Xiaomi’s Redmi series has been wildly popular over the past few years and for good reason. The low prices and good features have really set these models apart, and even other Chinese players have found them hard to compete with. Thanks to this competition, you can get a lot more in a budget or even mid-range smartphone than you used to be able to a few years ago.
After pushing powerful components and cutting prices, manufacturers have started focusing on premium aesthetics and build quality, which appeal even more to customers. We’ve seen a lot of metal being being used by companies rather than plastic, such as with the recently released Honor 5 X(Review) and Le Eco Le 1s(Review). In terms of specifications, 3GB of RAM is not something to boast about anymore, and Coolpad has proven to everyone with the Coolpad Note 3 that even fingerprint sensors are not restricted to premium phone
There’s a 5-megapixel camera on the top along with a notification LED for alerts. Mercifully, the capacitive buttons at the bottom are backlit. The volume rocker and power button are quite ergonomically placed on the right, while the left side houses the hybrid Dual-SIM tray. In addition to the headphones socket on the top, we also have an infrared(IR) emitter. The phone uses a standard Micro-USB connector for charging and data transfers.
We also like how comfortable the phone feels in the hand. It’s a bit tricky to use one-handed, but is fairly slim at 8.7mm with good weight distribution.