Xiaomi Launches Redmi Y2 and MIUI 10 in India

Xiaomi has announced Redmi Y2 in India, a new iteration of the Y series that is designed for the young at heart with its exceptional selfie experience. It also announced MIUI 10, the latest update to its operating software which is built for a more immersive full screen experience.

Touted as the best Redmi phone for selfies, Redmi Y2 sports an AI-powered 16MP front camera powered by pixel binning technique and Xiaomi’s own AI Beautify features. With a starting price of ₹9,999, Redmi Y2 also comes with a 12MP + 5MP AI dual camera. It has a 5.99-inch 18:9 Full Screen Display and is powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 625 platform.

“I believe the key reason for the growth which Xiaomi has witnessed is our belief of building innovative products keeping the customer at the heart of everything. Last year, we saw a need for a device which could relate to the young at heart, and were looking for a device for self-projection. Redmi Y1 was the answer to that gap in the market. In a short span of 6 months, Redmi Y1 became the bestselling selfie phone in the country. It was found that 57% of the user base of the Redmi Y series was under the age of 24, the highest any Xiaomi device has witnessed - which is a proof point of the success of our Y series,” said Manu Jain, Vice President, Xiaomi and Managing Director, Xiaomi India.

The best Redmi for selfies

The 16MP front camera on Redmi Y2 is able to capture fine details in daylight and produces high-resolution images. In low-light conditions, the sensor uses pixel binning technique to combine information from four pixels and create one large 2.0µm pixel. This greatly improves the resulting picture quality, producing clearer and brighter photos in low light with less noise. Another addition to its low-light repertoire is the Selfie-light, which produces a 4500K colour temperature making it easier to take selfies in low-light conditions.

When Auto HDR is enabled, the 16MP front camera automatically detects a back-light environment and applies the HDR effect. Selfie-light on Redmi Y2 mimics natural light, allowing catchlights in the eyes to be captured, which makes for great portrait photos. The camera also supports AI bokeh that effectively distinguishes the subject from the background, even correctly identifying elements such as hair accessories and popular hand gestures as being part of the subject.

AI dual camera for clear shots day and night

 Redmi Y2 sports a 12MP + 5MP AI dual camera on its back. The 12MP primary sensor has 1.25µm large pixels, which results in brighter images in low light conditions. The 5MP secondary sensor is dedicated to acquiring depth information, producing photos with great bokeh effects.

In Portrait Mode, both the front and back cameras support AI Beautify. AI Beautify 4.0 is designed keeping in mind specific needs of users in India, and can detect elements such as makeup, beards, nose rings, etc. and keep them intact (besides popular selfie facial expressions).

 5.99” full screen with great ergonomics

 Redmi Y2 comes with a 5.99-inch 18:9 full screen display that allows users a large-screen experience while being ergonomic at the same time. Its metallic-finish back is symmetrically curved and gently tapered toward edges, achieving a great handfeel.

Redmi Y2 is powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 platform, which is based on the 14nm FinFET architecture for balanced performance and power consumption.

Face unlock out of the box, and more

Redmi Y2 features face unlock out of the box, in addition to having a fingerprint scanner. Keeping in mind specific needs of users, Redmi Y2 features a dedicated microSD card slot for storage expansion by up to 256GB. Users will also be able to control a lot of their home electronics with the included IR blaster using the Mi Remote app.