Redmi 5A: Xiaomi launches 13-megapixel budget smartphone at Rs 4999 with Jio's enticing cashback offer

Xiaomi on Thursday launched Redmi 5A, a successor to the handset maker's Redmi 4A. Touted as ‘Desh Ka Smartphone’, the Redmi 5A is designed for entry-level smartphone users.

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio is offering an enticing cashback offer on the Redmi 5A. Under the Better to Offer, consumers will get a cashback of Rs 1000, which will bring the effective price of the 2GB variant to Rs 4,999 from Rs 5,999, while the 3GB version will cost Rs 5,999 instead of Rs 6,999.

However, to avail the cashback offer, consumers will be required to recharge for 12 months with Jio’s special tariff offer of Rs 199 per month. 

Jio’s special offer has been introduced along with the smartphone. Under this offer, customers will get 1GB data per day along with free local and national calls.

The cashback will be in the form of 10 vouchers of Rs 100 each and will be given to the consumers after a year. Consumers will be able to utilise it for recharges of Jio tarrif plans.

With the newly-launched smartphone, Xiaomi is targeting the users who are looking to switch from feature phone to a smartphone without spending a huge buck on good handsets.

Xiaomi Redmi 5A has been launched to compete with the likes of JioPhone, Bharat 1, Galaxy J2, Moto C and Nokia 2, that are already available in the market.

Despite being an entry-level smartphone, Xiaomi doesn’t compromise in offering essential features. At the price point at which it is being sold, Redmi 5A is one of the best options currently available in the market.

Here's a quick review of Xiaomi Redmi 5A:

RAM and CPU – Redmi 5A comes with two RAM variants in Indian market which is, 2GB and 3GB. However, it has only one 2GB variant available in China.

Processor of the smartphone is same as that of its predecessor i.e. 1.4 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor along with Adreno 308 GPU.

Camera – The budget phone has a 13MP camera on the back with f/2.2 aperture along with LED flash, which is not present in other smartphone in this range. The rear camera has a Phase Detection Autofocus feature and capacity to capture videos with 30 frames per second in 1080 quality.

The smartphone has a 5MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture with a decent recording quality.

Storage – Redmi 5A has two variants of Internal Storage: 16GB and 32GB. It can be expanded upto 128GB with mirco-SD card. It also has a separate micro-SD slot for the storage expansion.

Operating System – The phone runs on latest version of Android 7.1 (Nougat) along with MIUI 9 which the company claims to be lightening fast. Its predecessor had Android 6.0 (Marshmallow).

Battery – The battery life of Redmi 5A is a bit less than its predecessor Redmi 4A. Redmi 5A has 3000mAh of battery whereas Redmi 4A had 3120 mAh of battery.

Despite having smaller battery than its predecessor, Redmi 5A still offers upto 8-days of stand-by battery life in one charge.

Display -  Redmi 5A comes with a 5-inch HD display with a resolution of 294 ppi. The screen of the phone is similar to its predecessor Redmi 4A.

Price and Availability – Xiaomi has launched Redmi 5A at a price starting from Rs 4,999 for 2GB variant and Rs 6,999 for the 3GB version.

Xiaomi has also announced that the base price of Rs 4,999 will be applicable for the first 5 million customers only. Thereafter, the 3GB variant will be available for Rs 5,999.

The smartphone will be available for sale from December 7 exclusively on Flipkart and Mi Official website. Customers can also purchase the handset from Mi’s retail stores.

The phone will be available in three colours: Cherry Powder, Champagne Gold and Platinum Silver.

Other Features – Redmi 5A supports 4G LTE, VoLTE and USB OTG.

The dual-sim phone also has IR-blaster which can control home appliances with Xiaomi’s Mi Remote App.