Xiaomi has announced entry-level Redmi 7 alongside the selfie-centric Redmi Y3 in India. While there's little difference between both the phones, they cater to a wide range of audience. Redmi 7 is for the everyday user who's a bit on the budget whereas the Redmi Y3 aims to provide the best selfie in its segment.
Redmi Y3 specifications, price and availability
Xiaomi claims to have sold more than 7 million units of Redmi Y series in India. The series was unveiled almost two years back and the Y3 builds on it.
Redmi Y3 features a 6.26-inch HD+ IPS panel with a u-shaped waterdrop notch on the front. The screen is topped by a layer of Gorilla Glass 5 for added protection. Xiaomi has gone forward with its new gradient design that we have previously seen on its Redmi Note 7 series. The back panel also curves a bit towards the sides and merges into the chassis of the Y3.
It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 chipset with an octa-core CPU and runs on MIUI 10 which is based on Android 9.0 Pie.
Coming to the camera department, the Redmi Y3 has a 32MP front-facing camera which is double than what the Y2 offered. This makes the sensor almost 22.5% larger than the previous one. Xiaomi has also worked on its artificial intelligence-based optimizations for pictures and the Y3 comes with AI Beautify 4.0. In addition, the selfie camera on the Y3 supports Auto HDR, Full HD video recording supported with EIS, 360-degree face unlock and screen flash. The front also offers an 80-degree field of view, allowing users to capture a wide frame with more people.
On the rear, the Redmi Y3 has dual camera setup which consists of a primary 12MP sensor assisted by a 2MP depth sensor. The back camera is able to detect 33 different scenes and optimizes the picture according to preset functions. It can also record Full HD videos at 60 frames per second and supports EIS. Additionally, the camera app has built-in Google Lens but it is not known whether it will be seeded to more phones.
As for the battery life, the Y3 has a 4,000mAh battery which can easily power the phone through the day and then some. Xiaomi claims that the Redmi Y3 can easily run YouTube for 9.5 hours, Instagram for 10 hours and play Asphalt 8 for upto 9 hours on a single charge. To avoid damage by regular splashes of water, the Y3 has P2i hydrophobic coating and watertight seals along with all its ports.
Xiaomi has announced two variants of the Redmi Y3- 3GB RAM + 32GB storage priced at Rs 9,999 and 4GB + 64GB model at Rs 11,999. The first sale is scheduled for April 30 from 12 noon on Mi India Store, Amazon India and Mi Home.
Redmi 7 specifications, price and availability
The Redmi 7 is an entry-level smartphone by Xiaomi which has almost the same hardware as the Redmi Y3 except for the selfie camera. It has an 8MP selfie camera and flaunts a new gradient design, taking cues from the Note 7 series.
As for the price and availability, the Redmi 7 will be available in two variants- 2GB RAM + 32GB storage priced at Rs 7,999 and a model with 3GB RAM priced at Rs 8,999.
Redmi 7 goes on sale for the first time on April 29 at 12 noon across Mi India Store, Mi Home and Amazon India.
During the announcement, Xiaomi also revealed that it has successfully inaugurated 1,000 Mi Stores across 19 states and 300+ cities in India. To further increase their offline sales, Xiaomi announced Mi Studio stores in Bengaluru and Mumbai that essentially provide a mini Mi Home experience to customers. Xiaomi aims to open over 10,000 offline stores in India by the end of 2019.
- Also Read: OnePlus 7 launch date confirmed as May 14
