Lei Jun, Xiaomi CEO, introduced today the Redmi Note
7 - the first phone that's part of the new Redmi sub-brand. The phone has a 48
MP camera with Sony IMX586 sensor, Snapdragon 660 chipset, massive screen and
battery, while costing just CNY 999 (US$ 150).
The 6.3” LCD comes with a waterdrop notch for the
selfie camera and Gorilla Glass on top. The resolution is Full HD+ and Redmi
quotes a screen-to-body ratio of 84%. The Qualcomm chipset might be a bit old,
but it's still plenty fast and its CPU runs at 2.2 GHz. There are three memory
combos for the Redmi Note 7 - 3/32 GB, 4/64 GB, and 6/64 GB and there is a
microSD slot as well.
The main camera is clearly the biggest selling point
of the new phone. It's native resolution is 48 MP, but due to its Quad-bayer
filter it's better used for outputting 12 MP images with large 1.6 μm pixels
and real-time HDR. There is a secondary 5 MP shooter for AI purposes and
Portrait Mode. The selfie snapper, tucked in the notch, is 13 MP.
The battery has 4,000 mAh capacity and supports
Qualcomm Quick Charge 4. The Redmi Note 7 has a USB-C port and comes with a
regular 5V/2A charger in the box, but you can add a fast-charging block in your
package for just CNY 10. This will enable 9V/2A charging options, which Lei Jun
said will top up the phone from 0 to 100 in 1 hour 43 minutes.
Initially introduced in Blue, Twilight Gold and
Black, the Redmi Note 7 start from CNY999, but this is for the 3/32 GB variant.
More storage means more money - CNY1,199 for the 4/64 GB phone and CNY 1,399 for
the 6/64 GB variant. This means that even the most generous option is under US$ 210/€ 180. Pre-orders have already started, with shipments scheduled for
January 15.
