Xiaomi Redmi 1S Review: Hands On

We had the opportunity to test the Xiaomi Redmi 1S the last two weeks. In this review we will provide you an in depth review of the Xiaomi Redmi 1S thats is selling for just RM419 at the moment.

Xiaomi has been launching a lot of quality devices by now. The first smartphone that Xiaomi launched 2011 was the MI One. Since then they have built themselves a name for extremely affordable smartphones. Their Premium Line with the Mi3 and Xiaomi Mi4 is even known as “Flagship Killer”. After Xiaomi launched the Mi One, they saw the tremendous potential and market need for affordable smartphones with high specs and good prices. They launched the Xiaomi Hongmi (Red Rice) in China first with a Mediatek Chipset, and sold it later in international markets under the name Redmi.

The Xiaomi Hongmi sold like hot cakes in China you could say. A smartphone with high quality and quad core processor for 130 USD was a novelty at that time – and it Xiaomi sold it with a Bang. Soon the story of Xiaomi and the Xiaomi Redmi phone spread around to other countries and a lot of buyers paid more then double the price to get one of these hot phones.

In 2014 Xiaomi decided to upgrade the very famous Redmi. The biggest change was to change the cheaper Mediatek processor MT6589T for a faster QuadCore Snapdragon 400. The Xiaomi Redmi 1S launched officially in Malaysia in June 2014.

So much for the history of the Xiaomi Redmi 1S. We were able to use the Xiaomi Redmi 1S for two weeks as primary smartphone, switched from the Xiaomi Mi3 and here is our full review.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Unboxing

The Xiaomi Redmi 1S comes with the typical package you might know from other Xiaomi devices. Next to the Redmi phone itself we got the USB Cable, a 5V charger and some descriptions, that are completely in chinese though.

We also got some flip covers, and rear covers for the Redmi, which seem to fit well. Normally I like to use my MI3 without a Cover, since the design is nice enough already. The Flip Cover for the Redmi 1S fit very nicely though and make it better protected as well.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Design

The Redmi 1S reminds very much of other Xiaomi phones in terms of design. If you have ever used any other Xiaomi smartphone, like the Xiaomi Redmi Note or Hongmi, you will know the feel and design of the Redmi 1S. The phone comes with the typical, efficient Xiaomi Design. The Design is really not bad and definitely does not feel cheap. We are glad Xiaomi does not try to save money on design, with a smartphone as cheap as the Redmi 1S.

Overall the design of the Redmi 1S is definitely more on the side of average and efficient then stylish. You definitely cannot compare it to the likes of HTC ONE, but rather to designs like the MOTO G, which are not bad at all. The Redmi 1S is completely the same in design and dimensions to the original Xiaomi Hongmi.

The Redmi 1S has quite broad bezels and the capacative button on the device are in red color, which might not be everyones taste. Also the buttons do not like for use in darkness. The Redmi 1S is really designed to be efficient and effective, no extras attached to keep the price low.

It takes some effort to get the rear of the Redmi 1S off. I like that fact, since you dont change the Battery or Sim to often. That gives the phone a more sturdy and qualitative feel.

The Phone even fell down one day from our table and it had neither scratches nor did the rear come off. The battery stayed also where it should be, therefore its actually a good feature that the rear is a bit harder to remove.

Overall Redmi 1S feels good and qualitative. Like most smartphones from China these days, you cant tell its under 200USD by the look of it. While the Redmi 1S will not win a Price for Design, the plastic is of good quality and there is even a metal around the screen to protect the xiaomi phone from falls and drops.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Display

The Redmi 1S is equipped with a 4.7 inch display at a 720p HD resolution. Thanks to the HD resolution it comes with a higher pixel density of 312 ppi. Especially to competitors like the MOTO E and Asus Zenfone 4, that is better, they come with 256 and 217 ppi.

Today you get IPS/AMOLED/2K displays and to be honest the Redmi 1S lacks a bit behind when it comes to display. The Redmi 1S has a clear noticable gap between digitizer and display panel. That means especially from some viewing angles you might have less then stellar viewing experience on the Redmi 1S.

