Redmi 2 Prime · DIGIT-ARC

The Redmi 2 Prime is a mid-cycle refresh of the Redmi 2. It features a bump in RAM and ROM for an extra 1000 bucks, pricing the Redmi 2 Prime at Rs 6999, whereas the Redmi 2 is priced at 5999. The Redmi 2 Prime is apparently manufactured in India, at a plant operated by Foxconn in the Sricity special economic zone in Andhra Pradesh.

Specifications -

SoC - Snapdragon™410 @ 1.2GHz
RAM - 2GB LPDDR3
ROM - 16GB (12.64 available on CM11)
Display - 4.7-inch HD IPS (DragonTail glass)
Resolution - 720x1280, 312ppi
Memory - Expandable up to 32GB
Battery - 2200mAh
Primary Camera - 8MP
Secondary Camera - 2MP
OS - MiUI V6 preloaded (I'm reviewing on CM11)

CPU Z Screenshots -
*i.imgur.com/RyY2P8w.png
*i.imgur.com/KcVtHvR.png

Benchmarks -

Geekbench 3
*i.imgur.com/zzbB6qz.png
Quadrant
*i.imgur.com/NUyFJjT.png
Ice Storm
*i.imgur.com/bZpLjG8.png
Ice Storm Extreme
*i.imgur.com/bcNWtIq.png
Vellamo Metal
*i.imgur.com/Inarl5s.png
Vellamp Mutlocore
*i.imgur.com/qAAik3u.png
GFX BenchGL
*i.imgur.com/K3OfBw0.png
*i.imgur.com/xc2u8bW.png
If anyone wants me to do anymore Benchmarks let me know.

Unboxing -

*i.imgur.com/1h1Zt6I.jpg
*i.imgur.com/917ZcrE.jpg
*i.imgur.com/UfPeGnN.jpg
*i.imgur.com/VqUDtov.jpg
*i.imgur.com/6oEfjJW.jpg

Design and Build -

I've used my fair share of mobiles from Lumia 525 to Galaxy A3. Surely the design comes nowhere near as Galaxy A3 but its better than Moto E and Redmi 1S in my opinion.
The audio jack is in the top right position and the microUSB on the down right.
As with all the Redmis, the capacitive buttons aren't backlit.
The volume and power button are on the left and have a nice feedback.
To the left of the Camera lens is the flash and to the right is the speaker grill.
The back panel could have been better IMO but it still is good.
The phone fits nicely in my hand (my hands are a little big than average).
If you've used Redmi 1S, the phone looks smaller compared to it and is a lot lot lighter, which is a plus for me.
Overall, the design and build quality are good and have been improved by a good margin compared to the Redmi 1S.

Pics -

*i.imgur.com/drOA3Bu.jpg
*i.imgur.com/zJvH6ax.jpg
*i.imgur.com/fUACgaz.jpg
*i.imgur.com/X8MPzrU.jpg
Score - 8/10

Display -

The Redmi 2 Prime sports a 4.7-inch HD IPS Display with a resolution of 720x1280 and a 312ppi pixel density. The display angles are more than what I could expect. The display is very bright. I still haven't used the phone in bright sunlight so can't say anything on that. The color reproduction is superb in the Redmi 2 Prime.

Score - 9/10

Hardware, Software and User Experience -

The Redmi 2 Prime flaunts a Snapdragon 410. Along with the CPU is Adreno 306 GPU and 2GB RAM. The 2GB RAM makes a huge difference in performance,making the phone lag free (the only thing that lags for me is my keyboard idk why).
Being a Xiaomi device, the Redmi 2 Prime comes preloaded with MiUI v6 which is based on Android KitKat 4.4. I only used MiUI v6 for a few hours so can't comment much in it but it was lag free in most situations. I'm currently on CM11 and its completely lag free for me.
There is little to no overheating of the device, which is a very big improvement consider Xiaomi's reputation with overheating issues. The phone doesn't heat much even when I use it while it's charging from a 2A charger.
I was surprised when I heard the speaker for the first time. The sound from the speakers is very crisp and super clear. I'll be honest, I haven't seen a speaker in a mobile phone like this (maybe because I mostly use earphones?

)

Score - 10/10

Battery -
I'm surprised with the battery backup honestly. Didn't expect it to last more than 6-7 hours on heavy browsing and a little gaming (the backup my Redmi 1S used to give). It lasts easily for a day when charged fully once.
Yes I'm using Greenify.

Score - 9.5/10

Camera -
The back sports an 8MP camera and the front a 2MP one, both of them being common in this price range.
The back camera sure is an upgrade from the Redmi 1S [strike]but the front looks like a downgrade to me, with the pictures being less clear and the colors mixing into each other at the borders(don't know how to define it).[/strike] Apparently it was the camera app. The front is also a good upgrade from Redmi 1S.

