Welcome back to our weekly news recap. One of the highlights this week was the launch of the Redmi 5[1] in India. Xiaomi has launched three variants[2] of its latest smartphone, starting at Rs. 7,999[3] for the 2GB RAM/ 16GB storage variant. The 3GB/ 32GB variant of the Redmi 5 is priced in India at Rs. 8,999, and the 4GB/ 64GB variant will be available at Rs. 10,999. Launch offers include a Rs. 2,200 cashback for Reliance Jio[4], as well as a 5 percent discount on Amazon India[5] and Mi.com for SBI credit cards holders.
The Redmi 5 has an 18:9 aspect ratio 5.7-inch HD+ display, is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 450 SoC, and it has a 12-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, and a 3300mAh battery. It measures up well to other mid-range phones[6] from the company on paper, although our detailed review of the Redmi 5 will be coming soon, so stay tuned to Gadgets 360 for that.
With the launch of the Redmi 5, the company also announced a price cut[7] for the Xiaomi Redmi 4[8]. It's not much though - the price has only gone down by Rs. 500, and the cheapest 2GB RAM variant isn't available as of now. This means the Redmi 4 starts with the 3GB RAM variant at Rs. 8,499. That's almost the same price as the Redmi 5 3GB variant, which as mentioned above, will sell for Rs. 8,999. The Redmi 4 has a bigger (4100mAh) battery, but a smaller 5-inch display, and it runs on an older Snapdragon 435 chip.
Xiaomi also released a new colour option for the Redmi 5A[9],...