As Xiaomi’s first all-metal Redmi Note, the 3 is a gorgeous in its gold incarnation ( also available in silver and dark grey) with a sandblasted smooth outer shell and 5.5in full-HD display. A fingerprint scanner is fitted to the rear, alongside a 13Mp camera with two-tone flash. Around the front you get a 5Mp selfie camera.
Camera quality is very good
Despite housing both a large 5.5in screen and a high-capacity battery ( apparently achieved using a 690Wh/L high-density cell) , this Xiaomi phablet feels fantastic in the hand. It’s reassuringly weighty without being heavy at 164g ( only 4g more than the plastic Note 2) , and rounded edges on the rear make it feel smaller than it is. On occasion you might want to use it in both hands, but we didn’t have trouble reaching to the far corner of the screen with a thumb when required. As with the Mi 4C there’s also an easily accessible one-handed mode that lets you shrink down the contents of the screen to 4.5-, 4- or even 3.5in.