This being said, if you look directly at the Redmi Screen, you should not notice the Gap. Apart from this, the 4.7 inch screen with 720p resolution is actually very good. Text is easy to read and there the 312 ppi give a very clear picture without pixelation. Also for a budget smartphone a 720 HD resolution is way enough. With less resolution the redmi 1s would not be competitive and with FULL HD not as cheap.

The color reproduction on the Redmi 1S is also very good and looks natural. The colors look very realistic and accurate. Even compared to more expensive xiaomi phones like the Xiaomi MI2S the colors look more realistic and awesome.
Colour reproduction wise, the display is very natural and very very accurate. Comparing it to the more expensive Xiaomi Mi2S, I found that the colours looked more realistic and close to the real thing. This could also be a result of the lesser tightly packed pixels on the Redmi 1S; regardless, it looked good.

There is also no lighting leaks on the screen as on some other chinese smartphones. It seems that the redmi 1S display is definitely of good quality.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S RAM And Internal Memory

The Xiaomi Redmi 1S comes with 8GB of internal memory and 1GB of RAM. The 1GB of Ram is really the minimum these days even for entry smartphones. While most competitors at the same price level like MOTO E have also only 1GB of RAM, for a bit more of money customers can buy the Honor 3C for example with 2GB.

The Redmi 1S still stays interesting as a mix between entry smartphone and midrange, with the very good Camera and Qualcomm processor and also the MIUI OS.

From the 8GB of Ram on the Redmi 1S, the OS MIUI is taking up nearly 2GB. That means that you are left with 6GB, which is certainly not enough for most users. The device is extendable though via Micro SD and at this price we would recommend just directly to buy a MICRO SD card with 32GB to extend the internal memory.

The 1GB of RAM on the Redmi 1S is the real issue. Depending on what kind of user you are, this is very critical. If you plan to buy the Redmi 1S as your only smartphone, we recommend you to look better at budget alternatives with 2GB of RAM. If you want to 1) Have the Redmi 1S as a second phone or 2) just use text, whatapp and a few emails, the 1GB of Ram should not be a problem.

Since I am using the Xiaomi MI3 with 2GB Ram as my main device, the change to the Redmi 1S was quite tough in the last two weeks. The Xiaomi Redmi 1S does experince some lag on apps, and Chrome windows needs to get cached most of the time.

Fresh booted the Redmi 1S comes with only 340 MB of free RAM. Because RAM is the most important aspect on a smartphone for smooth user experience, you know how much to expect for multitasking from the Redmi 1S.

Overall this does mot mean, that the Redmi 1S is bad, especially for the price of RM419 in Malaysia, the phone is a good deal. Compared to other budget smartphones like MOTO E or Zenfone 4 the Redmi 1S does not need to hide. It can even compare to the Samsung Galaxy S3 and is even better in some areas, while the S3 is much more expensive.

MIUI V5 OS on Redmi 1S

One of Xiaomi’s strongest points has always been MIUI OS. MIUI is XIaomi’s own version of an Android OS. In times when a lot of OS are either basically unchanged or totally stuffed with features MIUI is a welcome change. Xiaomi MIUI is a completely customizable and comes with a lot of useful features and functionalities. While a lot of features, especially in MIUI V6, are still very China focused, international users will get a lot from MIUI.

Apple’s IOS has been clearly an inspiration for MIUI. That gets very clear in MIUI V6, where the comparison between iOS7 and MIUI is very clear. Still the customization options for users are far greater in Xiaomi’s MIUI.

Overall MIUI gives users a very smooth and great experience. You really have the feeling that Software and Xiaomi Hardware have been optimized together with MIUI. This is true also on the Redmi 1S, although the experience is sometimes not 100% smooth because of the 1GB of RAM.

Other then these moments, the OS runs extremely smooth. Users get a ton of themes for free with MIUI and can change lockscreen style, homescreen background etc all very easy and fast.

