Xiaomi Introduces Redmi Y1 and Y1 Lite Budget Phones

Xiaomi on an event today introduced two new phone under the Redmi series, namely,  Redmi Y1 and Y1 Lite. Here, Y stands for Youth and is targeted towards a younger audience with a low price tag. But Xiaomi already has budget phones like the Redmi 4A, and the 4X. The new phones feel like a little upgrade over these phones with focus on selfie and screen real estate to go head on against the new competitions in the market. Also, they are expensive compared to 4A and 4X. So let's find out what these new devices have to offer.

Xiaomi Redmi Y1

Xiaomi Redmi Y1 is the powerful phone among the two. The phone comes with a 5.5inch 720p display with Gorilla Glass 3 and 2.5D glass. The display provides 450nits of brightness. It is packing the Snapdragon 435chipset which is same as the Redmi 4X. There are two variants of the phone. The base model offers 3GB of RAM with 32GB storage and the higher model offers 4GB of RAM with 64GB of storage. The storage is upgradable up to 128GB using a micro SD card. The main highlight of the phone is its 16MP selfie camera with flash which is the first of its kind from Xiaomi. It also offers a 76.4-degree field of view. On the back, it provides a 13MP camera with f/2.2 aperture and Phase Detection Autofocus. The fingerprint sensor also rests on the back. With something new to offer on the table, something has to be sacrificed. With bigger display and front camera packing more megapixels and a flash, the phone offers significantly low battery compared to the Redmi 4x. Redmi Y1 is backed up by 3080mAh battery.

Specifications of Xiaomi Redmi Y1

• 5.5inch (1280 x 720) pixels, 267ppi, 450-nits brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• MIUI 9 based on Android Nougat
• Rear Mounted Fingerprint Sensor
• Dual Nano SIM (4G+3G)
• Qualcomm MSM8917 Snapdragon 435 Chipset
• Octa-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53
• Adreno 505 GPU
• 3GB/4GB RAM
• 32GB/64GB ROM, expandable up to 256GB
• 13 MP Rear Camera with f/2.2, phase detection autofocus, 1080p @30fps
• 16MP Front Camera with f/2.0 aperture, 36 smart Beautify Profiles, 76.4-degree wide lens, 1080p @30fps
• GPS, AGPS, Infrared (TV Remote), Gyro, Ambient, Compass, Bluetooth 4.2
• Non-removable Li-Ion 3080 mAh battery

Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Lite

With lite in its name, the phone is a toned-down version of the Y1. Redmi Y1 Lite can be considered as the upgrade over Redmi 4A. It comes with a 5.5inch 720p display which also offers 450nits of brightness.  The phone is powered by Snapdragon 425 Chipset coupled with 2GB of RAM. It offers 16GB of onboard storage which can be expandable up to 128GB using a dedicated micro SD card slot. The Redmi Y1 Lite offers the same 13MP camera on the back with PDAF and f/2.2 aperture. Up front, there's 5MP camera which lacks the selfie flash. The phone also lacks fingerprint sensor. In terms of battery backup, it provides the same 3080mAh battery.

Specifications of Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Lite

• 5.5inch (1280 x 720) pixels, 267ppi, 450-nits brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• MIUI 9 based on Android Nougat
• Dual Nano SIM (4G+3G)
• Qualcomm MSM8917 Snapdragon 425 Chipset
• Quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU
• Adreno 308 GPU
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB ROM, expandable up to 256GB
• 13 MP Rear Camera with f/2.2, phase detection autofocus, 1080p @30fps
• 5MP Front Camera with f/2.0 aperture, 36 smart Beautify Profiles, 1080p @30fps
• GPS, AGPS, Infrared (TV Remote), Gyro, Ambient, Compass, Bluetooth 4.2
• Non-removable Li-Ion 3080 mAh battery

Redmi Y1 is priced at INR.8,999 and INR.10,999 for 3GB and 4GB variant respectively. Redmi Y1 Lite is priced at INR.6,999. These phones would be sold starting from November 8 in India. We may see this phone in a month or two in Nepal.