Xiaomi has launched its latest device Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 in the Indian market. This phone has been priced at Rs. 9999 for 2 GB RAM with 16 GB Variant and Rs. 11998 for 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage variant. I got time to experience the 3GB RAM variant and found it an interesting phone in this price. This phone left good impressions in the first look. I want to share my experience with you in this article.
Disclosure: I checked 3GB RAM variant of Redmi Note 3.
Also see: Xiaomi Mobile Phones Price list India
This phone will be initially available via flash sales in India from Amazon. Registrations are already open on both Mi.com and Amazon. Later, this phone will also come on other online retailers and offline shops. If you do not get the chance in flash sales, you do not need to worry. The company has decided to fulfil every single demand of this phone.
Design
In terms of design, this phone impresses with its beautiful metal construction. It is worth to mention that Redmi Note 3 is the first Xiaomi phone to come with the metal body. On your hand, this phone looks excellent and feels like a costly flagship phone. It is large with the 5.5-inch display.
Above the display, it has LED notification light and front camera. Just below the camera, it offers three touch buttons. At the right side, it has volume rockers and power button. At the left side, it has sim card try to including one micro and one nano sim. You can including microSD card slot in this tray to expand storage.
The rear panel of the phone contains 16 megapixels rear camera, dual tone dual LED flash and fingerprint sensor. Below part of rear panel has MI branding and speakers. There is a stainless steel ring around the edge to protect the display when you put in on the screen side.
The top side of the phone contains 3.5 mm audio port and the infrared sensor. Bottom side comes with microUSB port and primary microphone. Back cover is non-removable.
At this price, you will no expect anything more in design. The body is well constructed with easy to reach buttons.
Display
Redmi note 3 comes with a 5.5 inch full HD display which is sharp, bright and offers good viewing angles. Sunlight visibility of this phone is good. When you are under direct sunlight, it automatically pushes more brightness to improve the viewing experience. It also comes with a reading mode to give you stain free reading for a long time. This section of the phone is also good.
Software
It runs on MIUI 7 based on Android 5.1.1. MIUI 7 comes with thousands of wallpapers, widgets and themes to have personalized the look. It offers improved security and privacy control. The performance of this UI is also fast. You wouldn’t face lag even if doing hardcore multitasking.
Processor, RAM and Storage
It is worth to note that Xiaomi has launched Redmi Note 3 in India with Snapdragon 650. The company claims that octa-core Snapdragon 650 with Adreno 510 offers high performance. It comes in 2 GB and 3 GB RAM variant. I recommend you to go with 3 GB RAM variant. You will get 32 GB storage in that. In 2 GB RAM variant, you only have 16 GB internal storage. You can expand storage, but you will have to sacrifice the secondary sim to use the microSD card.
And yes, USB OTG support is also there.
Antutu score of this phone is more than 77000 which is amazing. The company also claims that this phone shows less heat as compared to other flagship Android devices.
While using this phone, I didn’t face any performance issue. But I will be able to confirm performance claim only after full review of the phone.
Camera
Camera section of this phone is strong. Being true, I was already impressed with the camera of other Xiaomi smartphones in past. This time, Xiaomi didn’t disappoint. It comes with the 16-megapixels rear camera with dual-tone dual LED, PDAF to focus in just blink of the eye. On the front, it offers a 5-megapixels camera. Both cameras perform well. You have many camera effects and modes to enjoy.
Connectivity
It comes with 4G connectivity with support to all Indian band. Xiaomi knows the importance of Indian market. Hence, it also added support to VoLTE. Although, VoLTE is not available in Indian market. Telecom companies are gearing to add this option in coming months. This is the reason Xiaomi decided to make this phone future proof. Other connectivity features of the phone are Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/b/g/n (2.4 / 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS + GLONASS. Anything else you want? I don’t think.
Battery
This is another most notable thing in this phone. 4000 mAh large battery which can offer you around one day of life while you are not restricting yourself. You can even improve the battery life by regulating your usage. Battery supports fast charging and can be fully charged in less than 3 hours. In one hour, it can be charged up to 50%.
Conclusion
This phone is impressive in all segments. In this price, you will get a premium looking but the powerful phone which fulfils everything you would like to have. In short, it is a ‘Value for money’ phone.
For past few months, Xiaomi was not very active in India. It launched Redmi 2 Prime and Redmi Note Prime, but people were not happy. Media reports also claimed that Xiaomi is focusing in US market launch, and this is the reason it has started giving Indian market less priority. But with the aggressively priced but powerful phone, company managed to create buzz again. Not just this, Xiaomi also promised to launch Xiaomi Mi 5 in India within a month.