Next to a lot of other features with MIUI you can turn the redmi 1S on with an alarm. That means you can turn the redmi off in the night and the phone wakes up with the alarm in the morning. That safes your sleep and battery energy. This is only one of many features of MIUI. Check our report off all spects and facts about MIUI V6.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Performance and Benchmarks

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Specs

• Display: 4.7-inch 1280 x 720p display
• Processor: 1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 SoC
• RAM: 1GB RAM
• Internal Memory: 8GB ROM + microSD expansion
• Rear Cam: 8 mega-pixel f/2.2 BSI enabled main camera
• Front Cam: 1.6 mega-pixel front camera
• Battery: 2000mAh battery
• OS: Android 4.3 overlaid with MIUI V5
• Dimensions: 137 x 69 x 9.9 mm

Benchmarks are surely not everything for the typical user these days. We still tested the Xiaomi Redmi 1S on some powerful Benchmarks like Antutu.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Antutu

• Vellamo Metal: 316
• Vellamo HTML5: 1467
• AnTuTu: 21379
• Quadrant standard: 8318

Camera on the Xiaomi Redmi 1S

I was very positively surprised by the Redmi 1S Camera. There was no noticeable shutter lag and the camera give you a very good dynamic range. As well the Back Illuminated sensor (BSI) on the Redmi 1S actually works. The Camera on the Redmi did actually manage to impress me in those two weeks. But take a look for your self at those picture samples.

Compared to other phones like the Xiaomi MI2S the camera of the Redmi 1S performs much better, especially in darkness. I actually even prefer it to pictures in broad daylight. Naturally the 8MP Camera cant compare to the 13MP of Xiaomi MI3. If you dont have to crop into the pictures to see the tiniest detail, the Redmi 1S takes very good pictures for you.

On the last party I even showed the Redmi 1S around to my friends and guess what. Even friends with iPhones wanted pictures taken by my Redmi 1S. If even iPhone users admit that the camera on this sub RM500 Xiaomi Phone is good, that must mean something.

Overall the camera on the Redmi 1S is very good, and definitely better then what this price level promises. Even Video Shot conditions are of good quality, I tested it in darker conditions as well and was happy. Compared to the direct competition like MOTO G and MOTO E, the camera on the Redmi 1S easily blows them away. With the camera on the Xiaomi Redmi 1S we can actually tell, that Xiaomi cares about the quality on their phones. Most manufacturers only promote the processors on their budget smartphones and sport bad camera on them. The Camera on the Redmi 1S can easily compete with Mid Range Segment Phones.

Battery Life on Redmi 1S

For me battery life is one of the most important factors on a smartphone. The Redmi 1S packs an 2000 mAH battery. After using the Redmi 1S for two weeks, I am impressed with the battery life. Xiaomi seems to have powered the redmi 1S with a good power management system on MIUI.

We got the Redmi 1S brand new. The first few times of charging got us 3 to 3.5 hours of Screen time. Later Charging cycles got me up to 5 hours of screen time, which is totally okey for an 4.7 inch powered by a 2000 mAH battery.

On an avergage day I use whatsapp (2hours), Chrome (1-2hours), gmail, facebook messenger (1 hour) and some camera shots and music etc. With this usage the Redmi 1S battery easily gets 24 hours usage. Based on this you should be able to estimate the battery power for your personal usage.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Connections.

The Redmi 1S comes with the standard set of connections with Bluetooth, GPS and WIFI (GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz, WCDMA: 900/2100MHz). GPS is strong enough on the device, and outdoors its locked in 10seconds which is okey. The Redmi 1S comes without LTE.

One very important feature that is lacking on many FlagShip Smartphones is still given on the redmi 1s. The Redmi 1S accepts Dual SIM cards. I tested Dual Sim and WIFI and had no problems with both.

One little critic point is WIFI Connectivity when using our office network with the redmi phone. On spots where I normally have at least 50% connectivity with my Mi3, I get around 20-30% with the Redmi 1S. This might be a channel problem though and needs to be investigated further.

Redmi 1S Review Summary

TOP

QualComm Snapdragon 400
Camera
Impressive Price at RM419

Medium

Screen
Battery Life Time
RAM

FLOP

Very Broad Bezels
Capacitive Buttons Non Backlit
The Bad

The Xiaomi Redmi 1S offers very good value for the price of RM419 in Malaysia. The strongest points are definitely the camera and MIUI OS. At this price level you should not expect too much from the design, its quite functional and efficient though.If you have a bit more money to spend you might think about getting a phone with 2GB of Ram though like the Huawei Honor 3C.
For this Price Level of RM419 the Xiaomi Redmi 1S definitely beats the competition of MOTO E/G and Zenfone 4 and is a good Deal.