September of last year, Xiaomi released their Redmi 1S phone.. It’s a high-performance smart phone that’s extremely affordable for its product category. For a P5,999 phone, is it really worth it’s price? The not-so-techie me was able to unbox and tinker with it over the holidays. It’s one of the few dual-sim phones that have a promising camera filter option which in my honest opinion is one of the things that has captured my curiosity.
Redmi’s box is made of recycled materials and can support 300 pounds when lying flat. Eco-friendly packaging, check!
Xiaomi was founded in 2010 by serial entrepreneur Lei Jun, who believed that high-quality technology doesn’t need to cost a fortune. At Xiaomi, we’ve brought together smart people from Microsoft, Google, Kingsoft, Motorola, Yahoo and other IT companies from around the world to bring that vision to life.
The basic package comes with a USB cable & charger. I wish it came with an earphone though.
Power & volume bottoms are found on the right side of the phone.
It features a quadcore Qualcomm 1.6GHz processor and a 4.7-inch IPS display — a perfect device for all mobile Internet, communications, and gaming needs. It is also a dualSIM device with dualstandby capability, which makes it possible to send and receive text messages & calls on two mobile numbers seamlessly, ideal for people who have personal and work SIMs or who travel internationally often.
Battery indicator is placed in the middle when the unit is charging.
Redmi 1S specs includes:
•4.7-inch 1280 x 720 (HD) IPS display delivers superfine text and crisp photos.
•AGC Dragontrail™ scratch-resistant glass
•1.6 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with Cortex-A7 core for amazing performance with great battery life with and an Antutu benchmark score above 21,000
•1 GB RAM, 8GB internal flash memory with external microSD slot that supports up to 64 GB
•Dual SIM (Mini sized) – WCDMA slot for 3G data and GSM slot for 2G
•8MP rear camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture for 1080p video recording and a front 1.6MP camera
User interface is similar to other android phones. Like most smartphones, you can arrange the icons depending on how you want it.
In a nutshell, Xiaomi Redmi 1S has 5 features that are a fave of Mi users.
- Flattering selfies and OOTDs: How does the Redmi 1S selfie camera rate? In simple mode, the camera can tell your gender and age, and will then apply the appropriate skin-smoothening filter!
- Flashlight feature: Looking for something in your bag? Did you know you can long press the home button to turn on the flashlight? Easy-peasy!
- Quick snap! Need to take a photo of something really quick? You can go to settings and set the back button to launch the camera after a long press. Or focus on the object you want to take a photo of, and long press on the focusing square to take a photo.
- The built-in Themes app gives you access to dozens of fab phone themes!
- Need to copy your stylish snaps really quick? Not only does the Redmi 1S have expandable memory via microSD card, it also supports a feature called USB On-The-Go that lets you connect a flash drive to your phone (micro USB connector required) so you can read and write files easily.
Redmi 1S has pre-installed apps that’s ready to use. Lavett.
Use 10 GB of free storage space to stash your contacts, photos, videos, and docs in the Mi Cloud. Go straight to your cloud at i.xiaomi.com from wherever you are, on whatever decided, to read and reply to texts sent to your phone. The Redmi 1S also has a tool that can help you keep tabs on your mobile data connection which prevents you from exceeding your data plan’s monthly limit. It also has a block list that can silence unwanted calls & message and back up your phone with just a touch of a button.
Mi video messaging, why not.
Here are some of the Redmi 1S integrated apps.
Of course, the highlight of my Xiaomi Redmi 1S experience is focused on the phone’s camera and photo features.
I like how sleek the interface of the camera & photo library are. But what really got me was the filters that come to further enhance the 1.6 MP front camera & the 8 MP rear camera. Here are some of the test shots applied with the different filters using the rear camera.
Normal (no filter)
Vivid
Yesteryear
Mono
Dawn
Sketch
1970s
Fish Eye
XPro
Mosaic
Autumn
Indigo
Small World
Mirror
Gaussian Blur
Panorama shot taken with Xiaomi Redmi 1S rear camera.
Transferring of files via USB is easy as you can choose between photos or file option.
On a non-techie perspective, Xiaomi Redmi 1S is a good starter Android phone for those who are on a budget and uses social media & takes photos on a regular basis. The integrated apps also make it a plus for those who need only a few starter apps yet want a good Android experience.
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