Xiaomi Redmi S2 Review

Overview

Xiaomi smartphones are already the epitome of excellent price to performance ratio no matter whether we're discussing the flagship and upper mid-range devices from the Mi series or the affordable smartphones from the Redmi series. The Redmi handsets are especially interesting because they inherit some of the latest features from the upper mid-range smartphones and retain an unbelievably low price tag usually accompanied by reliable performance and very good battery life. One of the latest models from this series is the Redmi S2, which, according to Xiaomi, is created for people who like to take selfies and socialize. We will review the 16MP Samsung S5K3P8SP front shooter, of course, as well as every other aspect of this smartphone in the following review.

Specifications

Xiaomi Redmi S2 is equipped with a 5.99-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels (HD+). The display panel covers 70.8% of the NTSC colour space reference and offers 1000:1 contrast ratio as well as a maximum brightness of 450 cd/m². The model is based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 MSM8953 system-on-chip. It houses eight 2GHz Cortex-A53 CPU cores and a 650MHz Adreno 506 GPU. The model is equipped with 3GB/4GB of single-channel LPDDR3 RAM clocked at 933MHz and 32GB/64GB of eMMC internal memory, which can be expanded with up to 256GB. The Redmi S2 has a tri-slot tray - two for Nano-SIM cards and the third one is for a microSD card. The supported network bands include 2G GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), 2.5G CDMA 800 MHz, 3G UMTS (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz), 3G TD-SCDMA (1880-1920, 2010-2025 MHz), 4G LTE (850, 900, 1800, 1900, 2100, 2600 MHz), and LTE-TDD (1900, 2300, 2500, 2600 MHz). LTE speeds are Cat. 6 ones. The device supports VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth 4.2. It works with GPS, GLONASS and Beidou for satellite positioning and is equipped with a Micro-USB 2.0 with OTG support, 3.5 mm jack and an infrared port. The camera department features two rear shooters. The main one packs a 12MP Sony IMX486 with an f/2.2 lens, single-LED flash and PDAF. The auxiliary rear snapper has a 5MP Samsung S5K5E8 sensor that works only in the Portrait mode. On the front, a 16MP Samsung S5K3P8SP camera with an f/2.0 lens sits aided by a single LED flash. Artificial intelligence aids the cameras on the front and back. There's a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor from Fingerprint Cards (model FPC1028). Power is supplied by a 3080 mAh Li-Pol battery paired with a 5V/2A fast charger. The Redmi S2 runs on MIUI 9.5 based on Android 8.1 Oreo. The units that carry the original Chinese version include the Xiao AI voice assistant.

Complete Xiaomi Redmi S2 specifications.

What's in the box

Xiaomi Redmi S2 is placed in a rectangular box with a red top and white body. On the top of the lid, the MI logo and model's name are imprinted and on the back of the body, you'll see some of the basic features and certifications of the device. Inside, the handset is placed on the top compartment and below it, all the accessories are placed, including the following:

• 5V/2A fast charger (US plug)
• Micro-USB data cable
• Transparent protective case for the back
• SIM tray pin
• Quick start guide
• Warranty