Can a phone have so much and cost so little? Well, it certainly looks like it. Chinese company Xiaomi seems to have done it again with a smartphone that gives the other entrants a run for their money. It can't rest on its laurels for more than a few weeks, but meanwhile, Indian buyers are lapping up the Redmi Note 3 via flash sales on Amazon.
Fit and Finesse: There's no way the Redmi Note 3 feels like a device worth just Rs 9,999 or even Rs 11,999. That's because of its build: all solid and metallic and finessed. You take one look at it and you would readily think someone paid over Rs 35,000 for it. It has a smooth back with everything neatly aligned on it and comes in sedate silver, gold and black. The sides are smoothly rounded to improve what Xiaomi calls the 'hand-feel' and it's comfortable despite being a 5.5-inch device.
Performance and Power: There are, in fact, two variants of the Redmi Note 3. The more expensive one has 3GB RAM, 32GB storage and 4,050mAh battery. The less expensive one has 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, and a 4,000mAh battery. Both run on the Snapdragon 650 which performs startlingly well on benchmark tests and is smooth in real life usage — without causing any heating at all. Test results actually put it up there with the expensive flagship phones. Xiaomi's MIUI interface sits on top of Android 5.1 and is thankfully not an intrusive skin but one that keeps it simple while adding interesting features. You can enlarge the text, for example, much more than any other device I've seen, making it a good candidate for the elderly or anyone with poor eyesight. It has a blue light filter built-in so that you can read more comfortably. Its display is also sunlight friendly.
Filled with Features: A miscellany of features make the Redmi Note 3 more of a recommended buy. There's a fingerprint sensor which works superlatively fast and fuss-free. There's dual-SIM and MicroSD card support. There's compatibility with all LTE bands in India. An IR blaster to let you use it as a remote, and fast charging. That's a handful for a mere fist full of dollars.
Everyday Photos: The cameras on this device are 16MP and 5MP and work with a simple camera interface. Too much work has been done to make it seem intuitive. The 16MP shooter does very well in daylight with its f2.0 sensor. Colours in images are good and there's even some nice depth of field effect. In low light, it's an average performer as is the selfie camera. I wouldn't buy it for the camera but I wouldn't reject it for the camera either as it's a bit rare for any but the top-end phones to really do a good job of photography.
The Redmi Note 3 competes with many phones such as the commonly recommended Moto phones but also the LeEco Le S1, some of the Asus Zenfones, and Huwaei's Honor 5x. For the most part, the Redmi Note 3 has advantages over the others with the Le S1 being a close rival. The Redmi Note 3, and others in its category, have become more recommendable than low-end offerings from the companies that have ruled the roost so far.
BW Reporters
Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.
