Xiaomi has launched three new affordable phones or what they call the “desh ke smartphones” in India. The phones succeed company’s budget centric line-up, named the Redmi 6A, Redmi 6 and Redmi 6 Pro. Out of the three phones, the Redmi 6A is the latest iteration of the Redmi 5A, while the Redmi 6 is for Redmi 5. It’s only the Redmi 6 Pro that’s new to the party, but it’s actually the rebranded Mi A2 Lite without stock Android.
Redmi 6A is most affordable of all
The most affordable Redmi 6A is priced at Rs 5,999. While it’s predecessor features a Snapdragon 425 chipset, the company has gone with MediaTek's Helio A22 SoC which is fabricated on 12nm architecture process. The 5A gets an 18:9 aspect ratio display measuring 5.45-inch with HD resolution. The 3000 mAh battery onboard is said to be a highlight of the phone that promises 9 days of standby time.
Evidently, it gets a very basic camera setup which comprises of a 13MP rear camera with PDAF & EIS and AI portrait mode along with a 5MP front camera.
The Redmi 6A runs Android Oreo with MIUI 9.6 on top (MIUI 10 arriving in coming months). It has two SIM slots and a dedicated microSD card slot. This time, it gets dual 4G VoLTE support and also has new features like face unlock, which can be used simply by raising the phone to unlock.
Redmi 6A comes in two variants: 2GB + 16GB for INR 5,999 and 2GB + 32GB for INR 6,999 as introductory prices for two months. Redmi 6A will go on sale on mi.com and Amazon.com on 19th September at 12 Noon.
Redmi 6 Pro is for those who need more power
Alongside the Redmi 6A, Xiaomi also announced the Redmi 6 Pro in India. The Redmi 6 Pro is a rebranded version of the Mi A2 Lite but runs on MIUI 9.6 based on Android 8.1 Oreo.
It features a 5.84-inch FHD+ (2280 x 1080 pixels) display which has a notch cut out on the top. As a result, the phone has a 19:9 aspect ratio which provides users with much more screen area to play on.
Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC with Adreno 506 as its graphics processor. The phone comes with 3GB and 4GB of RAM with 32GB and 64GB onboard storage. It also has a dedicated microSD card slot that supports storage up to 256GB.
Coming to the cameras, the Redmi 6 Pro sports twin cameras on the back which comprise of a primary 12MP camera and a 5-megapixel secondary camera. One special aspect of the primary camera is its Sony IMX486 sensor which is the same as that on the Redmi Note 5.
On the front, the phone houses a 5MP selfie camera which has an f/2.0 aperture resulting in a 67.9 degree wide angle field of view.
Both the rear and front-facing cameras are supported by artificial intelligence. This helps the cameras in creating Portrait images and up to 25 scene detection. The front-facing camera has Beautify 4.0 feature which lets users enhance their selfies.
The phone draws power from a 4,000mAh battery which will easily last two days and then some.
Redmi 6 is the best of both the worlds
The Redmi 6 is the elder sibling of the 6A. It features a 5.45-inch HD+ (1440 x 720 pixels) display which has an 18:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, the Redmi 6 is powered by MediaTek Helio P22 chipset and is backed by 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB internal storage.
On the optics front, it sports a primary 12MP camera and a secondary 5MP depth sensing camera on the rear. The rear cameras are assisted by Xiaomi's AI prowess to create Portrait pictures. There's a 5-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies which also supports the Beautify 4.0 mode.
The Redmi 6 is powered by a 3,000mAh battery which should ideally last a day on moderate to heavy usage.
Price and availability
The Redmi 6A comes in two storage variants. The one with 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage is priced at ₹5,999 while the 32GB variant is priced at ₹6,999. The first sale will be held on September 19 on Amazon India and Mi Store.
On the other hand, the Redmi 6 comes in 32GB and 64GB storage variants with 3GB of RAM and is priced at ₹7,999 and ₹9,499 respectively. The Redmi 6 goes on sale for the first time on September 10 on Flipkart and Mi Store.
The Redmi 6 Pro is the top-end smartphone in the Redmi 6 series and like its siblings comes in two variants. The Redmi 6 Pro with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage will cost you ₹10,999 while the variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage will set you down by ₹12,999. The first sale is on September 11 on Amazon India and Mi Store. As part of the launch offer, HDFC debit and credit card holders are eligible to get ₹500 flat off on the Redmi 6 Pro during the first sale.
Xiaomi has also disclosed that the prices for all the three smartphones under the Redmi 6 series is introductory and is subject to change based on the rupee to dollar depreciation.
