New Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Selfie Smartphone Launched in India – Specifications, Features, FAQs & Price

Xiaomi has launched quite a few successful smartphones in 2017. With the huge popularity of the affordable Redmi devices, the company also registered record sales during the recent festive season. Today, the company is adding a new selfie-focused Redmi Y-series to further strengthen its Redmi portfolio. The Redmi Y1 is the first device to launch under this new series. It is actually the same Redmi Note 5A that was launched a few months back in China. The Redmi Y1 is also the first Xiaomi smartphone to launch in India with the latest MIUI 9.

Unlike the Redmi Note 4 and Redmi 4, the new Redmi Y1 comes with a polycarbonate body. The USP of the device is its 16MP selfie camera on the front with f/2.0 aperture, 76.4-degree wide-angle lens, and soft LED flash. As seen in the MIUI 8, the camera app in the MIUI 9 also comes with a built-in Beautify mode and 36 built-in filters to enhance the selfies captured with this device. Apart from the 16MP selfie camera, the specifications remain same as on the Redmi 4. The Redmi Y1 sports a 5.5-inch HD (1280 x 720 pixels) display with 16:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

It is powered by the 64-bit Snapdragon 435 octa-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz. The device also includes Adreno 505 GPU, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage. There is also a dedicated MicroSD card slot for expanding the storage up to 128GB. It also supports dual SIM dual standby and offers 4G VoLTE connectivity. Talking about the rear camera, it includes a 13MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture, PDAF and LED flash. The smartphone runs on Android 7.1 Nougat based MIUI 8 out of the box.

With all the specifications, the device is backed by a 3,080mAh non-removable battery and should give decent battery life. It measures 153 x 76.2 x 7.7 mm and weighs 153 grams. The power button and volume rocker are placed on the right edge of the device. On the rear, we can also spot the circular fingerprint sensor. On the connectivity front, the device includes 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, and MicroUSB 2.0 port. Beneath the display are the three capacitive navigation buttons for multitasking, home, and back (left to right).

Coming to the pricing, the Redmi Y1 with 3GB and 32GB of internal storage is priced at Rs. 8,999. The device will be sold through Amazon.in, Mi.com, Mi Home, Reliance Digital, and Mi Preferred Partner stores.

• What is the model number of Redmi Y1?

The model number of the Redmi Y1 smartphone is MDI6S. Even the Redmi Note 5A launched in China also has the same model number.

• Does Redmi Y1 Support 4G LTE on Both SIMs?

Both the SIM card slots on Redmi Y1 are 4G LTE enabled. However, only the primary SIM card can get the LTE network when two SIMs are in use.

• Is there a dedicated MicroSD card slot on the Redmi Y1?

The Redmi Y1 comes with three card slot, where the user can add a MicroSD card along with two nano SIM cards. It accepts MicroSD cards up to a maximum of 128GB in size.

• What are the available color options for Redmi Y1?

The Redmi Y1 with plastic body comes in Gold and Dark Grey color options. The Amazon listing mentioned the Rose Gold to be available in the coming weeks.

• When will Redmi Y1 Receive Android 8.0 Oreo Update?

The Redmi Y1 smartphone runs on Android 7.1 Nougat based MIUI 8 and is promised to soon receive the MIUI 9 update based on Android 7.1.2 Nougat. While the MIUI 9 is yet to roll out for all other devices, the Android 8.0 Oreo update cant be expected be anytime soon.