In an announcement via Weibo, Xiaomi expressed that the 4G-supported Redmi Note is lighter than its older sibling by 10 grams. It's packed with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor of 1.6GHz and internal memory of 2GB. The Snapdragon 400 used is identified as MSM8928 SoC which is paired with a 4G radio. It's also built with a rear camera of 13 megapixels and a battery of 3100mAh which should be enough to enjoy a good battery life.
Native storage is maintained at 8GB though the microSD slot's capacity is doubled to reach 64GB on the Redmi Note 4G. The upcoming phablet features a single SIM card slot as compared to the dual SIM feature of the earlier version. All the other features remain the same which include the 5.5 inch display that has resolution of 720 x 1280, the rear (13MP) and front-facing (5MP) cameras, and huge battery. The 4G model supports TDD-LTE at bands of 1900/2300/2600MHz.
Perhaps the most notable feature of the new Redmi Note which at the same time gives it an edge over its older sibling is the 4G LTE connectivity. With such an added feature but on a budget price tag, the phablet caters to users seeking a 4G enabled device coupled with a pocket-friendly price tag. However, there is only one downside to the deal which may somehow affect the customer's decision. The new Redmi Note with 4G is not built with dual-SIM support.
Since the Chinese phone manufacturer has launched its budget Redmi series, it has managed to become a strong competition against Samsung. According to a recent report by Canalys, Xiaomi has overtaken Samsung in the number of sold smartphones in China during the second quarter of 2014. The report added that the Redmi smartphone forms the bulk of Xiaomi's success.
This type of report only shows that Redmi is currently the best-selling device to date by Xiaomi. At a recently concluded launching event, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said that the company had successfully sold 18 million Redmi devices. He added that the Redmi Note alone has a record of over 3.5 million sold units.
The TD-LTE version of the Redmi Note LTE will hit the store shelves in China on Aug. 12. Otherwise known as Hongmi Note LTE, the device is selling at $160 (999 Yuan). The other version known as FDD-LTE will be available to consumers beginning Aug. 26.
There is no word yet on the Redmi Note LTE's international release. Hopefully, the device will soon be available in other Xiaomi countries such as India, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
