Lately, leading smartphone maker Xiaomi, known for its active social media interactions, has gone into a radio silence in India. It’s been close to two months since the company launched the Redmi 5A and that’s very odd, as January is already coming to an end and there is no word from Xiaomi about any new product.
Taking note of Xiaomi’s stoic silence, renowned mobile tech guru and proprietor of TechPP blog tweeted his thoughts on Twitter. In reply, Xiaomi India’s media representative, Clinton Jeff, creatively confirmed with fire emojis, that the company is in fact bringing a hot new product in February.
What will it be—Redmi 5 or Redmi Note 5?
Recently, noted tipster Roland Quandt claimed that Xiaomi Redmi 5 series, which is already released in China, will make global debut and hit stores in select markets starting in February.
There is another theory floating on the Internet suggesting that Xiaomi will rebrand the Redmi 5 Plus, the top-end model of the Redmi 5 series, as the Redmi Note 5 and release it in international markets including India.
New Xiaomi phone coming to India next month: Will it be Redmi 5 or Redmi Note 5?Clinton Jeff (@clintonjeff) via Twitter
Considering the two aforementioned reports and the 2017 Xiaomi products release pattern, we believe Xiaomi will launch the Redmi Note 5 in India in early February.
It has to be noted Redmi Note 4 was first announced in China and later came to India in January 2017.
So far, Xiaomi has not announced Redmi Note 5 in China and it looks like the company might sell the Redmi 5 Plus as the Redmi Note 5 in India next month, and later launch the generic Redmi 5, probably at the end of first quarter (March-end) or in April. Even its predecessor, Redmi 4 series was released in the same time frame.
For those unaware, the Redmi 5 Plus comes with a 5.99-inch full HD+ display, 2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core, 3GB/4GB RAM, 32GB/64GB storage, 4000mAh battery, 12MP camera with f/2.2 aperture and a 5MP front snapper with dedicated LED flash.
On the other hand, the generic Redmi 5 sports a smaller 5.0-inch HD+ screen and houses 2GB/3GB RAM, 16GB/32GB storage and a 3,300mAh cell. It also houses almost the same camera hardware as seen in the Plus version, and the only difference is that the later has a single-tone LED flash on the black, whereas the former has dual-tone flash support.
Key specifications of Xiaomi Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus:
| Models | Redmi 5 | Redmi 5 Plus |
| Display | 5.7-inch HD+ (1440x720p) with 2.5D curved glass screen
·       Aspect ratio: 18:9 ·       Brightness: 450 nits ·       NTSC Colour Gamut: 72% ·       Contrast ratio: 1000:1 |
5.99-inch full HD+ (2160x1080p) with 2.5D curved glass screen
·       Aspect ratio: 18:9 ·       Brightness: 450 nits ·       NTSC Colour Gamut: 84% ·       Contrast ratio: 1000:1 |
| OS | Android Nougat-based MIUI 9 | Android Nougat-based MIUI 9 |
| GPU | Adreno 506 | Adreno 506 |
| Processor | 14nm-based 64-bit class 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core | 14nm-based 64-bit class 2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core |
| RAM | 2GB/3GB RAM | 3GB/4GB RAM |
| Storage | 16GB/32GB + expandable up to 128GB via microSD | 32GB/64GB + expandable up to 128GB via microSD |
| Camera | ·       Main: 12MP camera with 1.25µm pixel size, f/2.2 aperture, PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus), LED flash
·       Front: 5MP camera with LED flash |
·       Main: 12MP camera with 1.25µm pixel size, f/2.2 aperture, PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus), dual-tone LED flash
·       Front: 5MP camera with LED flash |
| Battery | 3,300mAh | 4,000mAh |
| Network | 4G-LTE with VoLTE (Voice-over-LTE | 4G-LTE with VoLTE (Voice-over-LTE) |
| Add-ons | Dual-SIM (+ extra microSD slot), Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n; dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz), fingerprint sensor, infrared sensor (IR blaster) | Dual-SIM (+ extra microSD slot), Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n; dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz), fingerprint sensor, infrared sensor (IR blaster) |
| Dimensions | 151.8 x 72.8 x 7.7 mm | 158.5 x 75.45 x 8.05 mm |
| Weight | 157g | 180g |
| Colours | Black, Gold, Light Blue and Rose Gold | Black, Gold, Light Blue and Rose Gold |
| Price (in China) | ·       2GB RAM+16GB storage: ¥799 (approx. $121/€103/Rs 7,792)
·       3GB RAM+32GB storage: ¥899 (approx. $136/€115/Rs 8,767) |
·       3GB RAM+32GB storage: ¥999(approx. $151/€128/Rs 9,743)
·       4GB RAM+64GB storage: ¥1,299(approx. $196/€167/Rs 12,668) |
