Xiaomi is perhaps best known for their range of high-performance mid-range devices at low price points. Recently, their Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro has become a best-seller in India (though the success is partly driven by the fact that the company has thus far only offered limited quantities sold during flash sales). The company also offers many budget devices to compete with Samsung in India, and it seems that the company is gearing up to launch the Xiaomi Redmi S2 as their next budget device.
We exclusively reported on the device’s existence 2 weeks ago, while last week we saw the device make its way over to TENAA which confirmed additional specifications for the device. Now, Czech publications have obtained live photos and hands-on videos of the device after it seemingly popped up early in a Mi Store in the Czech Republic.
SvetAndroida (now taken down) posted images of the device and Dotekomanie posted a hands-on video of the device. They have been able to confirm many of the specifications we reported on earlier (and after re-examining the firmware files, we can corroborate most of what they’re reporting.)
Xiaomi Redmi S2 live photos. Source: SvetAndroida.
For reference, here is a table we put together listing the likely specifications for the Xiaomi Redmi S2.
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Size & Weight | 160.7 x 77.3 x 8.1mm. 170g. |
| Display | 6-inch 18:9 1440×720 LCD |
| SoC | msm8953 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 625) |
| Storage | 16/32/64GBs with microSD card slot |
| RAM | 2/3/4GBs |
| Software | Android 8.1 Oreo with MIUI 9 |
| Rear Camera | (Sony 12MP IMX486 OR OmniVision 12MP OV12A10) + Samsung 5MP S5K5E8
EIS Portrait Mode |
| Front Camera | Samsung 16MP S5K3P8SP
Face Unlock |
| Battery | 3,080 mAh |
| Colors | White, Silver, Gray, Black, Gold, Rose Gold, Blue, Red, and Pink |
| Regions | China & India & Europe |
A budget 6-inch device with dual rear cameras and a 16MP front-facing camera will probably sell a ton of units. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 might give you some pause in 2018, but there’s a reason Xiaomi keeps coming back to it: It just works. The power-efficient Snapdragon 625 coupled with a display at a resolution of 1440×720 and a 3,080mAh battery should easily be able to last you through the day. And with Android 8.1 Oreo on board, the device will be Project Treble compatible which means you can forego running MIUI and instead run an AOSP-based ROM if you so choose (though we have little doubt the device will have a healthy development community.)
Interestingly, the fact that this device has appeared in the Czech Republic suggests it will be launched in Europe alongside India and China. We don’t have pricing information for the device’s India launch, but if we learn more about the device we’ll be sure to let you all know.