EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT XIAOMI'S LATEST 48MP SMARTPHONE

Xiaomi recently decided to spin off their Redmi range of budget mobile phones into a standalone brand.

Redmi has wasted no time in announcing the first device to fall under their new umbrella, a sub-R3,000 phone that boasts a 48MP camera sensor. Insanity! The Redmi Note 7 may be affordable, but the specs are decent enough to have it compete with the big guys.

It has a big 6.3in LCD display with the new favourite 'teardrop' notch design. Under the hood, it's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, while the base model Note 7 starts with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.

The star of the show is obviously the rear shooter – a 48MP f/1.8 camera sensor, joined by a secondary 5MP depth sensor. On the front you'll get a 13MP selfie camera, assuming you can bear to use it in place of the big guy.

Powering the whole affair is a massive 4,000mAh battery that features fast charging. It also has a fingerprint scanner on the back, a USB-C connector and the not-so-forgotten headphone jack. The handset is also available in four colour options – blue, red, black and purple.

The Redmi Note 7 launches in China first, and pricing starts at 999 CNY (around R2,100) for the 3GB/32GB model. The 4GB/64GB model will cost you 1,199 CNY (about R2,500), while the 6GB/64GB costs 1,399 CNY (which converts to R2,900). Xiaomi devices typically come to South Africa (via Mobile In Africa).