Xiaomi redmi s2 review in Spanish (full analysis)

Xiaomi is becoming one of the most prolific brands. With the Xiaomi Redmi S2, it adds one more terminal to the long list of launches that we carried in the first half of this year 2018. Therefore, there is no doubt that many of them share specifications. In this specific case, in addition to carrying the same Snapdragon 625, it has a more than reasonable resemblance to the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus that was launched in late 2017.

If something goes well, why change it? The most notable differences of the Xiaomi Redmi S2 reside in its screen resolution, battery and cameras. If you want to see how we break these characteristics, join us in our review.

Technical Features Xiaomi Redmi S2

For many Redmi models that Xiaomi launches, there is one invariable thing, the packaging. It continues to have the same design of recent years, that is, the color orange predominates, only broken by the model name in white. The inner part remains white and is where you can find some difference between models.

In this case, the different sections come very well nested to house everything in an orderly way. Inside we will find:

• Xiaomi Redmi S2. Silicone Protective Case. Power Adapter. MicroUSB Type B Cable. SIM Tray Extractor. User Guide.

A curious design

As I commented in the introduction, the design of the Xiaomi Redmi S2 has a great similarity to the Redmi 5 Plus, saving the distances, of course. Leaving aside the curves of the edges of which both boast and the similar measures that they share, specifically those of this one are 77.3 x 160.7 x 8.1 mm, we can also find some palpable differences.

Despite being accustomed for a while to slightly curved 2.5D screens, this Xiaomi Redmi S2 surprises us in this regard by mounting a 2D-type screen whose edge ends straight and needs another millimeter more down to join the case. of the body. It could be said that it is as if the entire screen protrudes from the edge of the case one millimeter up. The photos are a good example of this.

Another differentiating aspect with other models, or the mentioned Redmi 5 plus, is the back cover. Although it seems at first glance that it is metallic, when you touch it you are aware that we really are facing a plastic casing with a very good metallic style finish. I do not know why they have chosen in this model to change the material, perhaps to lighten the weight, since unlike other previous Redmi that weigh 180 grams, this S2 has a weight of 170 grams.

A curious design decision and not seen in other recent terminals, are double lines on both the upper and lower edges of the rear. It is an aesthetic addition that despite not contributing anything, it suits you very well. Sometimes it is not known why but the small details always count.

In this rear part we find in the upper central part the fingerprint sensor, and in the upper left corner the double main camera with a small flange. Arranged vertically on top of each other and the LED flash in the middle of them. A very good decision is to place the cameras in that position, thus preventing them from getting dirty when you want to use the fingerprint sensor. Finally, in the lower back area the Xiaomi logo is screen printed.

At the front this time we found no notch anywhere and the edges at both the top and bottom are around 1cm each. The usable screen area remains at 74%. The bottom edge is empty since the buttons are digital and it is on the top edge where the selfie camera, the call speaker and the proximity sensor are located.

If we focus on the side edges we can see that in the upper edge, in addition to retaining the 3.5 mm audio jack, Xiaomi has again incorporated the infrared sensor. As usual, on this edge is also the microphone for noise cancellation.

On the other sides there is not so much news. On the left is the tray for two nanoSIM or one nanoSIM and a microSD card. On the right edge we find the volume button in one piece and below the on and off button.

Finally, at the bottom edge we find the microphone for calls, the microUSB type B connector and the speaker for multimedia content.

The grip is good enough in the hand and it doesn't feel very slippery. Luckily, Xiaomi includes a silicone case and making use of it, the grip multiplies.

The back cover can be found in various colors: Gray, like ours, gold and rose gold.

A mid-range display

The Xiaomi Redmi S2 does not exactly stand out for its screen, at least as far as its resolution is concerned, since we are talking about an IPS LCD screen with HD + resolution or what is the same: 720 x 1440 pixels. The 5.99-inch diagonal gives us a sparse 269-inch pixel density.

Although the quality of its screen does not shine for its number of pixels, it does have a very good range of colors with a color reproduction of 70% in the NTSC range. The contrast, on the other hand, is also good being the 1000: 1 ratio. On the whole, the colors are displayed reliably but without supersaturation.

In settings we will have the possibility to choose between several types of color temperature: hot, basic and cold; And we can also choose between several types of contrast: Automatic, high and predefined.

The screen angles are correct and there is no strange hue.

