Xiaomi's new Redmi Pro is an affordable phablet with a dual camera setup

Xiaomi has been busy. On top of introducing its first laptop, the Mi Notebook Air, today the company also unveils the Redmi Pro. Its newest phablet has an attractive price and an impressive specs sheet, which includes a dual camera setup.

Xiaomi has been betting on specs to attract consumers and the Redmi Pro is yet another solid example of its strategy. The device has specs that would not look out of place on a premium phablet, yet the $225 starting price puts it at the lower end of the mid-range segment. It is a combination that is sure to get phablet enthusiasts' attention.

The Redmi Pro is equipped with a 5.5-inch OLED display with a claimed 100 percent coverage of the NTSC gamut and 60,000:1 contrast ratio. The handset is powered by a 2.5GHz, 10-core Helio X25 processor with a Mali-T880 GPU, and a massive 4,050mAh battery.

Imagine-wise, we are looking at a camera combo, comprised of 13MP (used for snapping photos) and 5MP (used for depth information) sensors, that is touted to deliver great-looking photos and DSLR-worthy levels of blur, also known as bokeh.

To emphasize the bokeh, Xiaomi has shown how a picture allegedly taken with the Redmi Pro looks next to one snapped with a Canon 5DS R. Xiaomi says that you will be able to play with the bokeh after the fact, which is a nice touch.

I say allegedly because smartphone makers have been caught using professional equipment to market the quality of their cameras. Also, no matter how good a smartphone camera is, the level of bokeh will pale in comparison to that of a DSLR with a fast lens when moving away from the subject, so take Xiaomi's claim with a grain of salt.

There is also 3GB or 4GB of RAM on board, depending on the configuration -- the 3GB of RAM versions come with 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, while the 4GB of RAM model features 128GB.

In terms of battery life, Xiaomi says that after a day of heavy use you should have 50 percent left. Given the huge battery, that is to be expected, though your mileage will surely vary.

Other things to note are the hybrid SIM slot, metal construction, fingerprint sensor on the front, USB Type-C, and VoLTE support. The memory can be expanded, though the bump in price to the top of the line model is reasonable. It costs $300, while the 64GB version will go for $255. There is no word on availability.