Xiaomi Redmi 2 to come 

Xiaomi unveils 'faster, better' Redmi 2

NEW DELHI: Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has launched a low-cost TD-LTE smartphone Redmi 2, the successor of Redmi 1S. The smartphone will go on sale on January 15 in China and cost 699 yuan (approximately $110). 

While Redmi 2 shares a few features with its predecessor, it has a few upgrades apart from the 4G-capability. The new model is powered by the 64-bit 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor, while Redmi 1S comes with the 1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 chipset. 

The front camera gets a resolution bump, from 1.6MP in Redmi 1S to 2MP in Redmi 2. The battery is also slightly beefier at 2,200mAh in the new smartphone, up from 2,000mAh of Redmi 1S. Xiaomi's Redmi 2 smartphone also supports QuickCharge 1.0 technology for faster battery charging. 

Xiaomi will be preloading the Android 4.4-based MIUI 6.0 software with Redmi 2, while the Redmi 1S runs on the Android 4.3-based MIUI 5.0 custom skin. The new model is thinner (9.2mm) and lighter (134gram) than its predecessor (9.9mm and 158gram). 

The remaining features of Redmi 2 are same as that of its older sibling, including the 5-inch HD screen with DragonTrail glass, 8GB internal storage, 32GB microSD card, 1GB RAM and connectivity options.

Xiaomi which clocked 60 million sales in 2014 has reportedly unveiled its newest entry-level phone, the Redmi 2.

The new device shares most of the features with the original model like, the 4.7-inch screen and the 1280 x 720 display however, it also sports a few welcomed changes from its antecedent including, a 64-bit Qualcomm 410 quad-core processor and a dual 4G SIM support too, reported Tech Crunch.

The new Redmi features an eight megapixel rear camera, improved two megapixel front camera, 1GB RAM and 8GB on-device storage. It runs on Xiaomi's own MIUI version of Android and provides a few more options to its color-loving customers like, "lime green" and "powder yellow."

The phone will be priced at 699 CNY, which is around $112 dollars and will hit stores on January 9. However, there's no word on when it will be released outside of China but it will make its way to India, Indonesia and Xiaomi's other overseas markets soon.

The company's flagship Mi devices although garner all the attention but the Redmi family, priced below $150, is its biggest seller. Xiaomi revealed that it had sold 18 million Redmi smartphones 3.56 million Redmi Note phablets in July last year. The Redmi devices alone accounted for one-third of total sales at the time.

CEO Lei Jun confirmed Xiaomi's plans to expand sales into more countries and added that the company had just raised $1.1 billion to spread its business. Turkey, Mexico, Russia and Southeast Asia are thought to be in its plans, the report said.