Xiaomi announces $150 Redmi Note 7 with 48-megapixel camera

The previous year Xiaomi president Lin Bin mentioned an upcoming phone with a 48-megapixel camera. Presently, the company has revealed it in totality . Despite the eye-catching headline spec, it has become a product under the entry-level Redmi brand known as the Redmi Note 7.

Design to the latest Xiaomi Note 7

Design-wise, it appears to be similar to Xiaomi’s smaller, low-cost Mi Play announced a few weeks ago. It has a circular display notch, a back panel with colorful gradients, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and rear-facing dual cameras. One of the cameras uses the much-vaunted 48-megapixel image sensor and an f/1.8 lens. The other is 5 megapixels and used for depth information.

Xiaomi Note 7 Camera

The camera can take photos with its 48 million tiny 0.8-micron pixels in good lighting. It can also combine neighboring pixels for what’s claimed to be the equivalent of a 12-megapixel photo taken with larger 1.6-micron pixels. At half an inch across, the sensor is a bit larger than what’s typically found in smartphones. This is expected to provide strong light-gathering capability. Of course. Additionally, the hardware is only half the story with phone cameras.

Xiaomi Note 7 Specifications

Elsewhere, the Redmi Note 7 has a 6.3-inch 19.5:9 1080p screen, a Snapdragon 660 processor, a 13-megapixel selfie camera, a 4,000mAh battery, USB-C charging, and a headphone jack.

Last week CEO Lei Jun announced that Redmi shall be operated as an independent brand focusing on e-commerce and cost efficiency. It shall leave Xiaomi to concentrate on mid-to high-end phones and physical retail. Previous Redmi phones have largely been popular in India . However, until now Xiaomi didn’t go to off track to highlight the brand itself; now, the Note 7 carries a new logo on the back saying “Redmi by Xiaomi.”

Xiaomi Note 7 Pricing

The Redmi Note 7 starts at just 999 yuan (about $150/Rs. 10,000) for a model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, rising to 1,399 yuan (~$200/Rs. 14,500) for 6GB/64GB. On stage Lei compared the Note 7 to the two other 48-megapixel phones announced so far. Namely, the 2,999-yuan Honor View 20 and the 3,399-yuan Huawei Nova 4.

The Redmi Note 7 will be available in China first. Furthermore, it shall make its way to India and Xiaomi’s other usual regions gradually.