By Kelvin
Redmi is one of those series smartphone enthusiasts get excited about on every new release, but only a few know that Redmi is not a company name. Are you surprised? There is no shame in that. Redmi was first released as a Budget Smartphone line of Xiaomi in July 2013 as Xiaomi Redmi series.
On the 10th of January 2019, Redmi became a sub-brand of Xiaomi just like Xiaomi Mi. Sometimes, to explain what something is, it is easier to point out what it is not. The Redmi series is a lot different from the Mi series. Or not so much.
The Mi series is a high-end smartphone compared to some of the Redmi series but both are often placed in a similar position in the market. Redmi and Mi use more expensive components compared to other Xiaomi devices. In other words, they are more expensive.
Redmi Series Models
The Redmi series is divided into three-level models.
The first model, Redmi (first release in 2013), is an entry-level device. Redmi Note (first release in 2014) is categorized under a mid-range device, and the Redmi K (first release in 2019) model is a high-end device.
Now to the question, The Redmi series, to keep or not to keep? Or as you are yet to make a purchase, to buy or not to buy. To answer this question, some factors need to be considered.
Redmi Series – To buy or not to buy?
Buy because Redmi is popular culture
Over the years, Xiaomi has been able to reach a couple of milestones. Presently, Xiaomi devices are available in over 100 countries worldwide. Well, if the spread is not a decider, hear this: In 2019 Xiaomi made the Fortune Global 500 list for the first time, ranking 468th.
In 2020, it went up to 422nd, moving up 46 places compared to the previous year.
In the fourth quarter of 2020, Xiaomi ranked 3rd in the global shipment of smartphones and 7th among internet companies. Xiaomi was the second-largest smartphone maker in the second quarter of 2021, holding 17% share of global smartphone shipments.
Think twice because of durability
Despite all these breakthroughs, Xiaomi products are often not durable. There have been several reviews about Xiaomi devices developing faults when in use for over a period of 11/2 years.
Short-time phone users may not see this as a problem but lovers of Nokia 3310 would call it a rip-off.
Think price about the price
For Nigerians, price is always something to consider before getting yourself a phone. Fortunately, the Redmi series are relatively cheap. This is because the company charges 5% profit on every Redmi device, which is unlike other android phone companies that charge over 50% profit.
Read this – How the Price of iPhone 12 compare with food items and building materials
The company sticks with social media awareness for its products rather than running expensive ads. This explains why Redmi smartphones are rather affordable compared to its market competitor, Samsung.
But affordable is not always straight up. Redmi Note 9 Pro, for instance, is 110,000 naira. This is not cheap for many people.
When money is not a problem, specs are what come first. Redmi devices are of premium quality, hence the reason why they can be considered affordable for high-end smartphone users.
Think price about the operating system
However, a lot of customers seem to be unsatisfied with MIUI Android ROM. MIUI (Me You I) is a modified Android ROM of the Android operating system used by all Redmi and other Xiaomi smartphones. The MIUI stock ROM, which is popular for making available locked features in the original Android Stock ROM, has received complaints of poor RAM utilization.
It is alleged that MIUI consumes most of the RAM space, causing the phone to suffer in terms of performance. This makes it difficult to keep multiple apps open at the same time. Although this memory issue is common in the Android market, it’s still bad news to Android gamers.
Buy because of its premium
Redmi devices run on at least a MediaTek processor but most modern Redmi series run on a Snapdragon processor. Physically, Redmi devices are strong, possess a powerful camera, and a wonderful screen display.
Well of course there are other common Android issues like overheating during usage of heavy apps, fluctuating battery lives after a few months, and devices with factor errors. This is not new, the industry is working towards the complete elimination of these little setbacks.
To close, you can see the decision To Buy or Not to buy still lies with you. Every company has its own hiccups, you have to weigh the pros and cons before making your choice. Whatever that is, enjoy!
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