Chinese handset maker Xiaomi has launched its new entry-level Android smartphone Redmi 5A in the Indian market. The device offers compelling features at reasonable prize which might give a better response from its Indian clients.
According to International Data Corporation's (IDC) latest Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker Q3, 2017, the company has already taken top position among the list of shipped smartphones with a market share of 23.5 percent. This is next only to the South Korean giant Samsung. Xiaomi has been said to have shipped 9.2 million smartphones in the third quarter of 2017.
Redmi 5A would be sold in the Indian market as "Desh ka smartphone" as a true successor of Redmi4A which has been launched in April 2017 at a prize of Rs 5,999.
According to the company, the biggest highlight of the device is its "eight-day battery life"(stand-by-time).
The smartphone is available in two variants in the Indian market. The first variant which comes with a prize of Rs 5,999 gives 2GB RAM and 16GB onboard storage variant. On the other hand, its Rs 6,999 model has 3GB RAM and 32GB internal variant.
The company has announced a discount of Rs 1,000 on the first five million units of the 2GB RAM variant. The reduced price of Rs 4,999 would be the cheapest offering from the Chinese smartphone manufacturers in India.
The entry-level smartphone of Redmi 5A looks like an average entry-level phone with a plastic body with glossy, metallic finish at the rear.
The device has impressive lightweight and offers an ergonomic grip. At 8.35-mm thickness this one is not the slimmest one out there, but it fits perfectly in the palm.
The power and volume buttons are housed on the right while the left side has two trays -- one for a single nano-SIM card and another for a secondary SIM card and a dedicated MicroSD card to expand storage up to 128GB.
The 13MP rear camera with f/2.2 aperture and single LED flash takes average photographs under well-lit conditions. The autofocus of the primary camera would be quite snappy.
The macro-shots would be fairer than those clicked from a distance. The five-inch display has vibrant colors despite being a strictly budget phone.
Its competitor Micromax "Bharat 5" comes with a slightly bigger 5.2-inch display but a lower-resolution 5MP primary shooter for Rs 5,555.
The 5MP selfie camera of Redmi 5A is capable of taking average photos. It comes equipped with several built-in filters that should make the selfie-focussed generation happy.
An interesting and useful addition to the phone is an Infrared (IR) emitter on the top that comes handy while controlling household appliances.
A quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset fuels the device which gets the job done with ease without compromising on performance.
The front shooter comes equipped with beautification by default that makes faces look very artificial. The "Pro mode" and "Smart mode", when turned off, reveal the weakness of the snapper.
The budget device has a few misses when it comes to camera performance. But the entry-level phone tries to balance out the features with the low price point. This phone would be a good entry-level phone for someone who switches from a standard phone and to those who tries to buy one at a low budget.
