Xiaomi Mi 4i Tuesday Online Sale In India, Company Teases Likely Redmi 2A Arrival

Registrations end Monday 2 p.m. local time (4:30 a.m. EDT) for the next sale of Xiaomi’s most affordable higher-end handset, the Mi 4i, in India -- in both white and gray colors.

The phone was launched globally by the Chinese smartphone giant from India in April, with the 16GB version available for 12,999 rupees ($205). It offers specs including a 5-inch 1080p display from Sharp/JDI, a 3120mAh battery from ATL/Sony/Samsung and the second-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor.

It has two SIM slots and supports 4G in India. It has 13MP/5MP cameras and 2GB/16GB storage, but no expandable memory slot. While the phone was initially only available in white, Xiaomi has started selling it in dark gray as well, from last month.

This year’s second half is one of much anticipation for Xiaomi fans as not only has the company not yet brought its current flagship -- the Mi Note and the Mi Note Pro -- to India, but already rumors are doing the rounds about the specs of the Mi 5.

After the company ran teasers last month about a “jaw-dropping catch,” many speculated that the Mi Note might finally be arriving in India, but that was not to be. Supply issues have plagued the Note and there is no official word on its India launch. The teaser turned out to be only a price cut on the lower-end Redmi Note, a great phablet in its own right.

The Mi 5, which many were anticipating earlier this year, but made way first for the launch of the Mi Note, is now believed to have been held back again as Xiaomi awaits Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon processor, the 820.

This, as various gadget sites have speculated, is plausibly to avoid the overheating concerns that have been reported in connection with the current 810 chipset that will power rival OnePlus’s new handset.

Some overheating was also reported for the Mi 4i, but a recent software update that tweaked various functions, including how many cores of the processor are used, is said to have fixed it, as Hugo Barra, the company’s vice president for international operations, said when the update was sent out.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi has also posted teasers about a new Redmi phone to be announced in India on Tuesday at 10 a.m. From the teaser, it appears that the phone will cost 5,999 rupees, which gives credence to speculation among fans that this will be the Redmi 2A, which the company launched in April in China to coincide with its fifth anniversary.

However, the announcement will more likely be a 1,000-rupee price cut to the Redmi 2 that is already selling in India, according to NDTV Gadgets.