The much awaited Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 may not hit Indian shores at all, going by what a technology analyst has to say. This is due to the fact that the Qualcomm Snapdragon variant of the smartphone would not debut.
A Chinese analyst, Pan Jiutang, opines that Xiaomi would not specifically launch a Qualcomm Snapdragon variant of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, which means that the possibilities of a launch of the smartphone in India are remote.
At this point, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 has been launched in a Mediatek SoC edition in China, but this edition apparently cannot be released considering Xiaomi's patent battles with Ericsson in India that has resulted in the former being allowed to commercially sell only Snapdragon-powered smartphones in the country.
Now, with Pan Jiutang's latest analysis about a Snapdragon-powered Redmi Note 4 variant not being on top of Xiaomi's minds, it could very well mean that Xiaomi loyalists in India would not be able to see the Redmi Note 4 at least as far as the near future is concerned. Nonetheless, it is still possible for Xiaomi loyalists to purchase the Mediatek-driven Redmi Note 4 in India through unofficial online channels.
XiaomiDevice is the unofficial online source selling the Mediatek Xiaomi Redmi Note 4. The e-tailer claims to ship the Redmi Note 4 to India, after 30 September. Cost of the smartphone here is Rs 12,000 ($180).
Key technical specifications of the Mediatek-driven Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
- 5.5-inch display having resolutions of 1080 x 1920 with pixel density of 401 ppi
- Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) operating platform
- Mediatek MT6797 Helio X20 SoC
- 13 MP rear camera
- 5 MP front snapper
- 2/3 GB RAM
- 16/64 GB internal storage variants
- MicroSD card slot for expansion of internal storage up to 256 GB
- LTE, HSPA, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi and microUSB connectivity
- 4,000 mAh Lithium-Polymer battery