Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 to launch in India today: Good looks and specs, but the price will play a big role
Finally, Xiaomi is all set to bring the Redmi Note 3 to India. We came across the announcement on its official Facebook page,
wherein the company confirms the ‘exciting news’ of Redmi Note 3
launch. We got the chance to spend very limited time with the device and
here’s what we think about it.
Design and build
A glance at the Redmi Note 3 appeared strikingly similar to the most recent Meizu devices. At 165 grams, it was lightweight for a phablet that size and easy to hold and use with one hand. The Redmi Note 3 also brings a few firsts for the company. For instance, it comes equipped with a fingerprint scanner that is slowly yet steadily becoming a standard among smartphones and a unibody alloy chassis.
We saw a silver, white and what looked like a rose gold model. The curvy edges and glossy colour options coupled with light weight and slim body give it a stylish look. It felt sturdy in hands, but we would like to hold that opinion till we get to spend some quality time with the device. All in all, its a blend of good looks with some great colour options.
Display
It gets a 5.5-inch display with 1920 x 1080 pixels of resolution, that takes the pixel density all the way up to 403 ppi. The viewing angles indoors with ample ambient light looked decent. The colour reproduction looked pretty decent too. We cannot comment on its viewability outdoors in bright sunlight.
Storage
We got our hands on the 16GB (with 2GB RAM) model, out of which 9.43GB is available for the user. It is also available with 32GB (gets 3GB RAM) onboard storage. So, you get two options to choose from.
Software
The Redmi Note 3 runs the latest MIUI 7.0. Swipe downwards from top of the screen and you will find the notifications. The notifications page can be hidden as well. The UI is very colourful and comes with some bloatware too. You have a few themes to choose from. MIUI also brings battery improvements, promising faster response time and minimising battery life. We also noticed the Child mode to make ensure unauthorised or accidental access by your child, Showtime to put your best face forward and also lets you choose the size of your text.
Camera
It gets a 13MP rear snapper with PDAF Autofocus and a 5MP front-facing camera. The rear camera took some decent pictures as you see below. The camera app is neat and simple. Once you take a picture, you will see options to share it, show on a map, add to a album or to a contact photo. It also comes with a 5MP front-camera.
Battery
The phablet packs in a whopping 4000mAh battery that promises 3-4 days of standby time. However, we will be able to confirm this only once we’ve taken it for a spin in our labs.
Bottom line
In our very limited time that we spent with the Redmi Note 3, we think it is a worthy upgrade over its predecessor. It has got some nifty improvements and quite capable of taking the lineage forward.
The 16GB and 32GB models are priced at 899 Yuan and 1099 Yuan that amounts to roughly Rs 9,300 and Rs 11,300 respectively. If priced well, which Xiaomi is quite adept at, the Redmi Note 3 could be its next best seller.
Design and build
A glance at the Redmi Note 3 appeared strikingly similar to the most recent Meizu devices. At 165 grams, it was lightweight for a phablet that size and easy to hold and use with one hand. The Redmi Note 3 also brings a few firsts for the company. For instance, it comes equipped with a fingerprint scanner that is slowly yet steadily becoming a standard among smartphones and a unibody alloy chassis.
We saw a silver, white and what looked like a rose gold model. The curvy edges and glossy colour options coupled with light weight and slim body give it a stylish look. It felt sturdy in hands, but we would like to hold that opinion till we get to spend some quality time with the device. All in all, its a blend of good looks with some great colour options.
Display
It gets a 5.5-inch display with 1920 x 1080 pixels of resolution, that takes the pixel density all the way up to 403 ppi. The viewing angles indoors with ample ambient light looked decent. The colour reproduction looked pretty decent too. We cannot comment on its viewability outdoors in bright sunlight.
Storage
We got our hands on the 16GB (with 2GB RAM) model, out of which 9.43GB is available for the user. It is also available with 32GB (gets 3GB RAM) onboard storage. So, you get two options to choose from.
Software
The Redmi Note 3 runs the latest MIUI 7.0. Swipe downwards from top of the screen and you will find the notifications. The notifications page can be hidden as well. The UI is very colourful and comes with some bloatware too. You have a few themes to choose from. MIUI also brings battery improvements, promising faster response time and minimising battery life. We also noticed the Child mode to make ensure unauthorised or accidental access by your child, Showtime to put your best face forward and also lets you choose the size of your text.
Take a look at some of the screenshots below.
Processor, RAM, fingerprint scanner
The device gets an MTK Helio X10 MT6795 octa-core chipset coupled
with 2GB or 3GB RAM depending upon the storage space. Switching between
apps was smooth and the navigation across the device was hiccup-free. We
didn’t play any games or stream any music or video, so a thorough test
once we get the device in our labs will give a clearer idea about its
performance. Setting up the fingerprint scanner was quick and took less
than a minute, we must add.Camera
It gets a 13MP rear snapper with PDAF Autofocus and a 5MP front-facing camera. The rear camera took some decent pictures as you see below. The camera app is neat and simple. Once you take a picture, you will see options to share it, show on a map, add to a album or to a contact photo. It also comes with a 5MP front-camera.
Battery
The phablet packs in a whopping 4000mAh battery that promises 3-4 days of standby time. However, we will be able to confirm this only once we’ve taken it for a spin in our labs.
Bottom line
In our very limited time that we spent with the Redmi Note 3, we think it is a worthy upgrade over its predecessor. It has got some nifty improvements and quite capable of taking the lineage forward.
The 16GB and 32GB models are priced at 899 Yuan and 1099 Yuan that amounts to roughly Rs 9,300 and Rs 11,300 respectively. If priced well, which Xiaomi is quite adept at, the Redmi Note 3 could be its next best seller.
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