If you are among the consumers looking for a pretty reasonable mobile phone in the market, you may just be lucky enough to come across the Xiaomi Redmi 1S. Lucky in the sense that if you can get one easily.
Ideally, retailers would run out of stock of this model and perhaps with good reason. It is a given that Xiaomi has been getting raves and reviews and once you hear about the specs and most importantly the price, you may just find yourself on the prowl looking for one in stores.
What is so impressive about the budget-friendly device? Well first of all, the device offers features that one may find surprising if you are looking for a mid-level phone on a budget.
Among the specs that the Redmi 1S carries include a 4.7-inch IPS Retina Display screen encased in a simple rectangular case with smoothened edges. Providing power is a Quad-core Qualcomm MSM 8228 1.6 GHz processor and 1GB of RAM and 8GB EMMC (storage). The phone runs on Android OS.
As for Xiaomi's highly touted camera technology, the Redmi 1s will have an 8MP BSI rear camera and 1.6 MP front-facing camera, something that provides more than acceptable images upon testing.
The camera is armed with dual-SIM capability although there are limitations since only the left card slot can be used for 3G connectivity. The second slot was designed only to accommodate calls and text services .
With those specs alone, some may find it more than enough if they are the ones who keep an eye on mid-level phones and the specs they have to offer. From the camera alone, the 8MP capability is already a bonus considering most budget-phones provide a maximum of 5MP capability as far as their back cameras are concerned.
It comes with a 2000/2050 mAh battery, something that can be used for about 14 hours. However as far as charging time is concerned, you may have to wait a bit for it to regain full status for roughly about 3 hours or so.
Performance-wise, the battery has indeed impressed as far as apps and videos are concerned. The back cover of the Redmi M1 can also be replaced in different available colors from retailers.
However there are some things that the China-based company could improve on.
Among them include the phone's overall weight (158g). For folks who have been used to light and easy to carry phones, you may need to adjust with this one.
Another thing that some may dislike is that the touch control buttons are hard to see and do not light up. Especially when used in the dark, one could hardly see them to make the necessary control and/or navigation, especially when you try to navigate on screen and through the apps. Physical buttons for the power and volume are located at the right side of the Redmi 1s.
After going through the pros and cons, a retail price of about $133 isn't that bad. And first things first, try to see if you can actually get one from retailers or even online. These phones sell as fast as they come.
With India said to be the top hoarder, one would be luck to get hold of one. So if you are serious about getting one, it would be best to keep your eyes open locally and of course online where they have the tendency to suddenly crop up.