Some pics I clicked -

In bright sunlight

*i.imgur.com/5sbEDo1.jpg
(Back Camera)

*i.imgur.com/6JFC2Jy.jpg
(Back Camera)

In normal sunlight

*i.imgur.com/zvA1SHH.jpg
(Back Camera)

*i.imgur.com/MPYRfev.jpg
(Back Camera)

Low Light -

*i.imgur.com/JYCEkqo.jpg
(Back Camera)

*i.imgur.com/i8dTKMm.jpg
(Front Camera)

Night Time -

*i.imgur.com/Ke82TGw.jpg
(Back Camera)

*i.imgur.com/bVLvMBF.jpg
(Front Camera)

*i.imgur.com/55NcOmE.jpg
(Back Camera)

*i.imgur.com/CVAg4Oc.jpg
(Front Camera)

*i.imgur.com/mYHZtaf.jpg
(Back Camera)

*i.imgur.com/gIzFkeU.jpg
(Front Camera)

The pictures clicked in good lighting look superb but the camera fails to provide good results in low light conditions.

Score - [strike]10/10[/strike] 9/10 Gave 10 by mistake.

Verdict -
After the Mi3, I'll rate Redmi 2 Prime the best phone by Xiaomi that I've used.
No overheating, superb back camera, good display, amazing battery backup and a nice speaker.
It's has been significantly improved compared to the Redmi 1S.

I'll rate it [strike]9/10[/strike] 9.5/10. I'd have given a 10/10 if not for [strike]the front camera and[/strike] the bad low light images. Its a must buy from my side in this range.

PS -
1. Took help from *www.digit.in/forum/reviews/187128-spice-android-one-dream-uno-mi-498-review.html for the review as this is my first detailed review.
2. All the pics are clicked from Redmi 2 Prime.
3. The whole review has been written on my Redmi 2.
4. The phone cost me Rs 5525 only thanks to the Amazon sale

5. Scores have been given according to my experience with phones and the price range.

Congrats!!! And great review man :doublethumb:

kaz said:
Congrats!!! And great review man

Still a work in progress

And I was only able to get it because of you

Your review has given me confidence.

What was the Amazon deal?

sling-shot said:
Your review has given me confidence.

What was the Amazon deal?

500 off + 15% cashback using HDFC Debit Card.

If you can give 9.5 to prime's battery, how much will you give to Z3 compact and the similar phones ?

Redmi 1S battery is very very weak, I really wonder what improvement Xiaomi could've done to Prime.

dashing.sujay said:
If you can give 9.5 to prime's battery, how much will you give to Z3 compact and the similar phones ?

Redmi 1S battery is very very weak, I really wonder what improvement Xiaomi could've done to Prime.

It lasts a day with a complete charge. Redmi 1S lasted only 6-8 hours for me. I am very surprised by the backup. And I haven't used Z3 Compact or similar phones. Maybe if I use them the rating to Prime's battery will go down.

adityak469 said:
It lasts a day with a complete charge. Redmi 1S lasted only 6-8 hours for me. I am very surprised by the backup. And I haven't used Z3 Compact or similar phones. Maybe if I use them the rating to Prime's battery will go down.

What network profile you use ?

dashing.sujay said:
What network profile you use ?

3G/WCDMA only

There was a lot of information that I missed. Did you mention the price?

Gollum said:
There was a lot of information that I missed. Did you mention the price?

Added introduction part. What other info did you miss?

This is my first detailed review so expect a few flaws ( all suggestions and corrections are welcome

)

adityak469 said:
Added introduction part. What other info did you miss?

This is my first detailed review so expect a few flaws ( all suggestions and corrections are welcome )

Good review.

Imo you should give a comparison between stock ROM and CM11 and examine what are the pros and cons on both the ROMs. Battery backup on the two ROMs is important.

P.S.: the keyboard lags with tapatalk on my ZenFone 5. Elsewhere the keyboard is fine and performs well and good. Does the kb lag on other apps for your phone too?

anirbandd said:
Good review.

Imo you should give a comparison between stock ROM and CM11 and examine what are the pros and cons on both the ROMs. Battery backup on the two ROMs is important.

P.S.: the keyboard lags with tapatalk on my ZenFone 5. Elsewhere the keyboard is fine and performs well and good. Does the kb lag on other apps for your phone too?

Friend had Redmi 2 Prime on MiUI v6. If I get the time, I'll compare.

PS - Nope. Mine just lags in WhatsApp. Not even on Tapatalk.

adityak469 said:
Friend had Redmi 2 Prime on MiUI v6. If I get the time, I'll compare.

PS - Nope. Mine just lags in WhatsApp. Not even on Tapatalk.

Cool.

P.S. is the keyboard a customised one or the stock/modded google kb?

anirbandd said:
Cool.

P.S. is the keyboard a customised one or the stock/modded google kb?

Stock Google KB

Good review kid. One thing more you can add. Side by side comparison of the benches of the original redmi and the new version . good job!!

nomad47 said:
Good review kid. One thing more you can add. Side by side comparison of the benches of the original redmi and the new version . good job!!

You mean Redmi 1S vs Redmi 2 Prime?

If yes, sadly I don't have any 1S with me nor my friends have it.

adityak469 said:
Added introduction part. What other info did you miss?

This is my first detailed review so expect a few flaws ( all suggestions and corrections are welcome )

Display from different angles
video recording performance at 720p and 1080p like lag , jitter and choke.