The brightness is another section that can be improved with its 450 nits. Outdoors more or less complies as long as there is not much sun. On these occasions, it is more difficult to distinguish what is displayed on the screen. However, the biggest problem we've had is the sometimes erratic operation of the automatic brightness. Sometimes we lowered the screen brightness when it was not necessary, leaving us almost without seeing anything and having to manually upload it. Luckily, it is not something that happens systematically.

Uncontrolled sound doesn't do much good

The sound of the Xiaomi Redmi S2 has a good sound power when increasing the volume and that is appreciated. However, although the sound sounds clear, without being canned, the sound quality can be described as good but without being excels. In a mid-range of this type, it is expected and therefore not surprising. The only drawback to the position of the speaker, as in other models, is that if you accidentally cover it by hand, the sound is muffled considerably.

Xiaomi still retains the 3.5mm audio jack and the truth is that it is a success. In addition to listening to the sound very well through the headphones, it includes its own software in adjustment to equalize the sound or, in case you have any headphones from the brand, choose a predetermined equalization depending on the model of the headphones you have. Obviously this can be done with any headphone but we will have to try which one we prefer instead of going to fixed shot. Honestly, this self-equalization works quite well and you can see the improvement depending on the earphone that we have.

A performance already known

We have an old acquaintance again, yes, I am talking about the famous 2 GHz 8-core Snapdragon 625 processor that we have been seeing since early 2017. Xiaomi is profiting from this CPU, which is still accompanied by the Adreno 506 GPU. And it is not strange, it must be recognized that at this point he continues to perform a very good job for what is required of him.

For day-to-day apps, multitasking, and less demanding games, the 625 performs quite well. It is true that with MIUI 9.5 you could notice an occasional pull in the operating system but after the update to MIUI 9.6 a good optimization has been noticed in this regard and the system runs smoothly.

With our 3GB RAM and 32GB storage model, AnTuTu has given a score of 75398. It is possible to find another model with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage at a slightly higher price.

The Xiaomi Redmi S2 does not have facial recognition, only with a fingerprint sensor and it must be recognized that it works wonderfully. With the screen off, the response time is very fast and we must not forget that we are talking about a mid-range, this has even more merit.

Upgrading versions to top

At this point, a few months ago, Xiaomi caught up with the latest version of Android. As a consequence, the Xiaomi Redmi S2 comes with Oreo 8.1 and the well-known MIUI 9.5 customization layer which is already possible to upgrade to MIUI 9.6. For version 10 of this layer we will have to wait if we want it officially. If you are impatient and there is no problem flashing the terminal, it is possible to install the beta version that is already available.

Although having Android Oreo internally already has many advantages in itself, what enters everyone's eyes is the system layer. MIUI continues to improve day by day to adapt to new times and styles. Proof of them is that every day its interface is getting closer to that of pure Android, saving distances.

The desktop maintains its usual style, incorporating all apps on adjacent desktops or folders, no application drawer. Instead, what we have is the so-called Application Vault, if we slide the main desktop to the left. A screen that brings together several useful cards that we can use quickly: web browser, shortcuts to system apps, creator of short notes, creator of calendar events, trendings app. Before, this screen was immovable, now with MIUI 9.6 you finally have the possibility to delete it if you wish to.

We also continue to maintain other settings that have remained almost unchanged such as the possibility of using a floating ball to perform different predetermined actions or being able to move around the system by gestures instead of using the digital buttons. It is still possible to facilitate one-handed use by reducing the screen, duplicating applications or having a second private space.

MIUI also incorporates a multitude of options and settings to customize both the desktop, notifications and other visual effects.

Finally, it should be noted that, apart from including the usual Google apps and MIU I own utilities, the Xiaomi Redmi S2 curiously includes several Microsoft apps pre-installed. Fortunately, if they are not desired, they can be uninstalled without problems.

Dual rear camera for portrait mode

The Xiaomi Redmi S2 has two cameras on the back. The main one features a 12-megapixel Sony IMX486 Exmor RS sensor with 2.2 focal aperture and 1, 250-micron pixel size. It features autofocus, image stabilizer, face detection, burst shooting, and digital zoom. The accompanying secondary camera is a more modest 5-megapixel Samsung S5K5E8 with f / 2.0 aperture and 1, 120-micron pixel size with phase detection autofocus.

