Introduction
Xiaomi’s is already sharing a huge chunk of the market in the budget space as well as the mid-range smartphone segment. With the addition of the latest Redmi Note 7 series, it seems like Xiaomi is not planning to look back anytime soon.
With the growing demand for smartphones in the Indian market, the Chinese smartphone maker is now targeting the entry-level space by announcing its most-affordable device called Redmi Go. Xiaomi Redmi Go is a smartphone that is designed for those who’re looking to switch from feature phones (or dumbphone) to the experience of a smartphone.
I have been using the Redmi Go smartphone as my daily driver for about a week now. Keeping my expectations low seeing the price range, let’s find out how well the entry-level Redmi Go performs.
Price in India, Variant, Availability
Xiaomi Redmi Go comes in two different storage variant – 1GB+8GB and 1GB+16GB memory options. The smartphone is available in two color choices namely Black and Blue. The base variant of the phone is priced at INR 4,499 while the top-end one is available for INR 4,799.
Xiaomi Redmi Go is available for purchase exclusively via Flipkart and Mi India website. Although it is not fair to expect any kind of deal on this device, buyers can still enjoy the No Cost EMI option starting from INR 800 per month.
Box Contents
Xiaomi Redmi Go comes in a small white box with the ‘Redmi Go’ written at the bottom and the Mi Logo at the top right corner. Even though the device is cheap, the packaging is pretty nice which was quite unexpected. The first thing which you’ll see when you open the box is the Redmi Go device itself sitting their nicely.
Underneath the device, there is a rectangular section which houses the manuals, warranty information, and the SIM ejector tool. There’s no case pre-included with this device which is totally understandable considering the asking price. Coming to other things, there is a 10W USB charger and a regular USB cable.
Here is a quick overview of what you’ll be getting inside the box:
– Xiaomi Redmi Go Handset
– 10W USB charger adapter
– Micro USB cable
– Sim ejector tool
– Reading manuals and other useless things
Specs at a Glance
Before we jump right into our detailed review, let’s have a look at the specifications of Xiaomi Redmi Go.
– Display: 5-inch screen, 720×1280 pixels, 296 ppi
– Processor & GPU: Snapdragon 425, Adreno 308
– RAM & ROM: 1GB, 8/16GB storage
– Rear Camera: 8MP sensor, Scene recognition
– Selfie Camera: 5MP sensor, Auto HDR
– Battery: 3000mAh
– Software: Android Oreo (Go Edition)
– Price: starting from INR 4,499
With Redmi Go, Xiaomi tried to create a smartphone for entry-level masses. In various aspects, the brand got things wrong. For instance, Xiaomi should have gone with the 2GB RAM at least for a much smoother experience. Even though the device has Android Go Edition, 1GB RAM becomes a bottleneck and so does 8GB of storage.
Most of the first time smartphone users might end up switching back to the feature due to tons of stutters and lags in the performance. On the other hand, they would definitely enjoy capable cameras and decent battery life.
In the end, it all comes down to personal preference. If the buyer has a little patience, he might end up using the device after all but the same can not be said for a user with no patience at all. For the latter kind of users, I would recommend them to bump up their budget a little bit and buy the much powerful mainstream Redmi devices. It is worth noting that Asus is also offering an entry-level device called Zenfone Lite which, by the way, also lags most of the time.
