The Chinese company Xiaomi launches it's first 'Made In India' smartphone with Redmi 2 Prime priced Rs. 6999, manufactured by the Foxconn facility at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh.
 |
| Xiaomi |
 |
| Foxconn |
Xiaomi's tie up with the Taiwan company Foxconn to make smartphones in the country, can be a great boost for the Government, which has been so vocal about local manufacturing from the start.
"When we started out in July last year, we wanted to become part of the fabric of India", said Hugo Barra, Vice President of Xiaomi Global. "Over time, all of our phones that we sell in India will be made in India." He didn't give a timeline.
Xiaomi, the seventh largest smartphone seller globally, could see that making in India would
- lower operational costs
- increase efficiency
The launch of Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime took place in Vishakhapatnam.
 |
| CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu was present at the launch |
Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime notable specifications:
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB inbuilt storage
- Android 4.4
- 4.70 inch screen
- 720x1280 pixels resolution
- 8MP back camera
- 2MP front camera
- Removable Battery
Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime has doubled the RAM and inbuilt storage, a clear improvement from the Redmi 2 which has 1GB RAM and 8GB inbuilt storage, in terms of performance.
 |
| Xiaomi Redmi 2 |
A few pictures of the Redmi 2 Prime
 |
| 4.70 inch display |
 |
| Pretty Slim |
 |
| Proximity Sensor |
 |
| 8MP back camera |
 |
| Removable Battery |
 |
| Icon |
Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime vs Moto E 2nd Gen
| Device | Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime | Moto E (2015) with LTE | |
| Display | 4.7-inch HD (1280x720) | 4.5-inch qHD (960x540) | |
| Thickness | 9mm | 12.3mm | |
| Weight | 133 grams | 145 grams | |
| Camera | 8MP rear, 2MP front | 5MP rear, VGA front camera | |
| RAM | 2GB | 1GB | |
| Storage | 16GB (expandable) | 8GB (expandable) | |
| Processor | 1.2 GHz quad core Snapdragon 410 | 1.2 GHz quad core Snapdragon 410 | |
| OS | Android 4.4 KitKat | Android 5.0 Lollipop | |
| Battery | 2,200 mAh | 2,390 mAh | |
| Connectivity | Dual SIM with LTE | Single SIM with LTE | |
| Price | Rs 6,999 | Rs 6,999 |
From the above table it is pretty clear that Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime emerges as a clear winner apart from the OS.
 |
| Moto E 2nd Gen |
Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime comes with a great battery which can last upto 14 hours of talktime.
The tie-up between Xiaomi and Foxconn to make smartphones in India presents a great challenge to global leaders like Apple and Samsung. A person familiar with Foxconn's plans said that the company is expanding its Sri City facility by 250,000 sq. feet and 20 assembly lines by December. Currently the plant occupies 60,000 sq. feet and has 4 assembly lines.
 |
| The two companies at Vishakhapatnam |
Xiaomi's plans can be a stepping stone for the Indian economy to become self-sufficient, atleast, in the smartphone department and maybe, at last, we can see some India-made tech gadget dominate it's market than some Amerian giant's. It is high time we invest our money in country made goods if we are to improve the economy.
Let's promote #MakeInIndia