The quality of photographs captured in good light is rich in detail and accurate colors. However, sometimes the contrast plays a trick, giving rise to underexposed and slightly dark images. This is mainly due to the focal aperture. A smaller aperture size would have suited the main chamber.

In other moments where landscapes are photographed, the sky is usually shown on the contrary, somewhat overexposed. In these cases, the HDR function must be pulled to achieve a more uniform range.

Snapshots that offer good colorimetry continue to be taken in low light or night scenes. The details, although still good, begin to lose definition and the noise takes over the photography. Fortunately, not much grain is usually perceived until the photo is zoomed.

Among the modes that we can select in the camera application we can find the short video, video, photo, square, panoramic and manual modes. In the latter we can only modify the white balance and adjust the ISO. Very few adjustments, as usual.

The front-facing selfie camera features 16 megapixels and a large 2-micron pixel size, allowing you to capture lots of light. So it is not surprising that images captured with the front camera appear bright. The details of these photographs offer a lot of detail in general and the colors, on the other hand, are concealer but a little muted.

Video recording can be both 1080p and 30fps and 720p and 30fps. The video quality is simply correct and far from what one might expect after trying the photography section. Freckle of little definition and excessive noise. The colors are not shown at all but the worst is the slight lack of fluidity.

In the Xiaomi Redmi S2 the secondary camera only has one function, offering support to perform a good Portrait or Bokeh mode. It is not used as a wide angle or as a camera for black and white photos, but let's get to the point.

The effect in this mode with the rear cameras is very good, in environments with good light the blur is displayed as it should and the distinction between the background and the person in focus is made effectively. It might seem that with a little less light the result would be worse but the cameras are still able to create a very successful blur effect.

You may think that the single front camera does not perform this approach as well and you may be wrong. Even with a single sensor, shooting in portrait mode achieves very well-defined blur.

Small but bully battery

At the same time that the screen resolution is reduced, compared to the Redmi 5 plus, it also reduces the milliamps if we compare them with that previous model. On this occasion, the Xiaomi Redmi S2 includes a meager 3080 mAh. Something short if compared to many other terminals but globally we will see that it does not perform at all bad. As is customary in battery tests carried out on the web and after typical use of normal personnel with social networks, web browsing and multimedia content playback, the maximum autonomy has been just over 2 days with 7 and a half hours of screen.. Some pretty good figures, especially on screen. It was somewhat to be expected with the decreased resolution of the panel.

Lately, the normal thing in the second part of this section is to talk about fast charging, but not this time, the Xiaomi Redmi S2 does not include fast charging. This means that instead of managing to charge half the terminal in half an hour, this model only manages to charge a third of the battery. It takes almost 2 hours to reach 100%.

Connectivity

The Xiaomi Redmi S2 apart from the infrared remote sensor does not surprise in many connectivity functions more. Does not include NFC but Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / n / g, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, VoLTE and FM Radio.

The remote control app allows you to create a shortcut on the desktop for each device you configure, so you don't even need to enter the app to switch between one device or another.

Conclusion and final words of the Xiaomi Redmi S2

With so many terminals in the Redmi range it is difficult to decide on one. That decision is even more difficult if almost all have the same Snapdragon 625 processor . What can you highlight then in the Xiaomi Redmi S2? Certainly, its screen is not its strong point, and neither is the battery, although both sections work quite well. The MIUI and Android version, on the other hand, also usually reaches these latest models at almost the same time.

So in the end, you can only really stand out of the Xiaomi Redmi S2 its cameras, very on par with those of the Redmi Note 5. The quality of these cameras if we talk about a mid-range is really good and it is thanks to this and the price range that the company moves so that more and more consumers are opting for its Redmi range.

If you want a terminal that is around € 140 on Amazon with good autonomy and cameras, this can be yours. While in China we can buy it for about 110 euros with some discount coupon in its Global version.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ Good camera for photography and portrait mode.	- The video recording quality is not as good.
+ Good autonomy.	- It does not have fast charge.
+ Competitive price.	- does not have microUSB type C.
+ Bring Android 8.1 and MIUI 9.6.	- The screen is not FullHD +.
+ Includes audio jack and remote sensor.	- Another model with the Snapdragon 625.

The Professional Review team awards you the platinum medal:

Xiaomi Redmi S2

DESIGN - 75%

PERFORMANCE - 78%

CAMERA - 84%

AUTONOMY - 85%

PRICE - 93%

83%