Xiaomi Redmi Y1 (Note 5A)

Xiaomi Redmi Y1 / Redmi Note 5A — The Budget Selfie Champion Worth Knowing About

The Xiaomi Redmi Y1, known globally as the Redmi Note 5A, is a budget-friendly Android smartphone released in November 2017. Designed specifically for selfie enthusiasts on a tight budget, it stood out from the crowd at the time by offering a high-resolution 16MP front-facing camera at a price point where most competitors were still offering just 5MP selfie shooters.

The phone features a 5.5-inch display, Snapdragon 435 chipset, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of storage, and a 3080mAh battery. The display carries Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection on a glass front with a plastic back and aluminium frame, giving it a sturdy and well-built feel for its price range.

The display reached a maximum brightness of over 530 nits and an excellent contrast of 1670:1 in independent tests, making it comfortable to use both indoors and outdoors. The 13MP rear camera with PDAF, LED flash, HDR, and panorama support handles everyday photography well, while the 16MP front camera makes it a genuine selfie-first device.

The Snapdragon 435 delivered a dependable all-round performance for its budget class, beating older Snapdragon 425-powered rivals in benchmarks while proving more than capable for everyday tasks, social media, and casual gaming.

The 3080mAh battery achieved an endurance rating of 74 hours in testing — solid for a budget device. The phone also includes a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, dual Nano-SIM support, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS with GLONASS, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an infrared blaster. Available in Gold, Dark Grey, Silver, and Rose Gold, it remains a noteworthy entry in Xiaomi’s Redmi history.