Xiaomi is releasing the Redmi Note, a tablet/smartphone hybrid (also known as a phablet) that houses an octa-core processor and boasts an attractively affordable price.
The 5.5-inch device ships with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, dons a 1,280×720-pixel resolution IPS display, and will be available in a variety of colours. It only has 8GB of internal memory, but it includes a microSD card slot that’s expandable up to 32GB.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note also comes with two different sets of internal specs; one packs a 1.4GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor with Mali 450 GPU and 1GB of RAM, and the other is a slight upgrade, with the same CPU and GPU, just a faster 1.7GHz MediaTek MT6592 CPU and a total of 2GB of RAM.
With dual-SIM slots, the Redmi Note phablet supports both HSPA and GSM/EDGE SIM cards. Other connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, and Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n.
Unlike Samsung’s Note phablet, Xiaomi’s doesn’t include a stylus, however, it offers two decent cameras. The front-facing shooter boasts 5-megapixels and the 13-megapixel rear camera features a wide angle (28mm) and LED flash.
The pricing for the Xiaomi Redmi Note starts at around $130 and will be available on March 26 in China. There is no word on release dates for other countries.
