As anticipated, Xiaomi has launched the successor to its Note 4 series, and the first smartphone to launch in the Note 5 series is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A. The smartphone has been launched in two models (Standard Edition and High Edition) with three RAM and memory storage variants in total - the base variant (2GB RAM+16GB storage) is priced at CNY 699 (roughly Rs. 6,700), while the other two premium variants sport fingerprint scanners and upgraded specifications, with the 3GB RAM+32GB storage variant priced at CNY 899 (roughly Rs. 8,600) and the 4GB RAM+64GB storage variant priced at CNY 1,199 (roughly Rs. 11,500). All three variants will go on sale via Mi.com and JD.com from Tuesday.

All three Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A variants have been made available in Champagne Gold, Rose Gold, and Platinum Silver colour options. The smartphone sports a sleek metal unibody, antenna bands at the back, single camera setup, and capacitive navigation buttons in the front. The USB Type-C port and dual speaker grilles are situated at the bottom edge, and the 3.5mm audio jack is situated on the top edge. The premium variants have a fingerprint scanner situated at the back as well.

Starting with the base variant, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A runs on the latest MIUI 9 software and has two SIM slots (Nano +Nano) with another dedicated microSD slot for memory expansion. It sports a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) display and is powered by the Snapdragon 425 SoC with 2GB of RAM and Adreno 308 GPU. Internal storage is at 16GB which can be expanded further using the dedicated microSD card slot (up to 128GB).

As for optics, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A sports a 13-megapixel rear sensor with LED flash support, PDAF, f/2.2 aperture, HDR mode, and real-time filters. At the front, there is a 5-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture. It packs a 3080mAh battery that is rated to offer 35 hours of call time and 11 days of standby time. The dimensions of the base model of the smartphone are 153x76.2x7.5mm, and it weighs 150 grams. Connectivity options include 4G, Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, and GPS + GLONASS. Sensors on board include infrared, gyro, acceleration, distance, ambient light, and compass.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A High Edition

Coming to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A higher variant - as we mentioned, it has been made available in two RAM/ storage variants - 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage and 4GB RAM/64GB storage options. The big difference in the higher end variant is that it comes with fingerprint sensor support. The premium variant is also powered by the Snapdragon 435 octa-core processor with Adreno 505 GPU. The front camera is upgraded to a 16-megapixel 76-degree wide-angle sensor with an independent soft light flash, f/2.0 aperture, and real-time beauty filters during video calls. All the other specifications are similar to the standard Redmi Note 5A variant.