Xiaomi officially announced that Redmi will operate as an independent brand for smartphones and released the latest iteration of its popular Redmi Note series - the Redmi Note 7.

The new smartphone features a 48MP rear camera, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 AIE SoC and a 4000mAh battery. It is also the first smartphone in the Chinese mainland backed by an 18-month warranty.

On the back, Redmi Note 7 sports the Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1 backside illuminated CMOS sensor that has 48 million physical pixels. When taking pictures, the sensor uses Samsung’s Tetracell technology that merges four pixels to work as one large 1.6µm pixel. This increases light sensitivity and makes the resulting 12MP image much brighter and clearer, even in low-light conditions.

Furthermore, Xiaomi couples Redmi Note 7’s cameras with the latest AI features, including the steady handheld night photography feature that was introduced along with Xiaomi’s flagship Mi MIX 3, as well as AI scene detection, AI beautify and AI portraits that allow users to create amazing photos with ease.

Redmi Note 7 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 AIE SoC, with a 2.2GHz maximum clock speed, ensuring uncompromised peak performance when playing games and processing data.

Redmi Note 7 sports front and rear 2.5D glass panels, with a 6.3-inch 19.5:9 FHD+ display that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The phone has AI face unlock and a USB Type-C port for charging and syncing. It also has an IR blaster for controlling home appliances and Smart PA audio for louder and higher-quality sound.

Pre-order for Redmi Note 7 will start today Beijing time with a RMB 999 ($150) starting price for the 3GB+32GB version. Redmi Note 7 comes in three gradient-color options: gold, blue and black. It will hit shelves in the Chinese mainland on January 15.

Founder, President and CEO of Xiaomi Corporation, Mr. Lei Jun said, “As at 30 September 2018, Xiaomi had sold a total of 278 million Redmi series smartphones globally. We successfully invited Mr. Lu Weibing, the former president of Gionee, to be Vice President of Xiaomi Corporation and General Manager of the Redmi brand. His rich experience will assist Redmi to penetrate foreign markets faster and capture opportunities for further development and expansion. Redmi will continue to focus on research and development of extremely cost-effective smartphones with superior quality, and accelerate the pace of global expansion!”

Mr. Lu Weibing said: “By focusing on the e-commerce market and targeting internet users, Redmi will continue to pursue the ultimate price-performance ratio. Since its foundation, Redmi has been upholding the high standards of R&D, and constantly improving controls over quality and quantity of suppliers, giving Mi fans around the world the most cost-effective products.”