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Redmi Y2 is Xiaomi’s latest smartphone for India, which tries to offer something extra for those with a selfie obsession, but at a more reasonable price, compared to some of the other selfie phones in the market. If smartphone makers are to believed, today’s generation, be it young or old want just one thing: selfies and more selfies. Players like Oppo have even gone ahead and labelled themselves as ‘Selfie Expert.’
So what is that the Redmi Y2 offers that’s new? For starters, it has a 16MP selfie camera with LED flash, there’s the new 18:9 aspect ratio display and a dual-rear camera as well. Redmi Y2 comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, 3GB/4GB RAM coupled with 32/64GB storage as well. The price for the Redmi Y2 is Rs 9,999 for the base 3GB+32GB variant, while the 4GB option costs Rs 12,999. We’ve had the chance to use the Redmi Y2 (3GB variant) for a few days, and here’s our first impression of the phone.
Redmi Y2 First impressions: Are the selfies worth the price tag?
Let’s start with the selfies, since this is the USP of the Redmi Y2 smartphone. The depth affect, also known as Portrait mode, is interesting on selfies in the Redmi Y2. It is not entirely perfect, and I could see it slightly blur my rather large spectacles that frame my face, but for the price, the selfies are worth it.
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In indoors lighting, the selfies have sufficient detail as well. Xiaomi’s Redmi Y2 should keep most selfies buff happy, and these are pictures one can share on social media instantly, which is really the point of the whole exercise. For the price of Rs 9,999, I’d say the selfie performance is quite good. I am yet to test out selfies in low-light with the LED flash, etc, but I will do so during the course of my full review.
Redmi Y2 First impressions: How does the rear camera perform?
Redmi Y2 has a 12MP+ 5MP rear camera, which has a depth sensor and can shoot photos in Portrait mode too. I was wondering if the Redmi Y2’s camera will be similar to the Redmi Note 5 Pro, which has a dual-rear camera, but I would give the edge to the latter. Redmi Y2 has a capable camera considering the price of under Rs 10,000 for the base variant.
Redmi Y2’s camera does deliver in terms of details in photos. However, it struggles with colours like reds, pinks, which is common for most budget phones. Another issue I can see in Redmi Y2 is that the camera has a noticeable shutter lag and requires the extra second or so for the focus to work accurately. The low-light performance of Portraits on Redmi Y2 is not so impressive, but this is a budget phone. However, shots taken outside with Redmi Y2 have details, and the colours are quite nice.
Redmi Y2 First impressions: What about design, display?
Honestly, if I look at the Redmi Y2 and Redmi Note 5 Pro from the front, I cannot tell the difference. In fact, I could not tell the difference, and actually used a Redmi Note 5 Pro for a few hours, before I realised that I should check the model number. This is going to be a problem for Xiaomi’s phones. A lot of them look similar, far too similar from the front.
Redmi Y2 does not have a metallic unibody though, rather it has a metallic finish on the back. Also the antenna bands lines are different on the back of the Redmi Note 5 Pro and Redmi Y2. Still it can get confusing if you have both phones next to each other from the front.
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Display on Redmi Y2 is 5.99-inches with the 18:9 aspect ratio. However, this is a 720p display and not the full HD+ like on the Redmi Note 5 Pro or Redmi Note 5. For the price, the display’s performance is adequate, and it works well even in bright sunlight. Still I would recommend that if your budget is flexible, get a phone with a better full HD+ display, rather than settling for 720p.
Redmi Y2 First impressions: What about performance, battery?
Redmi Y2 is powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, which is seen on Redmi Note 5. In fact, this will also create some unnecessary confusion for potential customers. Should they get the Note 5 which has no dual-rear camera, regular selfie camera or the new Y2 Lite? I’ve not yet had the chance to fully test out the performance of the Redmi Y2, but for regular tasks like watching YouTube, Facebook, etc the phone is good enough.
Battery is 3080 mAh on the Redmi Y2, which is smaller than the 4000 mAh one found on the Redmi Note 5. Xiaomi claims Redmi Y2 will last a day easily for users, again a claim which we will have to test fully.
Read more: Xiaomi Redmi Y2: Top five alternatives around Rs 10,000 in India
Redmi Y2: First Thoughts
Redmi Y2’s selfie camera is impressive. Even the Portrait mode is not bad on the rear camera, though I felt there’s a noticeable lag in the dual-rear camera’s performance. The only problem I see with the Redmi Y2 is the HD+ display resolution at Rs 9,999 price point. Xiaomi’s own Redmi Note 5 costs Rs 9,999 and sports a full HD+ display.
Redmi Note 5 Pro has a better 20MP selfie camera, better processor and full HD+ display and the 4GB RAM variant costs Rs 14,999 now. So for someone with under Rs 15,000 budget, picking the right Xiaomi phone will be tricky. All these Redmi phones are within a similar price range and similar features, look and design. I would say pick and choose based on what you need within your budget and what your priorities are in features. For the selfies buffs, Xiaomi will be hoping it is the Redmi Y2 Lite.
