Xiaomi launches the Redmi 5A in India for just ₹4,999 ($77)

Xiaomi has launched the successor to the wildly popular Redmi 4A.

Xiaomi has been teasing the launch of a "Desh ka Smartphone" (smartphone of the country) in recent weeks, and now we have more details on the device. The phone is a successor to the Redmi 4A, which is the third best-selling device in the country this year. Dubbed the Redmi 5A, the phone has incremental upgrades and a new design, but what sets its apart from the Redmi 4A is the launch pricing of ₹4,999. That comes out to just $77, making the Redmi 5A Xiaomi's most affordable handset to date.

The Redmi 5A shares a lot of the same internal hardware as its predecessor, including a 5.0-inch 720p screen, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and a 13MP f/2.2 rear camera along with a 5MP f/2.0 front shooter. There's now a dedicated microSD slot in addition to two SIM card slots, and the 3000mAh battery is designed to provide two days' worth of usage from a single charge.

Like the Redmi 4A, the Redmi 5A is powered by the quad-core Snapdragon 425 chipset. On the software side of things, the Redmi 5A runs MIUI 9 out of the box.

Xiaomi VP and managing director for India Manu Kumar Jain stated that the goal with the Redmi 5A is to make smartphones accessible to everyone:

We strongly believe that the best of technology should be made accessible to as many people as possible, because technology can improve lives. With Redmi 5A we take another step in offering a great all-round experience for users looking for their first smartphone. We believe Redmi 5A is the smartphone for everyone.

Xiaomi is a community driven by fans, and to celebrate their contribution towards making Xiaomi the No.1 brand in India, we've taken this huge step to give back INR 500 crore back to community and offer Redmi 5A at INR 4,999 for the first five million units. This is, as far as we know, something no other brand has ever done before in India. We would like other technology brands to join us in making high-quality products while making them extremely accessible and contribute towards a digital India.

The caveat here is that the ₹4,999 pricing is limited to the fist five million units. After that, the phone will be sold at ₹5,999, the same price as the base variant of the Redmi 4A. Xiaomi is also rolling out a model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage, which will be available for ₹6,999. The phone will be going up for sale starting December 7 at Flipkart, Mi.com, Mi Home stores, and Xiaomi's partner stores throughout the country.

Going by the sales figures of the Redmi 4A, Xiaomi should have no issues hitting the five million mark in a few quarters. What are your thoughts on the Xiaomi Redmi 5A?

See at Flipkart