[Re-released with new build] Redmi 5A getting stable Android Oreo with MIUI 10.1.2

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Back in January, Xiaomi separated the Redmi lineup from their product portfolio. To be specific, Redmi started working independently as a new brand to “make smartphones that offer extreme value for money” and “accelerate Xiaomi’s global expansion progress”.

As a new brand, their first product was Redmi Note 7 which was already launched in China and received mostly positive reviews. It is going to be released in India on February 28.

Historically the Redmi lineup is considered as value-for-money phones. With the launch of Redmi 4A in 2016, Xiaomi pushed the limit to a new level.

The budget conscious ‘A’ sub-series surprised smartphone analysts. Xiaomi delivered a package powered with Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 coupled with 2 GB RAM and 16/32 GB internal memory for less than $85. The phone sported a generous 3120 mAh battery, which made it really handy for first time smartphone users.

The successor, 2017’s Redmi 5A, outgrew the competition with an even lower introductory price of ₹4,999 (~$70). Most of the internals remained same – just the battery capacity became 120 mAh lower (3000 mAh). A 3 GB variant was also made available.

According to various independent market studies (example), Redmi 5A was one of the top selling Android smartphones of 2018. As Xiaomi’s market share in India is increasing, the same phone is also honored as one of the fastest selling devices of 2018 across brands.

Redmi 5A was initially launched with MIUI 9 based on Android 7 Nougat. Subsequent stable MIUI 10 update did not bring Oreo for it.

Some users reported about getting another MIUI 10 update (V10.1.2.0.OCKMIFI) based on Android 8 Oreo in last December. It was later revealed that Xiaomi selectively distributed this particular build as a pilot testing.

Based on feedback, the same build is now marked as stable and rolling out globally.

The update also fixes some minor issues with FM radio and camera.

Thanks to Xiaomi Firmware Updater, we have also grabbed the fastboot flashable package for this build.

Here are the update packages for manual installation:

• Channel: Global Stable
• Version: V10.1.2.0.OCKMIFI
• Android: 8.1
  • Type: Fastboot
    • Download: Link
    • MD5: a66990f95c85b9bf7073d2071fdaef26
  • Type: Recovery
    • Download: Link
    • MD5: 423275627c5db868ded294261cc932e1

It’s good to see that Xiaomi cares for the lower end devices and continues to update them. While another major update (Android Pie) is far-fetched, the phone has got a huge following from modding community.

Due to the similarities between Redmi 4A and 5A, developers created an unified codebase for both of them. Apart from truckload of custom ROMs, the community even brought unofficial Project Treble for these phones.

Hopefully these budget phones will live for a long time due to the overwhelming support.

Have you got a Redmi 5A? Comment below.

Last week Xiaomi pushed MIUI 10.1.2 update based on Android 8.1 Oreo for Redmi 5A. The update has reportedly been taken down as users faced critical bugs. Details here.

After a botched up OTA rollout, Xiaomi is finally bringing Android Oreo update for both Redmi 5A & Redmi 5 in the form of MIUI 10.3.2.0 OTA. Read on.

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