Xiaomi Redmi 6 series officially debuts in India: Key features, price details and more

Leading smartphone maker, Xiaomi launched the new line of entry-level phones— a low-end Redmi 6A, generic Redmi 6 and a powerful Redmi 6 Pro— in India on September 5.

The Redmi 6 and the 6A sports sturdy shell with a metallic finish on the back and on the front, it flaunts 5.45-inch HD+ (1440x720p) screen with 18:9 display aspect ratio, offering cinematic viewing experience.

Under-the-hood, the Redmi 6 comes packed with MediaTek Helio P22 octa-core processor, Android Oreo-based MIUI 9.5, 3GB/4GB RAM, 32GB/64GB storage, a 12MP+5MP dual camera with Bokeh blur feature, a 5MP front camera with face unlock, fingerprint sensor and a 3,000mAh battery.

On the other hand, the Redmi 6A houses MediaTek Helio A22 quad-core processor, Android Oreo-based MIUI 9.5 OS, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, a 13MP single camera on the back and a 5MP sensor with face unlock and a 3,000mAh. It can be noted that Xiaomi is betting big on face recognition technology in the Redmi 6A, as it left out the finger scanner.

Both Redmi 6 series models come with Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered smart camera applications to offer Bokeh blur effect, face mask, age detection, editing tools including Beautify for front snapper. It offers options to adjust skin tone, erase scar and is worthy to be posted on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram among others.

The interesting aspect about Redmi 6 and 6A is that it comes with MediaTek processors. This is the first time -- since the first generation Redmi Note -- the company is launching a device with a non-Qualcomm chipset. In late 2014, Delhi High Court had imposed a ban on the sale of the Xiaomi phones with MediaTek processors.

Apparently, Xiaomi violated Ericsson's - Standard, Essential Patents (SEPs) -- which are subject to FRAND (Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) terms.

With the announcement, we believe Xiaomi seems to have resolved the issue with Swedish telecommunication major in India.

As far as the Redmi 6 Pro is concerned, The Redmi 6 Pro sports a 5.84-inch full HD+ screen with a notch on top, which houses 5MP front camera with face unlock capability. On the rear side, it features vertically aligned dual-cameras and a fingerprint sensor in the centre.

Under the hood, it comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core, 3GB/4GB storage, 32GB/64GB storage and a 4,000mAh battery, which is more than enough to last a whole day under mixed usage.

The USP of the Redmi 6 Pro is its camera hardware. It comes with a 12MP+5MP dual camera with Artificial Intelligence (AI) Portrait and AI scene detection feature. With this, the phone will be capable of detecting different possible scenarios such as pets, flowers, human face, landscape, snowy conditions, night, food and more.

For instance, if you are pointing the Redmi 6 Pro camera to a garden, it will intuitively know you are taking a picture of a flower and adjusts the camera's focus and other settings to get the best possible image. Or if you are taking the photo outdoors, it will automatically set the camera mode to landscape and cover a wider area in the single frame.

On the front, Redmi 6 Pro also features an equally impressive 5MP front camera with AI Portrait, wherein despite having just one lens, it can take selfies with Bokeh blur effect. It allows users to adjust the focus on the background and foreground, which suits best to make it look appealing.

All the three Redmi 6 series phones run on Android Oreo-based MIUI 9.6 and will soon get MIUI 10 update in coming months.

Xiaomi Redmi 6 series launch offers, price and availability:

Xiaomi's Redmi 6 series will be initially available on Amazon, Mi.com and Mi Homes. All three models will be released in authorised Mi Partner stores soon.

The generic Redmi 6 comes in two models-- 32GB and 64GB --for Rs 7,999 and Rs 9,499 respectively. It is slated to go on sale on 10 September at 12:00 pm on Flipkart and Mi.com

On the other hand, the top-end Redmi 6 Pro also comes in two options -- 32GB and 64GB -- for Rs 10,999 and Rs 12,999, respectively. It is slated to go on sale on 11 September at 12:00 pm on Amazon and Mi.com

Xiaomi Redmi 6A comes in two variants-- 16GB and 32GB --for Rs 5,999 and Rs 6,999, respectively. It is slated to go on sale on 19 September at 12:00 pm on Amazon and Mi.com.

The company has said that prices of the all three Redmi 6 series phones may be increased if the depreciation of Rupee against Dollar continues after two months.  

Key specifications of Xiaomi Redmi 6, Redmi 6A and Redmi 6 Pro:

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