After a hiatus because of the COVID-19-related lockdown in many areas in the Philippines, Xiaomi is finally back with a new smartphone.

(Update, May 23: A special model is set to go on sale here! Read Redmi Note 9S MFF 2020 Limited Edition coming to PH.)

(Update, 12:50 p.m., May 4: We got Xiaomi Philippines’ press release, which we embedded in full at the end of the writeup. First day of sale is scheduled for May 8 on Shopee and Lazada. If you buy the base model from the latter on the 8th, though, you’ll get a P500 [around $10]) discount, making the Redmi Note 9S 4GB/64GB more affordable at P9,990 [$198]) for a day.)

The Redmi Note 9S is about to go official today, May 4, but we’ve already spotted its listing on ecommerce site Lazada Philippines. No word on availability yet, but we will update this article as soon as it’s announced.

The cheaper model — the version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage — is priced at P10,490 ($208). The variant with a higher memory configuration of 6GB RAM and 128GB storage is going to sell for P11,990 ($238).

Aggressive pricing? You bet. Take note that the prices announced globally are $249 (P12,592) and $279 (P14,109), respectively.

The Redmi Note 9S is a rebranded Redmi Note 9 Pro, the one released in India, not the international version that was launched alongside the Redmi Note 9 and Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite a few days ago.

SEE ALSO: Xiaomi Redmi Note 9, Redmi Note 9 Pro, Mi Note 10 Lite launched

The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chip and features four cameras on the back — a 48-megapixel sensor assisted by 8-megapixel ultra-wide, 2-megapixel depth, and 2-megapicel macro ones. A 16-megapixel front camera housed in a punch hole takes care of selfies.

The Redmi Note 9S also features a 5,020mAh battery with support for 18-watt fast charging, a 6.67-inch screen, and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor that doubles as a power button. It ships with Android 10-based MIUI 11 out of the box.

Redmi Note 9S official product video

Redmi Note 9S specs

• 6.67-inch LCD display, 2,400 x 1,080p resolution (20:9), Corning Gorilla Glass 5
• Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor
• 4GB/6GB RAM
• 64GB/128GB storage
• Quad 48-megapixel (main), 8-megapixel (ultra wide), 2-megapixel (depth), 2-megapixel (macro) rear cameras
• 16-megapixel front camera
• Fingerprint reader (side-mounted)
• 5,020mAh battery with 18-watt fast charging
• MIUI 11 based on Android 10
• Colors: Glacier White, Aurora Blue, Interstellar Grey

Redmi Note 9S PH press release

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