Xiaomi India Teases Redmi 1S Launch

The stage is set, decks have been cleared and Xiaomi is ready to bring its next eye-catching device to the Indian market. After the whirlwind success of Mi3 in the country, the Chinese brand is now going to launch its entry-level (not really) Redmi 1S smartphone that's more like a mid-range phone, priced conveniently for the masses and that may just work the magic for Xiaomi once again. Redmi 1S was announced along side the Mi3 in the country but was slated for availability somewhere around August-September and now the company has given its clearest (not so clear) indication as to when the Redmi 1S might go live on its site for registration .

Xiaomi at the Mi 3 flagship launch had unveiled the Redmi 1S and Redmi Note, priced at Rs. 6,999 and Rs. 9,999. At the time, Xiaomi had said the smartphones are 'coming soon', with the Redmi 1S scheduled for an early August arrival, and Redmi Note for a late August entry into the Indian market.

The dual-SIM (Micro-SIM) Xiaomi Redmi 1S with dual standby was first announced for China in May, and features a 4.7-inch 720x1280 pixel IPS-LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 protection and a pixel density of roughly 312ppi. It runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with MIUI v5 skinned on top, and no mention of an Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade.

The Redmi 1S is powered by a 1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 SoC, coupled with Adreno 305 GPU and 1GB of RAM. It has 8GB of built-in storage that is expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB). The Redmi 1S also features an 8-megapixel rear autofocus camera with flash, alongside a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera.

The Redmi 1S offers 3G, GPRS/ EDGE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with Direct and hotspot functionality, Micro-USB, Bluetooth 4.0, FM radio, GPS/ A-GPS, and USB OTG connectivity options. It is powered by a 2400mAh battery, weighs 158 grams, and has dimensions of 137x69x9.9mm.