Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro drops flash sale model to become available 24/7

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It’s been a long time, but Xiaomi India has announced that finally, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro is available 24/7 in India.

To recap, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro (device code-name: whyred) was launched in India back in February. It launched in China and other markets as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera, a phone which shares the same device code-name but differs with respect to the camera specifications and network bands. In India, the phone was launched alongside the Indian Redmi Note 5, which is known as the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus in China.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro was acclaimed for having a high price/performance ratio, and its list of specifications included the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC, 4GB/6GB of RAM with 64GB of storage, 5.99-inch Full HD+ (2160×1080) IPS LCD, 12MP + 5MP (depth sensing) dual rear cameras, 20MP front-facing camera, and a 4,000mAh battery. In India, it shipped with MIUI 9 on top of Android 7.1 Nougat, but it has since received an update to Android 8.1 Oreo with Project Treble support.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro – Six months of flash sales

The immense popularity of the phone meant that in the last six months, it has only been available via weekly flash sales that typically last only a few seconds. Even though other Xiaomi phones such as the Xiaomi Redmi 5 have been available via open sale for months, the Redmi Note 5 Pro was still unavailable. Xiaomi even removed the cash on delivery option for Redmi Note 5 Pro flash sales back in March to prevent reselling, but the phone didn’t go up for open sale. Weeky pre-order sales for the phone began in April as Xiaomi struggled with availability. Then, its price was increased by ₹1,000 from ₹13,999 to ₹14,999 for the base 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant. Even then, the price increase didn’t have any effect on its availability, as the weekly flash sales continued.

The weekly flash sales of the Redmi Note 5 Pro had an adverse effect on its availability, as stocks typically ran out in seconds, making it hard to actually purchase the device. We have written about this multiple times before, as this is not a new issue. Previous phones in the Redmi Note series such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 were also sold via flash sales for months, but it has taken Xiaomi a long time this year to drop the flash sales model and make the phone available 24/7.

Despite the weekly flash sales and the general lack of availability, the Redmi Note 5 Pro has become a bestseller in India. Xiaomi announced last month that the combined sales of the Indian Redmi Note 5 and the Redmi Note 5 Pro have crossed 5 million sales in India since February. The company also claimed that it is the fastest selling phone series in India to cross the 5 million sales mark in the given time period.

Now, Xiaomi has started selling the Redmi Note 5 Pro through open sale after six months of weekly flash sales. This should not come altogether as a surprise as the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 also recently dropped the flash sales model for the 3GB RAM and 4GB RAM variants. The ZenFone Max Pro M1 is one of the toughest competitors to the Redmi Note 5 Pro as it significantly undercuts the Note 5 Pro in terms of pricing. In this respect, Xiaomi’s decision to drop the flash sales model can be thought of as a natural reaction to a competitor’s decision, as the ZenFone Max Pro M1 was going to be unquestionably superior with respect to availability.

Xiaomi states the Redmi Note 5 Pro is now available 24/7, but the high demand for the 6GB RAM variant means that it still remains out of stock on both Flipkart and Mi.com. Here’s hoping that it soon becomes available as well.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro costs ₹14,999 and ₹16,999 in India for the 4GB RAM and 6GB RAM variants respectively. The 6GB RAM variant costs the same as the 4GB RAM variant of the Xiaomi Mi A2, which is set to go on sale for the first time on August 16 via Amazon, Mi.com, Mi Home, and Mi Preferred Partners. For now, it still remains unknown whether the Mi A2 will be sold via weekly flash sales or via open sale.