The Redmi A1 with “clean Android experience” is now live. Redmi 11 Prime and Prime 5G also tags along.

And no it’s not the Mi A1 reboot from 2016. That’s different, this is worse.

There are just too many Redmi phones being released. Almost all are recycled from other Xiaomi phones. We can’t believe that Xiaomi is the biggest contributor to climate change and saving the environment simultaneously. Apple should learn.

The Redmi phones we’re going to discuss here are the Redmi A1 (which isn’t a reboot of the Mi A series sadly), the Redmi 11 Prime 4G, and finally its 5G variant.

Redmi A1

The Redmi A1 can be summarized in one word: LIGHT. As in, it is designed with lightweight colours, with lightweight Android (they say “stock” or “near-stock experience”), and a minimalistic light design. The Redmi A1 makes us wish that the old Mi A1 should come back, as that is purely stock Android. It was also seen as a “budget Google Pixel” thanks to its design and cameras.

This phone ain’t it chief. The Redmi A1 features a 6.52in. HD+ (1512x720px) IPS LCD screen. Inside is the aging MediaTek Helio A22 chipset paired with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. So this isn’t an Android One phone, more like Android Go but Xiaomi, for some reason, doesn’t want to specify that. It has a MicroSD card slot (up to 512GB) in case you want to add more movies or music to your phone without killing all of the storage.

It has “two” cameras at the back. The primary camera has 8MP resolution while the secondary mono lens has 2MP which does not do much, functionality wise. The front camera sits on the waterdrop notch and has a resolution of 5MP. It has 4G LTE, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, MicroUSB port, and a 3.5mm jack.

It’s only available for Indian users right now so we’ll let you know if it’s available here in the Philippines too. The phone is much less a variant of the Mi A series than it is the successor to the Redmi Go, Xiaomi’s first Android Go phone.

SPECS:

• 6.52in. HD+ (1512x720px) IPS LCD
• MediaTek Helio A22 (16nm)
• CAMERAS:
  • 8MP (main)
  • 2MP (depth)
  • FRONT: 5MP
• Android 12 Go Edition
• 5000mAh, MicroUSB, 10W charging
• 3.5mm jack, 4G LTE, FM Radio, Bluetooth 5.0, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
• PRICE:
  • 2/32: INR 6,499 (~Php 4.6K)

Redmi 11 Prime 4G and 5G

Two other Redmi phones have been released. This time, the Redmi 11 Prime 4G and 5G. While the two differ in design, they nearly have the same spec sheet.

If you found the Redmi 11 Prime 5G familiar. Congratulations! You know your Xiaomis. The phone has actually been released in China first as the Redmi Note 11E. Xiaomi and other Chinese companies have this weird habit of constantly rereleasing their phones under different brand names and models, leaving the user confused. But hey, convenience is not Xiaomi’s priority, nor is their priority naming their phones properly.

To recall, the Redmi Note 11E (or in this case, Redmi Note 11 Prime 5G) features a 6.58in. FHD+ (2400x1080px) IPS LCD screen on a waterdrop notch with 90Hz refresh rate and is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It is powered by the basic 5G chipset, MediaTek Dimensity 700 paired with 4 or 6GB RAM and either 64 or 128GB internal storage.

The rear features a dual camera setup consisting of a 50MP primary and a 2MP depth lens. The front camera is housed on the waterdrop notch and has 8MP resolution.

It boots with MIUI 13 based on Android 12 out of the box and also has a 5000mAh battery with 18W fast charging. It is charged via a USB-C port. In addition, the phone has a headphone jack, a MicroSD card slot, Wi-Fi 6, Dual-band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.1. The Chinese version has Hi-Res audio, but we’re not so sure about this one as Xiaomi did not state it.

SPECS:

• 6.58in. FHD+ (2400x1080px) IPS LCD, 90Hz refresh rate
  • Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• MediaTek Dimensity 700 (7nm)
• CAMERAS:
  • 50MP (main)
  • 2MP (depth)
  • FRONT: 8MP
• MIUI 13, based on Android 12
• 5000mAh, 18W fast charging
  • 22.5W charger provided
• USB-C, Side-mounted Fingerprint Scanner, Triple Card Slot
• 5G services, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, Dual-band Wi-Fi
• PRICE:
  • 4/64: INR 12,999 (~Php 9.3K)
  • 6/128: INR 14,999 (~Php 10.7K)

Meanwhile, the 4G version does not differ much, except it features a slightly different camera design and of course, a 4G chipset. In this case, the MediaTek Helio G99 (where have we seen that before…) paired with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage, or 6GB RAM with 128GB UFS 2.2 internal storage. Slim pickins. Like the 5G phone, it also features a triple card slot and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

The phone is such a copy that it even copies the price of the 5G phone.

SPECS:

• 6.58in. FHD+ (2400x1080px) IPS LCD, 90Hz refresh rate
  • Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• MediaTek Helio G99 (6nm)
• CAMERAS:
  • 50MP (main)
  • 2MP (depth), f/2.4
  • 2MP (macro), f/2.4
  • FRONT: 8MP
• MIUI 13, based on Android 12
• 5000mAh, 18W fast charging
  • 22.5W charger provided
• USB-C, Side-mounted Fingerprint Scanner, Triple Card Slot
• 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, Dual-band Wi-Fi
• PRICE:
  • 4/64: INR 12,999 (~Php 9.3K)
  • 6/128: INR 14,999 (~Php 10.7K)

All three are available now in India.

Source: Redmi India