Xiaomi adds a 48MP camera to the Redmi Note 7, calls it the Redmi Note 7S

If you bought a Redmi Note 7 in India recently, you should be angry.

Xiaomi sold 2 million units of the Redmi Note 7 series in India, hitting the milestone in just under three months. As has been the case in previous years, Xiaomi is celebrating by launching another variant in the series, the Redmi Note 7S. The device is identical to the Redmi Note 7 in all areas, but comes with the 48MP + 5MP rear camera configuration as the Redmi Note 7 Pro.

Xiaomi has been known to flood the market with phones that differ little in terms of specs, and nowhere is this more evident than the Redmi Note 7S. Other than the 48MP + 5MP camera at the back, the Redmi Note 7S is the same as the Note 7. There's the same 6.3-inch FHD+ panel, Snapdragon 660, 13MP front shooter, hybrid SIM card slot, and 4000mAh battery.

The phone will be sold in the same two variants as the Redmi Note 7, and will cost ₹1,000 more. The 3GB/32GB model will be available for ₹10,999 ($160), and the 4GB/64GB edition is debuting at ₹12,999 ($190). Sales will kick off from May 24, and it will be available at Mi Home stores as well as Flipkart.

Xiaomi sells the Redmi Note 7S as the Redmi Note 7 in global markets like the UK, so I'm not quite sure why Xiaomi didn't launch this particular model in India to begin with. Tt could be that the brand had excess 12MP camera modules and wanted to get rid of them before rolling out the 48MP model.

Essentially, Xiaomi has made it even more confusing for buyers looking to pick up one of its phones. Hundreds of thousands of customers bought the Redmi Note 7 as soon as it went on sale earlier this year, and Xiaomi has made the device obsolete in under three months. With the Redmi Note 7S offering a much better 48MP camera — the same shooter as the Pro model — for just ₹1,000 more, there's even less differentiation between the device and the 4GB/64GB Redmi Note 7 Pro, which costs ₹13,999 ($205).

I have no idea what Xiaomi is thinking here, but if you picked up a Redmi Note 7 in India recently, you have good reason to be angry.