Xiaomi today refreshed its most affordable smartphone model, the Redmi 4A[1] (Review[2]), with a new generation. Touted as India's new "desh ka smartphone"[3], the Redmi 5A[4] is just as impressive in terms of specifications, bringing some serious firepower to the Rs. 5,999 price point. The ability to deliver solid specs at low prices has worked extremely well for the company so far, but now the big gimmick is essentially a massive company-sponsored subsidy on the first five million Redmi 5A units it sells, bringing the price down to Rs. 4,999. We've seen countless introductory offers before, but this one is undoubtedly going to cause a massive rush of prospective buyers when it goes on sale on December 7[5].
While the introductory offer might overshadow the merits of the phone itself, we're more interested in the actual usage experience. Is the Xiaomi Redmi 5A truly capable of becoming a "desh ka smartphone"? We've been able to spend a little time with the device, and here are our first impressions.
The very first thing that struck us about the Redmi 5A was how light it is. This phone feels almost insubstantial, weighing only 137g. It's all plastic and the body actually has a slight flex to it when twisted. We don't think that this is anything to worry about, but a protective case might be a good idea. The phone fits well in a hand, thanks to its 5-inch screen, and the rounded edges mask its 8.35mm thickness.
We got our hands on a Gold unit, but Xiaomi[6] also lists Dark Grey and Rose Gold as options (the latter isn't an option on Xiaomi's store page, so...