The purported Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Pro just leaked online with a sleek design, sporting a fingerprint scanner and a premium full-metal body.
Xiaomi is apparently on a roll, getting great media attention thanks to its achievements. The device maker has made a name for itself by launching smartphones, tablets and wearables with good specs and affordable price tags, offering quality on a budget.
Huawei may have dethroned Xiaomi in terms of smartphone sales in China, but the top 9 Android devices listed on Tencent are all from Xiaomi.
The hype surrounding Xiaomi is only growing ahead of the highly-anticipated Xiaomi Mi 5 unveiling, but another handset has now leaked online stirring plenty of interest as well. A purported Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Pro phablet is now the star of a new leak, posing for the camera with a sleek metal body.
The metal-clad Redmi Note 2 Pro is rumored to come in two variants, only one of which will sport the fingerprint scanner seen in the image above.
When it comes to hardware specifications, this upcoming model is expected to have the same specs as the Redmi Note 2, but wrap it all up in a more premium metal body and offering the aforementioned fingerprint reader option.
If this turns out to be accurate and the Redmi Note 2 Pro does indeed come with the same overall hardware specs as the existing Redmi Note 2, it means the phablet will sport a 5.5-inch full HD display (1080p, 401 ppi), a MediaTek MT6795 SoC (octa-core 2.2GHz CPU and PowerVR G6200 GPU), and 2GB of RAM.
Other specs should include 32GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD, a 13-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel front cam, and a 3,060 mAh battery to keep things up and running.
The newly-leaked images come from Chinese blog Mobile-Dad, which bolsters claim that it will not sport spec changes other than the fingerprint sensor and the metal body. The Redmi Note 2 Pro will reportedly launch with a metal body by the end of this year, then add the version with metal body + a fingerprint scanner.
The Redmi Note 2 Pro should be slightly more expensive than the existing Redmi Note 2, but keep it budget-friendly nonetheless. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 proved to be one of the top-selling smartphones in China mainly due to its attractive $150 price tag, driving sales of more than 5 million units in less than one month. With a metal-clad body and a fingerprint scanner, a slightly pricier Redmi Note 2 Pro should be a hit as well.
With nothing officially confirmed at this point, however, it's best to take all leaks and reports with a grain of salt.
