Xiaomi Redmi 1s

Review in pictures

Plastic construction that feels premium

• The Redmi 1s is made of quality plastic that makes it feel quite premium

• However, it’s quite bulky, weighing 158g and measuring 9.9mm in girth

• It features a row of non-backlit capacitive Android keys below the display, painted in bright red to make them easily visible

• A notification LED is placed below the home button

There’s a back panel for everyone

• The back panel can be easily pried open via a notch on the side

• Inside you’ll find the user-replaceable 2,050mAh battery, two regular-sized SIM slots and a microSD card slot

• You can customise the look of the device with any of the official interchangeable back panels on offer

Crisp, buttery-smooth HD display

• The handset features a 4.7-inch display with HD resolution (312ppi) and is protected by a layer of Asahi Dragontrail glass

• You can tweak colour temperature and saturation to your liking• The display is sharp and vibrant, and is extremely responsive,

making it ideal for texting, gaming of watching HD videos• On the flipside, it tends to pick up smudges easily, and doesn’t do

well in direct sunlight

Snappers to keep you trigger happy

• The Redmi 1s features an 8MP primary camera with LED flash, and a 1.6MP secondary camera

• The camera app offers a choice of Simple and Advanced modes

• You can apply a range of filters in real time

• Other modes include HDR, Panorama, Handheld Twilight and Audio Capture

With pleasing results all around• Both cameras are quick to

focus with zero shutter lag• The primary camera takes

excellent macro shots, and is an accomplished HDR shooter too

• Low light shots tend to be quite dark, while night shots can be blurry

• The front camera surprisingly takes excellent selfies – the kind you’d want as your profile picture

MIUI ticks all the boxes

• Handling the software aspect is Xiaomi’s MIUI ROM, running atop Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

• MIUI offers several customisation options ranging from themes to wallpapers to widgets to fonts

• Salient features include a full-fledged security suite, a private messaging area, in-call recorder, Guest Mode and even an iOS-inspired Do Not Disturb feature

Lite Mode is a handy addition

• The Redmi 1s offers a Lite Mode for those who want a no-fuss smartphone experience. It’s also ideal for the elderly

• It features a simple slide to unlock mechanism and large fonts

• The homescreen displays apps in big, colourful blocks, with a separate screen dedicated to important contacts

A (mostly) reliable performer

• The device is powered by a 1.6Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 400 chipset, mated to 1GB of RAM and Adreno 305 graphics

• Can play most intensive games and handle HD videos, but there are minor lags when opening certain apps

• Out of the 8GB of internal storage on offer, around 4.5GB is available to use

Battery life that doesn’t disappoint• The Redmi 1s is fuelled by

a 2,050mAh battery• The battery life was great

for a budget device, lasting us over 24 hours with moderate use and until the end of the day with heavy use

• In our video loop battery drain test, the device gave us 8 hours of juice with both SIMs inserted

• There’s also a Power savings mode on offer

At a glance

• 4.7-inch, 1,280 x 720 pixels, 312ppi

• 1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor

• Adreno 305 GPU• 1GB RAM• 8GB storage with microSD slot• 8MP primary, 1.6MP front

camera• MIUI with Android 4.3 Jelly

Bean• 2,050mAh battery• Dual-SIM (3G+2G), Wi-Fi,

Bluetooth, USB OTG, GPS

-• Bulky design• Minor lag when opening

some apps

Pros and cons

+• Solid build• Sharp display• Lite Mode is a bonus• Great pair of cameras• Capable performer

Rs 5,999

Pricing and verdict

“The Xiaomi Redmi 1s feels more like a mid-range smartphone disguised in budget pricing. It’s able to compete with devices even double its price. Apart from the cost factor, the Redmi 1s scores on performance, battery life, cameras and a delightful UI, making it one of the most compelling options in its price range.”