Redmi could offer an even cheaper 5G phone this month

Redmi general manager Lu Weibing posted on Weibo that the brand will have “new surprises” this month, but it looks like a frequent leaker may have spoiled the party.

Tipster Digital Chat Station says Redmi will unveil the Redmi 10X 4G, a Redmi 9 or 10, and a new Redmi phone equipped with the Dimensity 800 processor.

The Redmi 10X 4G seems to be the Chinese version of the Redmi Note 9, while the Redmi 9 or 10 should be a step below the Redmi Note series. But it’s the last phone that has us intrigued.

The Dimensity 800 processor is a 5G-enabled MediaTek chipset, and it’s positioned as an upper mid-range to mid-range processor. The chipset packs an octacore CPU (four Cortex-A76 and four Cortex-A55), a Mali-G77 MP4 GPU, and an integrated 5G modem. The mid-range nature of the SoC (roughly comparable to the Snapdragon 765 series) means we can expect a more affordable 5G phone from Redmi then, but how much cheaper?

Well, an apparently leaked memo obtained by ITHome last month says Xiaomi will launch a 1,599 yuan (~$226) 5G phone in June. It’s possible the Redmi phone in question and the handset mentioned by ITHome are the same device. If the two devices are the same, then it’ll certainly be the cheapest Redmi 5G phone, edging out the ~$280 Redmi K30 5G.