The Redmi S2, aka Y2, gets its Android Pie update

The Redmi S2/Y2. (Source: The Economic Times)

Redmi released a ~US$160 5.99-inch device with the Snapdragon 625 SoC and dual rear cameras in 2018. It is known as the S2 in China and as the Y2 in India. Of these, the S2 has started to exhibit an update to Android 9.0 (Pie).

by Deirdre O Donnell, 2019/06/10

Redmi released the S2 to the Chinese market in May 2018, and the identical Y2 in India a few weeks later. As a phone that had dual cameras, yet started at the equivalent of about US$160 for a 3GB RAM SKU, it may have been attractive to budget-conscious buyers. Now, those who bought it may have a new reason to be happy with their decision: the Redmi parent company Xiaomi has released Android Pie for the S2.

This phone had shipped with an up-to-date version of MIUI (v10); however, it was based on Android 8.x (Oreo), not 9.0 (Pie). However, with a report of a new update based on the latter, that may have now been addressed. On the other hand, Y2 owners apparently have yet to see this software upgrade.

That may not be a huge deal to some users, however. Xiaomi is also obliged to release the S2/Y2's kernel sources in order to remain compliant with GNU's general public licence. These sources now include the new ones based on Pie. Therefore, developers may be able to release updated custom ROMs for the Y2 even before Redmi pushes the corresponding official version.