Xiaomi Redmi 1S First Look and Hands On: Xiaomi Brings Power to the Budget People

Rating:

3.5/5

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PROS

• Immersive UI
• Premium Build
• Powerful Processor

CONS

• Camera Quality needs Improvement
• Dated Android OS

Affordability is a big factor if you are a handset maker plying your trade in India. The sub 10k price category speaks out well to customers, and hence we are seeing the immense rise in popularity for the likes of Motorola-made Moto G and Moto E.

But it isn't only these Motorola devices that have made a mark in the massive Indian userbase. Anything that's well below the 10k price segment is bound to catch up sometime or the other. And hence the recent surge in such handsets.

But keeping all else aside for the time being, Xiaomi is the newest name in the block to have entered the below 10k range for a more productive financial year. After the massive success the company attained via the previously released Mi 3 handset, Xiaomi has released the new Redmi 1S.

The Redmi 1S, available for pre-order on FlipKart from 6pm onwards today for Rs. 5,999, is necessarily a big threat to the currently reigning Moto E. Also the phone will be on sale from 2pm on September 2nd on FlipKart itself. Xioami is aware of the kind of popularity the handset has seen over the months, and has now introduced the Redmi 1S as a big competition for the Motorola-made device.

While we are yet to see how the new Redmi 1S handset eventually does in the market, the signs are usually bright for all devices that have a cheap price tag. And we have no reason to believe that the
Redmi 1S wil be any different.

We recently spent some time with the Redmi 1S handset, and able to make a few notes out of it for a potential first look on the handset. Here's a look at what we took from it in the first impression.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S First Look and Hands On: Form Factor and Operating System

The new Redmi 1S is not really a big device. In fact, the handset offers a 4.7-inch display that goes well with the current industry standards. However, the handset's display is quite improved than you will ever see from handsets in this price range.

From what we have seen from the handset in a very short time, the Redmi 1S' 1280 x 720 display offers 312 ppi, and also delivers superfine text and crisp photos. Apart from that, the handset comes with in-plane switching (IPS) technology that delivers impressive color reproduction from almost any viewing angle.

In terms of hardware present in the phone, the handset looks quite sleek and fit. As expected, at the front, you will find the handset's front facing camera, while the power and the volume rocker buttons are present on the right side of the handset. Apart from that, there's the rear camera in the back with a usual minimalist Mi logo at the bottom rear.

In the little time we managed to spend with the handset, it has to be said that the smartphone feels quite good in hands. Sure, you may expect that a device with such a low price tag may or may not offer the kind of premium feel we usually look out for.

But thankfully enough, Xiaomi thinks differently. And although the Redmi 1S does fall in the budget segment among a host of others in the same segment, the company has still managed to offer the handset a great feel that will never give away the expression of being a cheap handset.

In terms of the OS and UI involved, while the handset does run on the dated Android Jelly Bean, you are bound to forget about it as soon as MIUI takes over your senses. The MIUI is anyway the interface of the year for us, and with it pulling all the strings in the handset, you are bound to get impressed.