Xiaomi Redmi 1S successor featuring dual 4G-LTE compatibility speculated to launch on 4 January

Xiaomi's popular Redmi 1S mid-range smartphone that was released last year to exclusively cater to budget conscious smartphone buyers, is now set to get a dual 4G-LTE variant that is said to launch very soon.

According to a Gizmo China report, the dual 4G-LTE edition of Xiaomi Redmi 1S will be launched at an event on 4 January. This smartphone is also speculated to start selling in the same month as that of its launch.

Once officially launched on 4 January (as claimed by Gizmo China), the USP of the new Xiaomi smartphone will undoubtedly be its 4G-LTE capability that will be offered by both the SIM-cards that users insert within the device's dual SIM-card slots.

Xiaomi's current-gen Redmi 1S does not support 4G-LTE connectivity, and only lets users connect to GSM/HSPA networks.

As is Xiaomi's norm and as claimed by the Gizmo China report, the dual 4G-LTE variant of Redmi 1S will initially get a China launch, which will then be followed by launch/release in other major countries of the world.

Key hardware aspects of Xiaomi Redmi 1S dual 4G-LTE:

The dual 4G-LTE edition of Xiaomi Redmi 1S has apparently passed the Chinese TENAA certification, and the device is expected to feature improvements over its predecessor, the original non-LTE compliant Redmi 1S.

Below are some of the rumoured tech-specs of the new Redmi 1S smartphone:

• 4.7in display
• Android 4.4.4 KitKat, with the Xiaomi MIUI 6 on top
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 64-bit processor
• 8MP rear camera
• 2 MP front snapper
• Dual SIM-card support
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB internal storage
• MicroSD card slot for expansion of internal storage up to 32 GB
• Dual 4G-LTE, 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and microUSB connectivity
• 2,200 mAh Li-Ion battery

Pricing of the dual 4G-LTE Xiaomi Redmi 1S variant is yet to surface at this point in time.

Xiaomi is also expected to be a part of this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2015) during which the Chinese smartphone maker is rumoured to launch either the Mi 5 or the 64-bit Redmi Note 2.