Review: Xiaomi Redmi 2

Call the Xiaomi de “Chinese Apple” it's a big mistake. Some newspapers and technology blogs have nicknamed the manufacturer this way but the truth is that, despite the inspiration in the design of Apple devices, the Xiaomi walks in the opposite direction when we talk about pricing strategies.

The Chinese company landed in Brazil at the end of June with few things in the bag: a single smartphone, the redmi 2, Mi Power Bank and other accessories. At first, to buy the cell phone it was necessary to wait for a sales event, but at this point in the championship it is already possible buy it anytime. I spent the last few weeks testing the device and these are my impressions.

Layout and Finishing

Can't ask too much of Design e finishing um input device, but that does not mean that the redmi 2 do ugly. The minimalist look pleases: on the back a discreet “Mi” logo at the bottom, the camera, flash and speaker located on top, plus a secondary microphone to cancel noise. the cape gray with matte finish not to keep many fingerprints.

On the right side are all the buttons, which have a chrome finish; at the bottom the main microphone and the input for the microUSB cable; the headphone plug on top. The front of the device has only the three capacitive buttons, which control the Android. They are red but not backlit, which makes it difficult to use in the dark until we become familiar with their order.

By today's standards, this is a pretty good device. compact. The grip is comfortable, we can easily handle it with just one hand. Still, the Xiaomi added in the software resources an option to “use with only one hand”, which shrinks the interface to 4 or 3.5 inches. The only downside here is the fact that it's a cell phone. slippery. The rear is very smooth and with little care it goes to the ground.

Fabric

Finding good quality screens on entry-level smartphones is almost impossible. But Xiaomi it achieved. The 4.7 inches with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels guarantee quite sharp, but it's not just that. The display has a enviable contrast e well balanced colors. To top it off, it has a great viewing angle and satisfactory brightness range; I didn't find any problems when going out in the sun with my cell phone.

speed and performance

The processor Snapdragon 410 quad-core 1,2 GHz is enough to give the redmi 2 a satisfactory performance. MIUI 6, the customization layer of the Xiaomi No. Android, helps a lot for the experience to be fluid. I will talk about it in the next topic.

It is a device that can handle the tasks of a common user. Browsing the internet, exchanging messages, listening to music and viewing social networks is no sacrifice, everything runs very well, the animations occur naturally and no choking. If you demand a little more from him – playing, for example – he will feel the weight that comes with leaving the app, but little by little he will recover. Still, it is capable of running slightly heavier games, thanks to Adreno GPU 306.

As usual, 1GB of RAM does not work miracles. It is almost certain that, after a few minutes, when switching to the previous application you will have to wait for it to reload. At least the splash screen doesn't reload with heavy use, thanks to good system management.

System

A MIUI is a fundamental part of the experience that the Xiaomi proposes to the user. think of a Android. Now turn it into iOS. Ready, you have the MIUI. Jokes aside, the device's system is heavily inspired by iOS and has several additional features to Android; which is not to say that it is full of bloatware.

Despite the many pre-installed apps, they are well organized and do not affect performance. The only problem here is that Redmi 2 only has 8GB of storage space and the system snaps up almost half of it, leaving only 4,4 GB for users.

A MIUI 6, which currently runs on the device, is based on the 4.4 Android KitKat. But you shouldn't pay too much attention to the Android version, as the customization layer practically turns into a completely new system. A number of MIUI features anticipate native Android functionality that has only recently appeared.

The software can be personalised on several levels: the user can choose from hundreds of themes, which change the entire visual aspect; there are options for setting the saturation of screen colors; it is possible to choose the specific functions of the capacitive buttons and even the buttons on the headphones; among others.

Here in the Brazil, to Xiaomi uses to Play Store to get the apps, plus all the google software package, in this aspect the Redmi 2 is an Android. They also added Mi Cloud, a service that stores your files and settings in the cloud, including call logs, text messages and photos. THE We Cloud has 5 GB of free space, you can buy more, but you will need a Chinese card.

Camera

For a device that costs R$ 499, the camera positively surprises. The sensor of 8 megapixels It is capable of capturing beautiful images when there are good lighting conditions – colors are balanced, images are sharp. When the environment is darker or has artificial lighting, the photos are of the expected quality. Don't create too many expectations when Selfie, the front sensor has only 2 megapixels. The camera app is visually identical to the iOS one, it's worth remembering.

Battery Life

O redmi 2 does not disappoint when it comes to battery and manages to achieve similar and even better results compared to its competitors. It has enough autonomy to last a whole day of use without going to the socket halfway.

On a day of intense use, with 4G on, listening to music for several hours and frequently checking my emails and social networks, the battery had 15% of charge remaining at 22 pm. With moderate use, it is left with 30-35% at the end of the day.

The system has battery profiles, which disable connectivity features, lower screen brightness, and reduce processor power consumption, which helps it last for a few more hours. The device's charger is capable of recharging it quickly, thanks to technology Quick Charge 1.0.

Price and availability

O redmi 2 is available in Brazil since the 7th of July. In the first months of operation, Xiaomi chose to sell them through sales events, but since August the device has been sold at any time. You can only buy it through company's official websiteBy R$499 in cash by bank slip or credit card, or in up to 10 equal installments R$54,90.

Conclusion

With the arrival of redmi 2, Moto E lost the position of best smartphone android input. Xiaomi's phone delivers a great experience at a below-average price. The finish is simple, the performance isn't dazzling, the camera doesn't take spectacular images, but you have to remember that it only costs R$499. Precisely for this reason, it has a sensational screen and support for 4G; no entry model offers this set.

For those looking for a cheap smartphone, this is the main market option.

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Technical Specifications

• Processor: 410GHz quad-core Snapdragon 1,2;
• RAM memory: 1 GB;
• Screen: 4,7-inch IPS LCD with 1280×720 pixel resolution (321 ppi) and Dragontrail protection;
• Camera: 8 megapixels, autofocus, LED flash;
• Frontal camera: 2 megapixels;
• Battery: 2200 mAh;
• Connectivity: 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi 802.11n, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0;
• GPU: Adreno 306;
• External memory: microSD card support up to 32GB;
• Internal memory: 8 GB (only 4,4 GB available to the user);
• Dimensions: 134 x 67.2 x 9.4 mm;
• Weight: 133 g;
• Sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass;
• Platform: Android 4.4.4 (KitKat) with MIUI 6 customization layer.