Redmi Note 5A hits TENAA

It's prime time for the build up to the release of the next generation of Xiaomi's increasingly popular budget Redmi devices, and it looks like we're getting close to the announcement of the Redmi Note 5A, with the device making an appearance on TENAA.

The last generation of devices had a Redmi 4A, but this one will be a member of the Note family, a sensible business move, considering Xiaomi's intended market prefers larger devices. The Note 5A, keeping with the set trend, will be the least powerful Redmi device to be released this year. The budget device of budget devices, so to say.

The Note 5A recently surfaced on Chinese regulation agency TENAA, throwing some more light on what we should expect from it. The device comes in multiple options: Snapdragon 425, Snapdragon 430, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage, 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage. That's a total of four options, we believe.

Both listed processors are disappointing, as we've already seen them on the Redmi 4A and Redmi 4. The Snapdragon 450, built on a 14nm process, was announced a few months ago and would have been a much better choice. 

The more powerful variant—the one with the octa-core Snapdragon 430—will feature a 16MP rear camera and a 13MP selfie shooter, while the Snapdragon 425 variant sports a less impressive 13MP rear camera and 5MP selfie shooter. From linked images, the Snapdragon 430 variant will also sport a rear fingerprint sensor, but the other will not.

Prices are unconfirmed at the moment but there are rumors that the most powerful variant will retail for about US$150, which is decent but not that great a bargain.

Both devices feature 5.5" HD displays and 3000mAh batteries—an unimpressive setup.