Xiaomi Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A go official in China with crazy low prices, many modern features

Pocketnow

By Adrian Diaconescu

Published Jun 12, 2018

Both the Xiaomi Redmi 6 and 6A sport 2:1 screens, face scanners and efficient 12nm-based processors. The "regular" Redmi 6 also has dual rear cameras.

It seems like Xiaomi can’t even go a couple of weeks without unveiling a new phone (or three) nowadays, although there’s obviously no comparing the Redmi 6 and 6A officially announced in China earlier today with the high-end Mi 8, Mi 8 Explorer and Mi 8 SE from a little while ago.

Interestingly, the Xiaomi Redmi 6 shrinks the 5.7-inch display of the December 2017-unveiled Redmi 5 to a similarly wide 2:1 5.45-inch affair with identical HD+ (1440 x 720 pixels) resolution.

The same exact screen is found on the Redmi 6A, which actually follows in the footsteps of a smaller 5-inch Redmi 5A. The 6 and 6A also share a 3000mAh battery and 5MP selfie camera with AI Portrait capabilities, but the lower-cost, lower-end version comes with only one 13MP rear-facing shooter, whereas the “regular” Xiaomi Redmi 6 features an impressive (for its price bracket) 12 + 5MP dual cam setup.

The 12nm-based MediaTek Helio P22 processor powering the Redmi 6 is also pretty special, guaranteeing a “great balance between power and battery performance.” The Redmi 6A settles for a humbler Helio A22 SoC, which is remarkably built on state-of-the-art 12nm architecture as well.

What you’re also likely to find interesting about the Redmi 6 and 6A is that both variants support “AI Face Unlock” technology for biometric recognition, but only the former can scan your fingerprint as well using a conventional rear-mounted sensor.

“Symmetrically curved and gently tapered toward the edges”, the Xiaomi Redmi 6 is not exactly the world’s prettiest mid-range smartphone, with unusually thick vertical bezels and a “brushed metal surface” applied on top of a polycarbonate (read plastic) back panel.

But the “incredibly accessible” Redmi 6 and 6A are truly unbelievably affordable, with the former’s 3/32GB and 4/64GB configurations priced at RMB 799 ($125) and RMB 999 ($155) respectively, while the latter fetches the equivalent of $94 (RMB 599) with 2 gigs of memory and 16 of internal storage space. Domestic sales are kicking off on Friday, June 15, both on and offline, with no words on international availability just yet.