MIUI 12.5 global launch highlighted 7 core apps while Redmi Note 10 series launch shows 9; has Xiaomi changed its stance?

One of the most talked-about features of MIUI 12.5 was the fact that it virtually does away with all or most bloatware for which MIUI has been so widely criticized since the very beginning.

Bloatware has always been an ‘essential’ part of MIUI and not a smartphone launch goes by without a random YouTuber making a comment on how bloated MIUI feels like during a review.

Ultimately, the software skin has always shipped with a bunch of random preloaded apps and games on almost every device. These apps can obviously be uninstalled whenever required but are a cause of bother nonetheless.

What could not be uninstalled though were the plethora of MIUI system apps like the Notes or Calculator apps. Many users preferred such apps’ Google counterparts over them and having duplicates for the same functions meant a waste of valuable storage.

MIUI 12 solved this issue to some degree by allowing users to hide certain apps from the app drawer. That way, they would not be as bothersome as before. But of course, as already pointed out, they still ate up storage.

Xiaomi thus came up with a permanent solution for it all – uninstallable system apps. MIUI 12.5 promised just 7 core system apps while all others were made uninstallable or ‘removable.’

And boy, did they promote this little flair over and over again with almost every launch event and several social media posts. After all, not even One UI or iOS comes with so few system apps, which translates to a major selling point for Xiaomi.

However, things have taken a turn for the worse with the Redmi Note 10 series launch yesterday wherein the number of core apps has seen a jump.

Along with the existing 7 essential core apps, as shown in the global MIUI 12.5 launch event, Xiaomi has now quietly slipped in a couple of more absolutely useless apps. This effectively brings their total up to 9.

Xiaomi, you sneaky little fellow! Anyway, the two apps are Xiaomi’s ad-plagued Google Play Store wannabe called GetApps, and Mi Pay, which is a payment app that makes use of UPI (Unified Payments Interface).

These clearly are meant to squeeze in an additional amount of revenue. Although one can’t really bash Xiaomi for the move considering how ridiculously well-priced the entire Redmi Note 10 lineup has turned out to be.

This has obviously been made possible by the usage of ads and pre-installed apps which aid Xiaomi to make up for the extremely discounted rates of most of their smartphone offerings.

Fortunately for the global users, the increase in MIUI 12.5 core apps is seemingly limited to the Indian Redmi Note 10 series. After all, it was only revealed in the Indian launch event.

The reason for this could be that Xiaomi has typically kept its prices lower in India than in the rest of the world. Thus, a couple of adware apps like these may marginally help with the lost revenue.

And they shouldn’t really be a cause of too much bother either since the apps will be most likely the kind that could be disabled. But it’s a bit too early to be sure.

That said, it is worth mentioning here that the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max will be one of the first devices to bag a stable MIUI 12.5 update. Also, the Redmi Note 10S may even sport MIUI 12.5 right out-of-the-box. Pretty neat, eh?

Anyway, for now, be sure to keep an eye on the MIUI 12.5 update tracker so that you don’t miss out on any new developments.

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