Xiaomi has launched the budget smartphone, Redmi 7A in India priced at Rs 5,999 and it’s the successor to the last year’s Redmi 6A. The Redmi 7A is the Xiaomi’s affordable entry with a 5.45-inch display, 4,000 mAh battery and runs on MIUI 10 based on the Android 9 Pie operating system.
Xiaomi Redmi 7A Specifications
- Display: 5.45-inch IPS display, HD+ resolution (1440 x 720 pixels), 18:9 aspect ratio, 2.5D curved glass
- Software: MIUI 10 based on Android 9 Pie
- Protection: P2i nano-coating Splash Resistance
- Fingerprint Scanner | Face ID: N/A | Yes
- CPU: Up to 2.0 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 processor, 12 nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 SoC
- GPU: Adreno 505 GPU
- Memory: 2 GB RAM, LPDDR3
- Storage: 16 GB OR 32 GB internal, expands via microSD card (dedicated)
- Main Camera: 12 MP (Sony IMX486), LED flash
- Selfie Camera: 5 MP
- Connectivity: micro USB, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack
- Colors: Matte Black, Matte Gold, and Matte Blue
- Battery: 4,000 mAh battery
- Price:
For July month – ₹5,799 (2 GB + 16 GB), ₹5,999 (2 GB + 32 GB)
For the rest – ₹5,999 (2 GB + 16 GB), ₹6,199 (2 GB + 32 GB) - Availability: From 11th July via Flipkart
Design, Display, Build, & Ergonomics
The front has a 5.45-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels and 18:9 aspect ratio. There is no notch on the phone, the Redmi 7A uses an old school design, The screen is protected by a scratch-resistant glass with a 2.5D curve on the edges.
The back has a plastic-build matte finish design with curves on the edges. This is the Matte Blue color variant while it also comes two other variants – Matte Gold, and Matte Black.
The phone has a P2i nano-coating for water protection i.e. it can survive water splashes. On the back, there’s a single camera, no dual cameras and no fingerprint scanner on the phone. You can still secure the phone with the Face ID or PIN or passcode.
Under the hood, the phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 CPU consisting of eight Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz. Furthermore, the SoC is laced with an Adreno 505 GPU for gaming, 2 GB LPDDR3 RAM, and a large 4,000 mAh battery.
The Redmi 7A comes in two storage variants, one of 16 GB and the top variant with 32 GB both having the options to expand the storage via a microSD card (up to 256 GB) on the dedicated slot. The SIM tray offers triple slots, two of them for the 4G nano SIM cards and one for the microSD card.
On the connectivity side, it offers a micro USB port at the bottom, 3.5mm headphone jack on the top, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, and FM Radio. The bottom has loudspeakers and a microphone and the top has another microphone for noise cancellation.
Software & User Interface
Moving to the software on the phone, the Redmi 7A runs on the MIUI 10 which is based on the Android 9 Pie with the security patch level dated 1st June 2019. The interface is pretty much the same as we saw on the other Redmi phones running on the MIUI 10.
Cameras
On the camera front, the Redmi 7A falls behind the competition with its single AI camera, rivals such as the Realme C2 packs dual cameras on the rear side. The back has a single 12 MP camera with LED flash and it’s based on the Sony IMX486 sensor which seems better overall in its class. For the selfies, it carries a 5 MP camera on the front with no LED flash.
The 12 MP camera has an f/2.2 aperture, a pixel size of 1.25 micron and features phase detection autofocus. Since it has no secondary camera, you won’t get portrait mode on the phone for the rear camera. The front camera gives you an option to snap bokeh photos using the software optimizations.
Here are some camera samples we took from the Redmi 7A rear camera.
Xiaomi Redmi 7A Camera Samples
Early Verdict
The Xiaomi Redmi 7A starts at ₹5,999 for its 16 GB storage variant and ₹5,999 for its 32 GB storage variant. However, for the month of July, both models will be available for ₹5,799 and ₹5,999 respectively.
What we missed? The Redmi 7A lacks a fingerprint scanner, a secondary camera (preferably a dual camera setup on the back), an IR Blaster, but these can be ignored for what it’s been offered, considering the price, there’s nothing much to ask.
On the positive side, the Redmi 7A has a dedicated microSD slot, a huge 4,000 mAh battery, 2.0 GHz octa-core Snapdragon 439 CPU, Face Unlock, and comes with a 2-year long warranty.
