Xiaomi has officially launched a new entry-level smartphone from its Redmi sub-brand in Kenya.
The Redmi A2+ is available for purchase in the country from today at Xiaomi brand shops and other outlets across the country. As usual, we recommend checking with some of our recommended merchants if you’re looking to purchase the device.
The Redmi A2+ is the direct successor to the Redmi A1+ that Xiaomi started selling in Kenya in October last year.
Back in March, Xiaomi introduced yet another entry-level smartphone from the Redmi sub-brand, the Redmi 12C.
The Redmi A2+ packs a 6.52-inch HD+ display in a 20:9 aspect ratio, an Helio G36 chipset from MediaTek, an 8-megapixel main camera that can record 1080p video at 30fps max backed by a QVGA lens and a 5-megapixel camera that can do the same, a fingerprint sensor at the back, just below the cameras and a 5,000mAh battery with a 10W wired charger that plugs in via a microUSB port.
In Kenya, we are getting the variant with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage (expandable up to a terabyte via microSD).
It runs on the Go edition of Android 12 and lacks dual-band Wi-Fi (users are limited to 2.4GHz networks, which shouldn’t be a big deal at this price but worth highlighting). Xiaomi is promising two years of “timely” security updates for the device. That is also our greatest hint that there may be no major upgrade beyond the operating system version it arrives with.
It has a headphone jack but it is very chunky at 9mm.
At Kshs 10,500, the Redmi A2+ keeps the pricing of its predecessor which should be a good reason to consider it given the rise in the cost of living witnessed in the country since then and the corresponding drop in the value of the Kenyan shilling against the dollar.
At that price, it costs less than the Redmi 12C which starts at Kshs 14,000, and competes directly with smartphones from Tecno’s Pop series and Infinix’s Smart (7) series while the Redmi 12C and other offerings go head-to-head with the Infinix Hot 30 and Tecno Spark 10 series. Looking at the Redmi A2+’s spec sheet, the itel A60 launched in Kenya back in March is also pretty much game. There is also the forgettable Nokia C12 in the mix.
