First look of Xiaomi Redmi Y1

After launching the flagship Mi Mix series and the Android One based Mi A series in India, Xiaomi has introduced a new series. The new series is Redmi Y and this lineup will be known for selfie centric smartphones. One of the first handsets in this series is Xiaomi Redmi Y1. We spent some time with this device before it is officially launched. How did we like this phone at first glance? Let us tell you.

The design of Xiaomi Redmi Y1 clearly reflects the Redmi series. There is a 5.5-inch HD display on the front panel which has Corning Gorilla Glass protection. Onscreen capacitive buttons have been provided for navigation which are not backlit. Xiaomi Redmi Y1 has a 16-megapixel selfie camera which is equipped with selfie flash. There is a 13-megapixel rear camera with single LED flash on the back. There is a fingerprint sensor in the middle of the rear. The fingerprint scanner was easy to reach. It unlocked the phone quickly without any hassle. This phone does not have a metal unibody like the company’s popular Xiaomi Redmi 4 and Redmi Note 4. The back part is made of plastic. Power and volume are placed on the right side and they are also made of plastic.

The micro-USB port is at the bottom of the phone and there are speaker grills on both sides of it. The 3.5mm headphone socket, IR emitter and secondary microphone are found on the top. We found the build quality of the Redmi Y1 to be good. Despite weighing 153 grams, this phone does not feel awkward in the hands. The SIM tray has two nano SIM slots. There is a separate slot for the microSD card, which is a welcome step. The Redmi Y1 is available in Gold and Dark Grey colors.

Xiaomi has used Snapdragon 435 processor in Redmi Y1. With this you have two options based on RAM and storage. One variant has 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage which we got for review. Whereas, the other variant has 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage. Both variants will support microSD cards up to 128 GB. The phone will be powered by a 3000 mAh battery. Xiaomi has provided a 10 watt charger with the phone.

The phone runs Xiaomi’s custom MIUI 9 beta based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. We found the new user interface to be easy to use. The phone seems to keep up with you without any hassle.
We also used the selfie camera of Redmi Y1 and found the app interface easy to use. The Beautify mode is activated first for the selfie camera. Let us tell you that the Smart Beautify mode is also effective to some extent.

It seems that Xiaomi is trying to capitalize on the selfie craze with the Redmi Y1. The phone has a capable processor and a selfie camera that works for most situations. If you are looking for a good selfie phone at a budget price, then consider the Xiaomi Redmi Y1 as a contender. We will soon come up with a detailed review of this phone.