It's been just over seven months since the launch of the Redmi 6 series in India, but in the smartphone world that's a lifetime. New features such as waterdrop notches and gradient designs have become popular, and competitors aren't standing still. Xiaomi isn't the only company constantly fighting to improve specifications and features in low-cost phones. The newly reinvigorated Samsung, in particular, poses a significant threat with its reasonably priced A-series and M-series models, which have been selling quite well since their launch. It's no surprise then that Xiaomi has already refreshed its sub-Rs. 8,000 offering.
The newly announced Redmi 7[1] is a workhorse all-rounder that should appeal to anyone. It seems to offer nearly everything that buyers might want, and the focus is on overall value rather than any one major feature. Interestingly, Xiaomi[2] hasn't launched Redmi 7 Pro or Redmi 7A companion models – not yet at least. In this review, we're focusing on the Redmi 7, and we're going to see whether Xiaomi has managed to deliver enough to stay ahead of Samsung[3], Honor[4], Realme[5], and other competitors.
Redmi 7 design
Many of Xiaomi's previous phones have looked very similar, but the Redmi 7[6] breaks the mould. The company has completely ditched the metallic look of the Redmi 6[7] (Review[8]), and has embraced multi-coloured glossy plastic just like many of its competitors have. There are three colours to choose from – the plain Eclipse Black — which we got for review — and the more eye-catching Comet Blue and Lunar Red.
The latter two feature colour gradients on their rear panels. Xiaomi calls this its ‘Aura Smoke' look. The...