(Also see: Xiaomi Redmi 1S Review | Pictures)
The Redmi 1S will be available 1 day prior to its India availability only for select Flipkart First subscribers. However, the handset for general public will go on sale only on September 2 [Tuesday] at 2pm IST. The smartphone will be automatically added to the cart of the first two thousand Flipkart first customers who registered for the handset's flash sale on Tuesday.
(Also see: Xiaomi's Hugo Barra on Mi 3 Sales in India, the Mi 4 Challenge, and More)
Flipkart, the exclusive online retailer of Xiaomi handsets in India, sent an email titled 'Early Access to Redmi 1S' to its Flipkart First subscribers, saying, "The first two thousand Flipkart First subscribers who register to buy, will get the Redmi 1S added to their cart automatically and they can purchase the Redmi 1S on Sep 1 2pm IST, one day prior to its India launch."
Considering the limited stocks of the Redmi 1S will be available in India, the popular e-commerce giant has also announced that it will limit orders to one phone per registered email id. The email said, "Since stocks would be limited, we recommend you to login & buy immediately 2pm onwards. To ensure that all our customers can get their hands on Redmi 1S, we are limiting orders to one phone per registered email id."
(Also see: Hugo Barra on Why Apple's 'iWatch' Could be the Big Wearables Breakthrough)
Flipkart and Xiaomi, continuing the flash sale trend started with the Mi 3, announced last week that 40,000 units of the new budget smartphone would be available on Flipkart for the first flash sale on Tuesday. The company, also referred to as 'China's Apple', had also claimed that over 100,000 people already registered for the Redmi 1S's first flash sale.
Xiaomi had faced a lot of criticism from Indian consumers due to the limited number of Mi 3 (Review | Pictures) units in each flash sale, and the speed of the stock being sold. It is yet to be seen how both the companies (Flipkart and Xiaomi) handle the sales of Redmi 1S in India.
Chinese handset maker also confirmed that it discontinued the Mi 3 in India, as Xiaomi's India Head, Manu Jain told NDTV Gadgets that the reports were off the mark.
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