Xiaomi has been selling their budget device over in China like hotcakes literally. Well, I had to get hands on one of their newer Redmi Note 2 Android smartphones to test it out.
The Redmi Note 2 retails for $125 USD over in China and many places in Asia but I paid $159 from Oppomart.com, which was the lowest price I could find at the time I ordered it. Prices may be higher for those of you ordering from the States but even at $159, I find this budget Android device pretty amazing.
First, you get a 1080P screen that’s not the brightest in the world but it is crisp and detailed for playing games. Second, you get a decent MediaTek 64-bit 2Ghz octa-core processor that can run any of the latest Android games/apps. And third, the Redmi Note 2 comes with a whopping 3060mAh removable battery (with Quick Charge 2.0 support) along with microSD card slot and dual SIM support (with support for voice/data on both SIMs). Oh yeah, there’s even an IR blaster for TV remote control.
Heck, this is helluva deal if you ask me. It’s certainly not the phone I would want to use on a daily basis (as my tastes have been tainted by Note 5 and Moto X Pure) but if you are short on money the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 will let you make phone calls on two different lines, browse the internet, and play all of the latest Android games just fine.
I should have a full review of this budget device but for right now, I can see this is probably the best Android smartphone under $200 this year. One note though, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 is not compatible with 4G LTE for U.S. AT&T and T-Mobile carriers, you will be bumped down to HSPA+.