Redmi, or Hongmi is a reference to its Chinese name 红米 meaning red rice.
If you have not already heard, Redmi have been selling like hotcakes in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and now Singapore, it's first venture outside China.
When I first learn that Redmi is a China phone, the first question I asked myself is "will it explode"?
All that caution is thrown out of the window when I'm reminded that iPhone is also made in China. Some of Redmi's components are made in FOXCONN, the same factory that assembles iPhones.
All that caution is thrown out of the window when I'm reminded that iPhone is also made in China. Some of Redmi's components are made in FOXCONN, the same factory that assembles iPhones.
To be honest, I do not know much about phones. I know nothing about MIUI or Snapdragon and I can't tell WDCMA apart from GSM.
All I knew is, this phone is a bargain at SGD169!
Click here for the full specs.
How to buy Redmi?
Redmi is sold through their website in what they call a "Flash Sales". A few days before the sale, they will announce the news on their Facebook.
On the day itself, log into your account on the website and wait for the sale to start. Pick the items into your carts but do not take your time to check out.
The items in your cart could already be sold out by the time you check out so make your payments as soon as you can. Don't wait.
It is unbelievable that all the phones would be snapped up within minutes!
I was lucky to grab a set for myself during the 27th March sale which was sold out in under 5 minutes!
Unfortunately, there were some system problem with Paypal which resulted in the order number not being recorded in the PayPal database thus, there was a slight delay in this shipment. It took 11 days from ordering for it to reach me by UPS.
I must say that I am impressed with Xiaomi who gave all affected orders a compensation of USD$60 and a free Red Redmi back cover.
Remember they are only selling the phone for SGD169. Less USD60 (about SGD75) and we are only paying SGD94 for it!
I really appreciate this goodwill gesture even though it is not really their fault. This is what I call good service recovery.
When I got my Redmi, I had a hard time copying all my sim contacts over. The sim card seems unwilling to cooperate so I had to manually key in the contacts one by one.
When I am eventually done with that, I realized that's because the sim card function was put on disabled mode. All I have to do is to enable it. (refer to screenshot below)
So, remember to check that the function is enabled before trying to transfer your sim contacts. *facepalm*
At just SGD169, Redmi does not come with 4G and LTE which is quite understandable for the price we are paying. However, it is dual sim so we can send and receive calls and texts from two numbers without swapping SIM cards.
Furthermore, with a 8 MP back camera, I really have nothing to be unhappy about.
I still have not explore all the functions yet so I might add on to the list here when I can.
Click here for the full specs.
How to buy Redmi?
Redmi is sold through their website in what they call a "Flash Sales". A few days before the sale, they will announce the news on their Facebook.
On the day itself, log into your account on the website and wait for the sale to start. Pick the items into your carts but do not take your time to check out.
The items in your cart could already be sold out by the time you check out so make your payments as soon as you can. Don't wait.
It is unbelievable that all the phones would be snapped up within minutes!
Unfortunately, there were some system problem with Paypal which resulted in the order number not being recorded in the PayPal database thus, there was a slight delay in this shipment. It took 11 days from ordering for it to reach me by UPS.
I must say that I am impressed with Xiaomi who gave all affected orders a compensation of USD$60 and a free Red Redmi back cover.
Remember they are only selling the phone for SGD169. Less USD60 (about SGD75) and we are only paying SGD94 for it!
I really appreciate this goodwill gesture even though it is not really their fault. This is what I call good service recovery.
When I am eventually done with that, I realized that's because the sim card function was put on disabled mode. All I have to do is to enable it. (refer to screenshot below)
So, remember to check that the function is enabled before trying to transfer your sim contacts. *facepalm*
"Enable" your SIM card!
One very considerate feature of Redmi is that they have a "Lite Mode" which is very useful for the older folks.
Click on "Settings" and follow my screenshots below to enable it.
Turn on "Lite Mode"
Here is how the "Lite Mode" (screenshot below) looks like. The icons are considerably bigger and even the number pad is easier to see with the bigger font.
Lite Mode
Another feature I discovered unique to Redmi is its "Guest" mode.
I am sure there are times when you have friends asking to borrow or check out your phone and there might be certain information inside which you want to keep out of prying eyes.
Here is where "Guest" mode come in. Pull down the "Toggles" menu from the top of the screen and follow my step in the screenshots below to activate it.
Your call list, messages, and all the photos in your gallery will disappear until you deactivate the "Guest" mode.
Guest Mode
The Redmi also comes with many category of themes like Simple, Cute, Fresh, Art, Cool, Cartoon, Love and Others for you to "dress up" your phone. Some themes even have the lunar calendar so you know when to pray when 初一十五 approaches.
Themes
This is the theme I am using currently.
Taking a screenshot is a breeze with Redmi. Just pull down the "Toggles" menu from the top of the screen and tap on the "Screenshot" icon.
There is another way to take a screenshot which is by pressing the down volume button and left menu button.
Taking screen shot is easy peasy
Do you know that you can even record your phone conversation with the Redmi? Quite a nifty tool if you are a reporter doing a phone interview or, if you have a friend who always go back on her words, you can record your conversation as evidence!
Recording a conversation
I had the Redmi for a few days now and I must say I am quite pleased with it!
At just SGD169, Redmi does not come with 4G and LTE which is quite understandable for the price we are paying. However, it is dual sim so we can send and receive calls and texts from two numbers without swapping SIM cards.
Furthermore, with a 8 MP back camera, I really have nothing to be unhappy about.
I still have not explore all the functions yet so I might add on to the list here when I can.
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