Gold, Light Blue and Rose Gold | Black, Gold, Light Blue and Rose Gold |
| Price (in China) |
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