Xiaomi, Foxconn join to manufacture phones in India, launch Redmi 2 Prime
Xiaomi has partnered with Taiwan's Foxconn to set up a mobile phone manufacturing unit, as the Chinese technology major looks at grabbing a larger share of the booming Indian handset market. With regards to the same, the company has also launched another 4.7-inch smartphone - Redmi 2 Prime, which offers a larger storage capacity.
Taking the key features into consideration, Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime is quite similar to the Redmi 2. Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime sports a 4.7-inch HD (1280×720 pixels) screen, which comes with Asahi Dragontrail glass protection. On its camera front, the Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime handset features an 8MP primary camera and 2MP selfie camera.
What makes the Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime different from Xiaomi Redmi 2 ?
Redmi 2 offers 1GB of RAM and 8GB of flash memory. Whereas, Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of flash storage. You can also expand the storage up to 32GB via microSD card.
Price: Redmi 2 is priced at Rs 5,999 and the Xiaomi Remi 2 Prime carries a price tag of Rs 6,999.
The dual-SIM Redmi 2 Prime handset is fuelled by a 2,200mAh battery, which promises to is run as long as 14 hours on talktime. On its connectivity front, it supports 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
Located in Sri City, the India unit has started assembly of a new handset 'Redmi 2 Prime' and it will gradually include other devices from the company's portfolio. "This is our second local manufacturing unit outside of China, the first one being in Brazil with Foxconn. We started our discussions with the government in February and we have already started with the manufacturing," said Xiaomi Vice President Hugo Barra.
Last week, Foxconn had announced plans to invest USD 5 billion over the next five years in Maharashtra, which had given the company 1,500 acres of land for its plant. Xiaomi's first device being manufactured from Vishakhapatnam is Redmi 2 Prime, priced at Rs 6,999, and it will go on sale across online platforms (Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon and mi.com) from today, Barra added. “We have always said India is a key market for us. With a facility here, there is a cost advantage, but the time to get devices to consumers will get reduced from 3-4 weeks to about 2 weeks will additionally help us manage our inventory better," Xiaomi India Head Manu Jain said. He added that the facility will cater to only the Indian consumers, much like its Brazil unit.
