Xiaomi Launches Redmi Y2 With 16MP Selfie Camera

After teasing a selfie camera phone on social media for the past couple of weeks, Xiaomi has officially taken the wraps off the Redmi Y2 at a launch event in New Delhi. The device is basically a rebranded Redmi S2, which was launched in China last month, and has been priced starting at Rs 9,999 in India.

Price And Availability

The base variant (3GB+32GB) variant of Redmi Y2 has been priced at Rs 9,999, which is a Rs 1,000 more than its predecessor. The 4GB+64GB variant of the device will retail for Rs 12,999, so it sits in the same ballpark as Xiaomi’s budget champs the Redmi 5 and Redmi Note 5.

The Redmi Y2 will go on sale on June 12, 12 Noon on Amazon India, Mi.com and Mi Home outlets.

Key Specifications

Coming to the specs, the Redmi Y2 features a 5.99-inch HD+ (1440 x 720 pixels) display, with an 18:9 aspect ratio – in line with most modern phones these days. This screen is also capable of reproducing 70.8% of the NTSC color gamut, though if you are worried about color gamut, perhaps you are shopping in the wrong segment.

It is powered by the Snapdragon 625 (Xiaomi’s beloved SoC) clocked at 2.0 Ghz, coupled with an Adreno 506 GPU. We also get a decent 3,080mAh battery unit and Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box, with Xiaomi’s own MIUI 9.5 ROM on top. It also comes with a 2+1 card slot for dual nano SIMs and a microSD card slot that supports up to 256GB cards.

It’s all about the cameras for the Redmi Y2. It comes with a dual 12MP + 5MP camera setup on the rear with f/2.0 aperture. This setup is backed by gyro-EIS, so your videos will be a little more stable video recordings, but don’t expect to record 4K videos. There’s also PDAF, LED flash, and AI portraits.

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Redmi Y2’s AI-driven selfie features (Image: Beebom)
The stand-out feature is obviously the front-facing camera, just like its predecessor – which we reviewed last year. The device features a 16 megapixel camera unit for selfies and Xiaomi boasts that the large 2-micron pixels will allow you to click some high-quality shots under different lighting conditions.

Redmi Y2’s AI Beautify features (Image: Beebom)

The front camera on the Redmi Y2 comes with a selfie flash and other supposedly AI-driven features such as AI Portrait Mode, AI Smart Beauty, and front HDR that should help you capture some great selfies, if the samples are anything to go by. Face Unlock is here, which is a definite plus.

To sum it all up, here’s a quick look at the complete specs of the new Redmi Y2:

• Dimensions 160.7 x 77.3 x 8.1 mm
• Weight 170 g (6.00 oz)
• Display 5.99-inch HD+ IPS LCD
• Processor Snapdragon 625
• RAM 3GB/ 4GB
• Internal Storage 32GB/ 64GB, expandable up to 256GB
• Primary Camera Dual 12MP+5MP, with gyro-EIS, PDAF and LED flash
• Secondary Camera 16MP with LED flash
• Operating System Android Oreo-based MIUI 9.5
• Battery 3,080 mAh Li-ion non-removable
• Sensors Rear-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass
• Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, A-GPS, GLONASS, microUSB 2.0
• Colors Rose Gold, Champagne Gold, Platinum Silver

With the release of the Redmi Y2, Xiaomi is looking to court new users from its Chinese counterparts Vivo and Oppo, both of which have marketed their recent phones as selfie specialists. And with the Redmi Y2 priced competitively, it will match up to its leading rivals in more than just the front camera.