Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 2 seems to have caught to-be buyers unaware with the high-end-ish specs and the affordable price tag, but resellers in China seem to be up to the task.
Geekbuying has now listed the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 in 16GB anf 32GB variants for US$169.85 and US$206.85 respectively. This includes worldwide free shipping, but what you need to know (for now) is that the phone is on pre-order since sellers haven’t yet gotten stock of the phone.
If you aren’t aware (how can that be?), the Redmi Note 2 comes with a 5.5-inch screen, a Helio X10 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB/32GB of ROM (plus a microSD slot) along with some goodies such as a 13 mega-pixel PDAF enabled rear camera, which you don’t get to see on a ‘budget’ phone usually.
SEE: Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 specifications
You can check some hands on images of the phone released by Xiaomi. If you’re interested, we also have a bit of a comparison between the Redmi Note 2, the Meizu m2 note and the LeTV S1 here.
Are you planning to get one of these? If not, what other phones do you hare in mind for this year (and this budget)?
Like I said before, looks like a nice phone…if you live in China. But after reseller markup, the ZenPhone 2 is a better value and you can have it delivered with next day shipping on Amazon Prime. Also, the Alcatel Idol 3 will soon be on sale again for $200.
Is this new Redmi Note 2 dual SIM, LTE on both SIMs? If so the ZenPhone 2 doesn’t really compare Ruby. That second 2G only SIM on the Zenphone 2 is a real killjoy for me…
Well, the lack of LTE Band 20 (800 MHz) would be an even bigger killjoy for most Europeans which is included on the ZenPhone 2.
I still don’t get, why they’re lacking FDD B20?
I know, it isn’t used in the asian region, but come on.
Would including FDD B20 a big deal?
A lot/almost all “highend”-phones lack it, though cheaper brands support it
Regards
Well, the lack of LTE Band 20 (800 MHz) would be an even bigger killjoy for most Europeans which is included on the ZenPhone 2.
Compared to which Zenfone 2 exactly?
Edit: I checked up the specs of all the Zenfone 2s, and the one that matches up the most is the ZE550ML, which has almost the exact same specs barring the lower res display on the Zenfone, the smaller microSD capacity of the Redmi Note 2 and the difference in processors. The Redmi Note 2 is still cheaper.
I’m referring to the Asus ‘551. It has ‘only’ 16GB vs 32 on the Xiaomi but no big deal since it has an SD card slot.
It’s also available on Amazon Prime and because I live in the US, next day shipping is free. I can also return it for any reason within 30 days (w/ free shipping).
Friends over in Europe are telling me more and more packages are being checked by customs and if the price of the item doesn’t match with what they see listed on the Internet, the buyer winds up paying hefty fines. I know many readers here are in Europe and Asia so perhaps they can confirm or let others know what is the policy in their own country.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1134352-REG/asus_ze551ml_18_2g16gn_bk_zenfone_2_ze551ml_16gb.html
i have a special “hatred” for the customs … for how greedy they are 🙁
i have a special “hatred” for the customs … for how greedy they are 🙁
i live in the US too.
i might be one of those luckiest person of the world since I’ve bought several things from China and they never asked me to pay custom fees.
When i bought the MI4, the reseller put 360$ value, DHL shipping and no custom fees.
2 weeks ago I’ve received the OPO I’ve won here on Gizchina, the value of the goods was 400€ and again, no custom fees.
Both boxes were open and inspected by customs.
I can easily say that the US is the least country were customs charge fees for international shopping.
I’m also an Amazon Prime member, and i get 2 day free shipping. how can you get “Next Day” shipping for free?
Is there something i should do?
Max, Amazon Prime has same day free shipping to 14 cities in the US so for qualifying orders costing >$35, you can get what you ordered delivered the very next day. I just got my Moto G (3rd gen) – delivered to Brookline, MA. within 24 hours after ordering.
Yes, we are indeed fortunate. I never had to pay customs either on any of the items I ordered from China. But our friends over in Europe and Asia often aren’t so lucky. Brazil also has been known to tack on high customs fees.
I’m waiting for the day popular Chinese resellers like Gearbest and Geekbuying will have large distribution/fulfillment centers in the US that will stock say, the 100-200 most sold items. It would be nice to get some of these gadgets within days instead of waiting a month or more.
oh ok, i understand.
I’m fine with the 2 day shipping anyway. i think it totally worth it.
It looks like Aliexpress has a distribution center in the US
(only few items right now)
and hopefully this will grow soon.
OnePlusOne 64Gb bamboo
it became my wife’s phone.
She loves it and made few of her friends (iphone users) jealous.
Wow Convincing a woman to switch from iphone is even tough for me ( even if i can convince literally everyone in person to buy a phone even if it is utter crap)
One of my friends buys Some models in bulk and sell them on my local craiglist like site.