Gollum said:
Display from different angles
video recording performance at 720p and 1080p like lag , jitter and choke.

No lag/jitter/choke when recording through front camera. Will try for back camera and update.

Played x265 vid for 1.5 hours
I
Phone did overheat and there was a lot of video tearing after it heated up.

Also played This War Of Mine for 3-4 hours. It heated up but didn't overheat. No lag at all.

Hi [MENTION=271931]adityak469[/MENTION].
Needed your opinion on Redmi 2 Prime. I am in doubt over buying this phone or Lenovo Note K3. The later one is a no brainer. But it costs 10k. And with the usage pattern of my dad (which includes mostly multimedia usage) doesn't warrant a phone which boasts of specs which K3 Note does.

Hence how would you rate the phone, when it comes to multimedia usage. Like youtube videos playback for extended hours and how is the video recording quality at fHD? Need to decide urgently now due to Xiaomi sale.

The following should be good:
1. Smooth YT Video playback (in 720p or 1080p)
2. Good video quality when recording
3. WhatsApp calling should be no problem

P)
4. Facebook should run great (yea

)

Also the most important for a phone - call quality and signal reception. How do you rate them?

Vyom said:
Hi [MENTION=271931]adityak469[/MENTION].
Needed your opinion on Redmi 2 Prime. I am in doubt over buying this phone or Lenovo Note K3. The later one is a no brainer. But it costs 10k. And with the usage pattern of my dad (which includes mostly multimedia usage) doesn't warrant a phone which boasts of specs which K3 Note does.

Hence how would you rate the phone, when it comes to multimedia usage. Like youtube videos playback for extended hours and how is the video recording quality at fHD? Need to decide urgently now due to Xiaomi sale.

The following should be good:
1. Smooth YT Video playback (in 720p or 1080p)
2. Good video quality when recording
3. WhatsApp calling should be no problem ()
4. Facebook should run great (yea )

1. I had watched onme vids on YT in 720p, they ran smoothly and there was no overheating. (Doesn't the smoothness depend on the internet speed?)
2. Video quality is very good. I've made a lot of videos from this phone and there's no shutter/choke from either of the cameras.
3/4. I'll have to check and update. I haven't used WhatsApp calling, ever

and haven't used the FB app ever

(FB runs great on UC tho

)

PS - 3/4 also depend on internet speed like 1 AFAIK.

EDIT - If your dad watches x265 vids too much I won't suggest the phone. It starts to overheat and the video starts to tear after a small time.

sling-shot said:
Also the most important for a phone - call quality and signal reception. How do you rate them?

I'm on Reliance, which has very bad service here. I'm getting a new Aircel SIM soon then only I can update about this.

Been a month since I've been using Prime and the experience is still the same.
Just one thing. I got my hands on Yuphoria for a few hours recently and Yuphoria's camera is way better than R2P for low light images. There was little to no noise in images clicked from Yuphoria's camera while R2P's camera had lots of noise.

adityak469 said:
Been a month since I've been using Prime and the experience is still the same.
Just one thing. I got my hands on Yuphoria for a few hours recently and Yuphoria's camera is way better than R2P for low light images. There was little to no noise in images clicked from Yuphoria's camera while R2P's camera had lots of noise.

Any change in call quality with AirCel?

sling-shot said:
Any change in call quality with AirCel?

I'll give call quality with Aircel 7/10. The volume levels are good but sometimes I do have trouble figuring out sometimes (40% of the time, its a network problem) what the person on the other side is speaking. Speaker disturbance is almost non existent. So are call drops ( there were a lot with Reliance ).

Vyom said:
Hi [MENTION=271931]adityak469[/MENTION].
Needed your opinion on Redmi 2 Prime. I am in doubt over buying this phone or Lenovo Note K3. The later one is a no brainer. But it costs 10k. And with the usage pattern of my dad (which includes mostly multimedia usage) doesn't warrant a phone which boasts of specs which K3 Note does.

Hence how would you rate the phone, when it comes to multimedia usage. Like youtube videos playback for extended hours and how is the video recording quality at fHD? Need to decide urgently now due to Xiaomi sale.

The following should be good:
1. Smooth YT Video playback (in 720p or 1080p)
2. Good video quality when recording
3. WhatsApp calling should be no problem P)
4. Facebook should run great (yea )

I have Redmi 2 Prime and one of my friends has K3 Note.

In Audio quality and volume, Redmi 2 is better. Even in Camera quality, Redmi is better for a variety of situations, under which the K3 note just boosts contrast or does irregular processing to arrive at an unnatural image that appears ok to the noob eye though.
I haven't compared video recording quality of both, but Redmi 2 does good FullHD vids with very decent audio clarity too.

Redmi 2 does youtube videos ok. I haven't tested for hours, but I don't see a reason it will fail at it.

Whatsapp is not any problem on Redmi 2 at all. Facebook runs ok, not that "great", but again I have a 2G internet connection so maybe that's the reason.

Given a chance, I would again purchase Redmi 2 only. Its small and is a capable media player. Right now running 64 GB MicroSDXC from Sandisk.
Its running fast, with 15 GB free right now!