After the launch of its flagship Mi Mix series[1] and the Android One[2]-powered Redmi A series[3] in India, Xiaomi[4] has launched yet another new product line in the country. Dubbed Redmi Y, this will be a lineup of selfie-focused smartphones[5]. The first model in the series is the Xiaomi Redmi Y1[6], and we got to spend some time with the device for a while prior to its official unveiling. Here are our first impressions.
The Xiaomi Redmi Y1 has the same design elements as other devices in the Redmi series. At the front is a 5.5-inch HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection, and non-backlit capacitive touch buttons for Android navigation.The highlight of the Redmi Y1 is its 16-megapixel selfie shooter which gets a diffused selfie flash. At the back, there's a 13-megapixel camera with a single-LED flash, and a fingerprint scanner positioned in the centre. The fingerprint scanner is easy to reach, and it unlocked the phone every single time without any hiccups. Unlike the current Xiaomi Redmi 4[7] and Redmi Note 4[8], this new phone does not have a metal unibody. Instead, it has a plastic back panel, the power and volume buttons are on the right, and are also made of plastic.
There's a Micro-USB port at the bottom with grilles on either side, while the top has the 3.5mm headphone socket, an IR emitter, and the secondary microphone. We found the Redmi Y1 to be well built. Weighing in at 153 grams, it did not feel uncomfortable to hold. The SIM tray has two Nano-SIM slots and a dedicated microSD slot, which is a welcome feature....