Xiaomi Redmi 3S, Redmi 3S Prime launched in India

The mid-range Xiaomi Redmi 3S was unveiled in China earlier in June. Today, Xiaomi has launched the Redmi 3S in India in two different version, the Redmi 3S and Redmi 3S Prime. They will succeed Redmi 2 and Redmi 2 Prime, and offer upgraded specs, and sports premium metal unibody design.

The Xiaomi Redmi 3S offers almost similar specs, but differ in the RAM, storage and security department. The Redmi 3S comes with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, while Redmi 3S Prime has 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, and fingerprint scanner on the back for added security.

As for the other specs, the Redmi 3S/3S Prime comes with 5-inch HD IPS display and runs MIUI 7 based Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Performance is handled by an octa-core Snapdragon 430 processor (4 x 1.2 GHz Cortex A53 + 4 x 1.5 GHz Cortex A53) aided by Adreno 505 GPU.

For photography, there's 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, PDAF, f/2.0 aperture, while on the front there's 5-megapixel selfie shooter. Connectivity duties are handled by hybrid dual SIM (SIM + SIM or SIM + microSD card), 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS+GLONASS. It is fueled by 4100mAh battery.

The Xiaomi Redmi 3S (2GB RAM, 16GB storage) is priced at Rs. 6,999, while the Redmi 3S Prime (3GB RAM, 32GB storage, fingerprint scanner) costs Rs. 8,999. Both will be available exclusively from Mi.com and Flipkart through open sale.  The Redmi 3S Prime will be available starting August 9 12 Noon onwards and Redmi 3S will be available starting from August 16.

Xiaomi Redmi 3s with Snapdragon 430 SoC announced

Xiaomi has announced a new variant of Redmi 3 dubbed Redmi 3s in China. The design is similar to Redmi 3 Pro, with the metal unibody design and fingerprint scanner on the back. The major difference between Redmi 3, Redmi 3 Pro and Redmi 3s is the processor.

While the Redmi 3 (no fingerprint scanner), Redmi 3 Pro were equipped with Snapdragon 616 SoC (w/ Adreno 405 GPU), the Redmi 3s has Snapdragon 430 SoC (w/ Adreno 505 GPU). The rest of the specs are similar.

The Xiaomi Redmi 3s features 5-inch HD (1280 x 720 pixels) IPS display and comes in two variants — 2GB RAM + 16GB internal storage and 3GB RAM + 32GB internal storage — with microSD card support, and runs MIUI 7 based on Android Marshmallow. 

For photography there is 13-megapixel rear camera w/ PDAF, LED Flash, f/2.0 aperture and 1080p video recording. On the front there's 5-megapixel camera for selfies and video recording.

The phone has Hybrid dual SIM slot, which means the second SIM slot can be either used as nano-SIM slot or microSD card slot. Connectivity duties are handled by 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1 and GPS. It is fueled by 4100mAh battery. 

The Xiaomi Redmi 3s base model (2GB RAM/16GB storage) is priced at CNY 699 (106 | Rs. 7,000), while the 3GB RAM/32GB storage model costs CNY 899 ($135 | Rs. 9,000). The phone will go on sale in China starting from June 16 through mi.com.