Xiaomi Redmi Y1 selfie camera samples, photo gallery & first impressions
Selfie smartphones are on the rise these days, and the only Chinese brand that wasn’t probably bothered about it until now has to be Xiaomi. But that changes today onwards because Xiaomi today introduced a whole new ‘Redmi Y’ series for selfie enthusiasts. As part of the announcement, the company unveiled two new budget selfie smartphones dubbed Xiaomi Redmi Y1 and Y1 Lite in India. I used Xiaomi Redmi Y1 myself and here’s what I think about it. Do remember that it’s my initial reaction based on the limited time I could spend with the handset. So, I may be able to perform all thorough tests once I get it for review. For now, let’s take a look at Xiaomi Redmi Y1 selfie camera samples, photo gallery, and first impressions.
Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Selfie Camera
The main talking point of Xiaomi Redmi Y1 is its front-facing camera for selfies and video calls. It houses a massive 16-megapixel front camera with LED selfie-light for clear selfies, natural light, and vibrant selfies. It also packs a Beautify 3.0 feature that puts an artificial glow on self-portraits especially the face. I took a couple of indoor selfies and they generated fairly average results. If you take indoor selfies with adequate light around you, results may not differ much from those taken using selfie-light.
When I took selfies with both selfie-light on and off, I could barely notice any differences. I also had to keep my hands extremely steady while taking self-portraits since most of the selfies turned out pretty much blurry otherwise. I’m expecting the results to be somewhat positive with outdoor selfies under natural lighting conditions. So, I’d like to reserve my opinion about Redmi Y1 selfie camera until I put it to more in-depth test under different lighting conditions.
Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Selfie Camera Samples
Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Design, Build
It’s been quite a while since Xiaomi’s affordable Redmi series saw any drastic changes in term of design and build, and it remains the same for Redmi Y1 as well. The handset is slim at 7.7mm and weighs 153 grams, falling under lighter side. It flaunts a brushed-metal like finish on the rear to offer a firm grip. Furthermore, one-handed use wasn’t troublesome for me, and the handset could fit comfortably in my palms. The antenna lines run across the back at both top as well as the bottom. Xiaomi Redmi Y1 carries a volume controller and power button on the right whereas, on the left, there’s a slot for SIM card tray. On the top, there’s a 3.5mm audio jack. At the bottom, there’s a primary microphone, speaker grill, and microUSB 2.0 port.
Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Display
Xiaomi Redmi Y1 comes with 1,280 x 720 (HD) pixels stretched across a 5.5-inch display, resulting in 267 ppi pixel density. The display appears less vibrant and colours seem washed out. From the limited I spent with the handset, using it under direct sunlight may not be fruitful. But as I said, it’s the initial impressions and the actual display performance may vary from what I’ve mentioned already.
Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Main Camera
Xiaomi Redmi Y1 falls under Rs 10,000 price bracket, and I’ve not come across any smartphone that offers flagship-like camera performance. Same thing applies here. Unlike selfie camera, the main camera may not be the talking point of the device at all, and that’s for a reason. I observed during my initial encounter with Xiaomi Redmi Y1’s camera, it takes time to focus and pictures often end up shaky in even slightly low light situations. Most of the shots that I’ve taken outdoor were OK and on par with most of the handsets usually available in sub Rs 10,000 price segment.
Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Camera Samples
Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Verdict
So, Xiaomi finally has two handsets (Xiaomi Redmi Y1 and Y1 Lite) that feature a dedicated memory card slot. This way, people should no longer have any complaints with regards to either missing out on storage expansion or another SIM card slot. But is that enough for Xiaomi Redmi Y1 to stand out? We’ll find that out in our in-depth review once we put it to test. For now, all I can say is that Xiaomi Redmi Y1 turned out to be decent under Rs 10,000 during my early experience with it. It has got a front-facing flash, snappy fingerprint scanner, and above all, MIUI 9. But if you are seriously considering to buy the device, I’d recommend you to wait for our full review before making the final purchase.
Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Photo Gallery