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Xiaomi Redmi Pro offers dual-cam and OLED technology at budget price point

Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi has today announced the latest model in its affordable Redmi line of smartphones. Looking at the device's body materials and specifications it would not look out of place in the company's flagship Mi series, though. 

In the imaging department the Redmi Pro features a dual-camera setup that combines a 13MP Sony IMX258 1/3.06" sensor with a 5MP Samsung depth sensor. The dual-cam does not offer any optical zoom capability, like on the LG G5, nor does it combine the captured image information from both sensors for improved image quality, like on the Huawei P9. Instead, it uses the dual-camera to simulate the bokeh of a fast lens on a large-sensor camera, something we first saw on the HTC One M8. Like on the HTC and several other dual-cam devices, you can change the focus point of the image post-capture in the gallery app. 

There is also a dual-tone LED flash and at the front the Xiaomi comes with a 5MP selfie-camera. Images can be viewed and composed on a 5.5" 1080p OLED display with full NTSC gamut. A fingerprint reader is on board for increased security and all the electronics are provided with power by a beefy 4050mAh battery that supports quick charging via a USB Type-C port.

The components are wrapped up in a gold or silver brushed metal unibody that gives the device a premium look. The Redmi Pro comes comes in several versions that differ in terms of processor power and memory. Pricing starts at approximately $225 for the deca-core Helio X20 chipset, 32GB of storage and 3GB RAM and go up to approximately $300 for the faster Helio X25 chipset with 128GB storage and 4GB of RAM.

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milanjoy

nice post

Aug 31, 2017*
Kiril Karaatanasov

Can those dual camera phones shoot 3D? Or measure distance?

Jul 31, 2016
Peiasdf

Expensive for what you got but if you haven't been around a latest iPhone or One or S/Note, it might suite your need.

The OLED is not Samsung or LG but some budget last gen Chinese knockoff. The SoC, RAM and storage are all pretty slow so the battery wouldn't last long.

Jul 29, 2016
Kiril Karaatanasov

Typically slower phones drain the battery less. Your post does not make much sense

Jul 31, 2016
RC3
RC3

I quit buying brand phones last spring...can not see the point in paying 2-3 times more than an Huawei Honor or Xiaomi... They are , for the price, solid built with good specs, and good value for money for a gadget you may swap after 6-18 months ......
Just ordered a Redmi 3 Pro for my wife, she's tired of charging her Samsung A3, and updating all the bloatware.... Me? Currently on Honor 7, but both Xiaomi and Meizu are in for a test next time. Or maybe OnePlus? Camera is not a very big issue, I have my MFT for that, and the 20mp in my H7 does the job capturing when I only have my phone available.

Jul 29, 2016
Cameracist

13MP 1/3.06"
...OK

Jul 28, 2016
yslee1

No OIS for the camera? Starting to find it really useful for these lightweight devices that don't have a great grip.

Jul 28, 2016
Lars Rehm
Lars Rehm

definitely useful, but more or less impossible to find at this price point.

Jul 28, 2016
Meta Morph

The ZTE Axon 7 has a 20MP F1.8 camera with OIS, in addition to top-of-the-line specs, and is priced only a bit higher at $399 US.

Aug 1, 2016
noflashplease

The dual camera concept is going to be a depreciated gimmick before Apple brings their own rendition of the concept to market. As it is, the pseudo-bokeh of this Chinese smartphone looks dreadfully artificial and the price seems rather alarming for a phone with a Mediatek processor. All the same, it's interesting to see any new concept in the increasingly dull smartphone market. Maybe the concept will work better in succeeding generations, or maybe it will be dropped? Either way, this seems like a lot of money for Chinese hardware.

Jul 28, 2016
Josh SZ
Josh SZ

"this seems like a lot of money for Chinese hardware"
Are you sure? $300 for 128 gb flash and 4gb ram...

Jul 28, 2016
Lajos Hajdu

Err, have you checked the performance of that chipset? You should. :) You should also reconsider your prejudices against Chinese tech, especially because most stuff you use or wear was made in China.

Jul 28, 2016
Lars Rehm
Lars Rehm

It's getting better. I found the version on the Huawei P9 to look much better than earlier ones, for example HTC One M9...

Jul 28, 2016
p51d007
p51d007

I've been using a Huawei Ascend Mate2, for over 2 years. Camera is FANTASTIC (using Camera FV-5 app). "Only" a SD400 processor, but that 4,050mAH battery is what sold me. It's a tool, mostly used for work. Ton's of phone, web, messaging, weekends, MP3's in the car. Fast, flat out stable. Best phone I've had since my old Motorola Star-Tac phone. It was cheap, but not cheaply made.

Jul 28, 2016
tangbunna

the feature is not a replacement to DSLR bokeh. it does not come close to IQ of the big sensor + big aperture lens. it is just make you feel the bokeh from software processing where people can turn it on-off to your preference. but for the price you can get a good pack of hardwares and long battery life better than others in the same catagory.

Jul 28, 2016
halfwaythere

Doesn't claim to be a dslr replacement. It's a gimmick and viewed on a phone it comes pretty close. That's all.

Jul 28, 2016
OliverGlass

The bokeh falls short for a rendering. I see gaussian blur-like loss of contrast and diffused transitions in the bokeh of these images from Xiaomi. It does not have that "lens blur" feel to it.

The rendering of the bokeh and OOF highlights on the Huawei P9 and P9+ looks more organic.

Jul 27, 2016