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Here is a small unboxing/review post about the brand new Xiaomi Redmi 2.

I have been wondering which phone would perform better, the Redmi 1s or the Redmi 2. Although the Snapdragon 410 has a 64bit cpu and is much newer, the Snapdragon 400 is running on a higher frequency.
I'm not able able to purchase a Xiaomi phone directly via their webshop, so I ordered one at ibuygou.com. I have purchased many other products at them and I know that they sell genuine Xiaomi products.

Here are the main differences of the Redmi, Redmi 1s and Redmi 2

Specs	Redmi 1	Redmi 1s	Redmi 2
Chipset	MediaTek MT6589T	Qualcomm MSM8228, Snapdragon 400	Qualcomm MSM8916, Snapdragon 410
CPU	Quad-core 1.5 GHz	Quad-core 1,6 GHz	Quad-core 1,2 GHz
GPU	PowerVR SGX544	Adreno 305	Adreno 306
ROM	4 GB	8 GB	8 GB
Camera	8MP + 1,3MP	8MP + 1,8MP	8MP + 2MP
GPS	GPS + A-GPS	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
Weight	158g	158g	133g
Size	137 x 69 x 9,9 mm	137 x 69 x 9,9 mm	134 x 67,2 x 9,4 mm

The first things I did when I received this phone:

• Created some unboxing pictures.
• Installed the latest firmware release via OTA (6.2.8.0.KHJCNBK). After applying the upgrade, the phone booted into the Recovery menu.
• Downoad the latest Multi Language ROM via Xiaomi.eu ROM. I have loaded it via the updater app (version 5.1.16/Weekly).
• Configured Google Play, when I downloaded new apps, I received a error message [ RPC:S-7:AEC-7].
• I created a backup of the screenshots that I made with the phone.
• Flashed the phone via "Factory data reset". I had marked the next checkboxes as well: Erase apps and Erase stored content.
• After the reboot, I was able to configure my phone again and I was able to use Google Play.

Here is a comparison with my 2 year old Xiaomi Mi2 (4,3" vs. 4,7")


A few quick samples, not representative for a review



Benchmarks:




My first impression:
The phone is very light and it feels much smaller than the Redmi 1s. The phone is more rounded at the edges. The screen is OK, but you can feel that isn't a high end screen (there is something strange with the toplayer of the phone, I'm checking it out and will post my results in my full review). When you press on it, you could see some rings around your finger. Not annoying, but it is the first time I've seen this on a smartphone in the last 4 years.
The phone feels smooth, but I haven't installed many apps on it at this moment. I will transfer some apps like Whatsapp to this phone very soon, so I can use it all day long.

The phone was released in January 2015. At this moment the price may still vary a lot, because there are many webshop selling this phone. At this moment the phone costs about €95,00 via Xiaomi, but resellers will sell it for ~€ 135,00. Be careful where you buy it, because there are many fake Xiaomi phones.

• Would it be useful to upgrade from a Redmi 1s to the Redmi 2?
I don't think so, not with the current Android version. Android 4.4 is based on 32bit CPU's. I hope that Miui based on Android 5.0 will make use of the 64bit processor. In the 4 benchmarks it seems to be a draw. The score is 2 - 2
• What about the Redmi, is the Redmi 2 better and quicker than the first Redmi?
Yes, the phone is improved on most parts. The CPU frequency is lower, but it can still beat the Redmi on most points.