Only this time the prices have been surprising not in comparison with the competition, darlings, but with their own devices. I mean, that sweetheart Manu Jain (he’s so handsome! I said it again!) was comparing the Redmi 5 with a Motorola and a Samsung device in the launch video, but when he announced the prices, you know, I was wondering whether he should have also included some of his own devices in the comparison, no?
That sounds odd? Look at the prices, sweethearts: the Redmi 5 is priced at Rs 7,999 for the 2 GB/ 16 GB variant; Rs 8,999 for the 3 GB/ 32 GB variant; and Rs 10,999 for the 4 GB/ 64 GB variant. That’s rather good for a device with an 18:9, 5.7-inch HD+ display powered by a Qualcomm 450 processor. And Manu was sweet enough even to take time out to explain how Xiaomi priced its products – “honest pricing” to make the device available to as many people as possible. He is so right there, sweeties – innovation should be accessible and not just restricted to those a “notch” above (tee hee, pun intended). But then, darlings, while this does seem very good pricing for the Redmi 5 when compared to what those sweeties at Samsung and Moto are offering at the moment, it seems very strange compared to what his very own company is giving. I mean, the Redmi 5 is a huge step forward from the Redmi 4 indeed, but then the 3 GB/ 32 GB and 4 GB/ 64 GB variants of the Redmi 4 cost only Rs 500 lesser than the same variants of the Redmi 5 (and that price cut too came very recently). Sure, the 4 had a bigger battery, but its display is smaller too. And wait, I am not done yet. The 4 GB/ 64 GB variant of the Redmi 5 comes at a price tag of Rs 10,999. That is just Rs 1,000 below the same variant of the Redmi Note 5, which has a 5.99-inch full HD+ display, a Snapdragon 625 processor (which is being considered superior to the 450 even now) and a much larger battery. (Check the comparison by one of our darlings at TechPP) No, I am not finished even now. For, the Redmi Note 5’s 3 GB / 32 GB variant actually costs LESSER than the 4 GB/ 64 GB variant of the Redmi 5 – Rs 9,999 to Rs 10,999. Yes, I can understand that the Redmi 5 is offering more RAM and storage, which costs a bit, but on the other hand, sweeties, the Note 5 actually has a bigger and higher resolution display and a much bigger battery. Who said I was finished, sweethearts? Because the 3 GB / 32 GB and 4 GB/ 64 GB variants of the Redmi 5 also have the same pricing as similar variants of the Redmi Y1 that was launched last year (with that soooo beautiful Katrina Kaif, don’t you remember – so what if she used another phone for a few seconds in its ad). Yes, that one has a smaller display and older processor, but then it has a much better selfie camera – all of 16 megapixels, sweethearts. All right, darlings, just one more point… And all this is happening, the fact is that the Redmi Note 4 still is selling starting for Rs 9,999, which is about the same as the new Redmi Note 5 and a tad lesser than the 4 GB / 64 GB variants of the Redmi 5.
All of which makes it rather confusing for a rather old woman like me, darlings. I always believed that the Redmi series was a notch lower in terms of hardware and performance as compared to the Note series, but then the pricing seems very strange. Xiaomi has, of course, got to be commended for not increasing the base price of the Note series from last year – both started at Rs 9,999. This is truly honest pricing. But then, I am slightly confused at why the older devices, with allegedly older hardware are available at prices comparable to new ones. The folks at the site tell me that the Redmi 4 too had a 4 GB/ 64 GB variant that was more expensive than the base model of the Redmi Note 4, but then sweeties, the Redmi 4 was launched about three months after the Redmi Note 4 – the Redmi 5 comes barely a month after the Redmi Note 5. I am sure all this has got to do with corporate strategy, darlings. What to say, I flunked my MBA entrance, unlike all the clever people out there. But right now, this old woman is wondering whether to buy a Redmi 5 or a Redmi Note 5 or a Redmi Note 4 or a Redmi 4 or a Redmi Y1, or maybe save a few bucks and get that A1 with those dual cameras, or wait if I am saving, cannot I get the Redmi Note 5 Pro…oh dear, oh dear (one of the young ones is actually telling me that I can even get a Mi TV for around that much!) It is nice to be spoilt for choice, Mi darlings. But it is confusing also, no? (Prices as per those on the Mi India website at 20:00 hours, Indian Standard Time, on March 15, 2018)
