China-based eletronics company Xiaomi will be introducing a new mid-priced LTE smartphone to the market this month, the Redmi 2. But before it takes the spotlight, let's look back and compare the new device to is predecessor, the Redmi 1S.

Both targeting the mid-range market, Redmi 1S and Redmi 2 has almost the same specs, and design. They both have 4.7-inch screens, but the Redmi 2's glass is tougher, made of Corning Gorilla Glass 2, while Redmi 1S' screen is a Dragontrail made by Asahi. They also share the same resolution, 1280x720.

As for storage capabilities, the two are on an equal footing, with 8GB internal memory which can be expanded up to 64GB, and 1GB of RAM. There's little improvement in the camera. Although they both have 8MP main snappers, Redmi 1S has a 1.6MP at the front, while Redmi 2 has 2MP. Both can record 1080p videos.

Entering its software, the two have 64-bit quad core processors, but the older smartphone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 clocked at 1.6GHz, while the new one has Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 clocked at a lower 1.2GHz.

Xiaomi phones run on Android platform, and so Redmi 1S is pre-packaged with the old Android 4.3 Jellybean, and Redmi 2 comes with Android 4.4.4 Kitkat. However, Android Lollipop updates are on the way. 1S supports 2G and 3G connectivity, while Redmi 2 adds 4G to the list. 

Both phones use Xiaomi's own user interface, the MIUI (Mission Impossible User Interface) which offers -at-the-tip-of-your-fingers customization and lots of themes to choose from. It should be noted that Redmi 1S uses MIUI 5, while the Redmi 2 uses the much advanced MIUI 6.

The battery jump is also not impressive, even for a mid-priced smartphone. From Redmi 1S' 2000 mAh, the Redmi 2 now has a battery life of 2200 mAh. The former is noticeably thicker and heavier, measuring 9.9mm at its thickest and placing at 158g, while the latter is only 9.4mm thin and weighs only 133 grams.

Redmi 1S comes in black, red, and gray, while Redmi 2 comes in black, white, yellow, pink, and green. 1S is tagged $95, while Redmi 2 is at $110.

Redmi 2 will be launched in mainland China on January 9, 2015, and is expected to follow in neighboring markets.