There are plenty of budget handsets available right now and two that have arrived this year for India are the popular Micromax A106 Unite 2 and Xiaomi Redmi 1S. These are both Android dual SIM smartphones that could appeal to plenty of buyers, so today we’re bringing you a Xiaomi Redmi 1S vs. Micromax Unite 2 India contest on specs and price.

The Unite 2 is readily available in India, but it’s not the same story for the Redmi 1S. This phone has only been available via flash sales on Flipkart, and every time it appeared for sale it sold out extremely quickly. Recently Xiaomi received a ban on selling its devices in India but that has now been lifted for those based on Qualcomm chipsets. This means that a new flash sale for the Redmi 1S will take place tomorrow (Tuesday) although the company hasn’t revealed how many units will be available. We’ll break down the key specs and more next.

Processors
The Xiaomi Redmi 1S has a 1.6GHz Snapdragon MSM8228 quad-core processor and Adreno 305 graphics. The Micromax Unite 2 A106 has a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6582 quad-core processor with Mali-400MP2 GPU.

Display
The Redmi 1S has a 4.7-inch IPS LCD display with resolution of 1280 x 720 and 312 ppi. The Unite 2 also has a 4.7-inch IPS LCD display, but this time with resolution of 800 x 480 and 199 ppi.

RAM and Storage
There’s 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage that’s expandable via microSD to 32GB for the Redmi 1S. The Unite 2 has 1GB of RAM and 4GB or 8GB models for internal storage, also expandable to 32GB.

Camera set-up
The Redmi 1S has an 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, LED flash and 1080p video capture, with a 1.6-megapixel front-facing camera. The Unite 2 has a 5-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, LED flash and 720p video capture, as well as a 2-megapixel front-facing unit.

Battery
Both phones have removable 2000 mAh batteries, so there’s nothing between them on this score.

Connectivity
Both support 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n with WiFi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, GPRS, EDGE, GPS, and microUSB 2.0. However, the Redmi 1S also has WiFi Direct and USB Host.

Operating System
The Redmi 1S runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean skinned with MIUI 5.0. The Unite 2 runs the later Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

Price
There’s not too much between them here. The Redmi 1S is being sold via flash sales at Rs. 5,999. The Unite 2 A106 4GB version was launched at Rs. 6,999 but can now be found cheaper depending on retailer. We’ve recently seen the 4GB version from around Rs. 6,150 while the 8GB model is on sale from around Rs. 6,450.

Although the Unite 2 has plenty to recommend it for a budget handset, it’s plain to see from the specs that the Redmi 1S has many advantages. The Xiaomi phone has a faster processor, higher resolution display, and superior camera capabilities, although the Unite 2 does run a later version of Android. However, buyers will also want to consider their preference of design, build quality and after sales service.

If you do decide that you would rather buy the Xiaomi Redmi 1S the next flash sale takes place tomorrow beginning at 2pm IST. Potential buyers need to register for the sale on Flipkart by midnight tonight. Once you’ve weighed up the options we’d be interested to hear which of these two smartphones you think best suits your needs. Is it the Xiaomi Redmi 1S or the Micromax Unite 2 A106?