What's good
- Impressive camera performance for budget category
- Good basic performance
- Budget price tag
What's bad
- Performance lags with multiple apps open
- Mediocre sunlight legibility
- Colors fade on lower brightness setting
The Xiaomi Redmi 1S is the first handset from the company that is officially available outside of countries where Chinese is not the official language. As a budget phone, the Redmi 1S doesn't boast a sleek design and instead opts for a traditional rectangular shape. At 158 grams, it is definitely not lightweight or thin at 0.4 inches. While reviewers describe it as clunky, they also add that it is solidly built without any wobbles or creaks.
The front panel sports a 4.7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 720p. Experts describe it as one of the best displays on a budget phone due to its vivid colors, decent sunlight legibility and overall crispness. Firstpost, however, was not as impressed. While they agree that colors pop on maximum they add, "…turn it lower and the image turns insipid very quickly." Others noticed issues with sunlight legibility though they go on to state that it is better than other phones in its price range.
Performance-wise, the Redmi 1S comes packed with a 1.6GHz quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM. Synthetic benchmark tests place it slightly above the more expensive Moto G. When put into real-life situations, its performance is decent. Experts did not experience any major lag when navigating the menu, browsing the web or using basic apps. However, once they began multi-tasking with numerous apps they did notice slow-downs and the occasional crash. Graphics-intensive games also suffered from some stuttering and lag, but critics had no issues with more casual games.
When it comes to budget phones, most companies tend to save money on the camera. Fortunately, Redmi does not follow that trend and offers a 5-piece lens with an f/2.2 aperture to capture more light and a 28mm wide-angle lens for wider shots. Critics praise the camera as the best in its price range with accurate color reproduction and good contrast though they note that they had some issues with focus.
While it might not be the perfect phone, reviewers consider it one of the best budget smartphones available. India Times says, "It redefines the entry-level smartphone segment and creates a new benchmark. The phone is not just good on paper but is also an all-round performer…"
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Bharadwaj, Fone ArenaThe Redmi 1S is easily one of the best budget smartphones that you can buy in the market right now. Yes, it’s availability is restricted to online, especially on Flipkart, but it hasn’t stopped more than 200,000 people from buying it. So, if you are still on the fence, don’t think...
- GSMArena team, GSMArenaA heavily discounted midranger made a splash at the box office.
- Clinton Jeff, UnleashThePhonesIf you’re on a really tight budget and looking for a decent phone, there’s just nothing better out there right now. It’s really heartening to know that Xiaomi hasn’t attempted to cut corners on a device this inexpensive. At a similar (or close-ish) price, there’s the As...
- Kunal Gangar, Tech TickerThe Redmi 1S supports dual-SIM and has a good call quality that is helped by the dual mic for noise reduction. The battery on the device is rated at 2000mAh and in our tests with a single SIM, the phone lasted for more than a day with Wi-Fi and around 14 hours with two SIMs and lots of calls.The MIU...
- Mihir Patkar, The Indian ExpressDespite the slow-charging battery, app crashes and the design flaws, the Xiaomi Redmi 1s is still the best phone you can buy at this price. Those problems are not deal-breakers, and importantly, Redmi 1s gets it right in the things that matter: screen quality, overall battery life, and camera.The on...
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Common Questions
Xiaomi backs up the Redmi 1S with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Redmi 1S has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Xiaomi support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Xiaomi's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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