Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 starts at Rs 9, 999 and goes on sale today on Amazon India and Mi.com at 2pm. Here’s our review of the comeback smartphone from Xiaomi.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is in a way, the company’s comeback smartphone in India. The last major launch was the Mi 4i in April 2015, and it’s been sometime since the Chinese start-up introduced a brand new smartphone for the country.
In India, the Rs 10, 000 to Rs 12, 000 price-band has emerged as a sweet-spot for smartphone manufacturers. In January, Lenovo launched the K4 Note at Rs 11, 499; followed by Chinese newcomer LeEco’s Le 1S, which offers a full-metal body, 32GB space at just Rs 10, 999. At Rs 9, 999 for 16GB and Rs 11, 999 for the 32GB version, the Redmi Note 3 is the latest addition to this segment, combining beefy specs with premium looks.
The first all-metal body Note phone from Xiaomi, this one has a lot riding for the company, given how crucial India will be to its future growth. As numbers showed, in China the growth has stagnated, and India is the next big market to take seriously, if a player is looking to pump up volume sales of their smartphones.
But beyond the numbers game, the Redmi Note 3 also has to convince India users that this latest offering is worth their money, that Xiaomi is capable of producing quality products without charging a premium price. So is Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 3 worth its price and hype? We’ve had the phone for a little over a week and here’s our review
Specs: 5.5-inch full HD display with Sunlight Display | Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor | 2GB RAM + 16GB space or 3GB + 32GB | 16 megapixel rear camera + five megapixel front camera | 4050 mAh battery | MIUI 7 with Android 5.1 Lollipop
Price: Rs 9999 for 16GB, Rs 11, 999 for 32GB
Xiaomi Redmi Note
The Redmi Note 3 is the first full-metal body smartphone in Xiaomi’s Note series, and it looks really good. Sure it’s a phablet with a 5.5-inch display and a 4050 mAh battery, but the phone doesn’t feel too bulky or heavy. The curved edge design means it fits perfectly in most hands.
The Redmi Note 3’s display is sharp and crisp, one of the best for its price range.
The rear camera is bang in the middle of the rear cover, below which is the fingerprint scanner. Xiaomi has kept the speakers at the bottom, adding a little rift just below these to ensure that even when the device is placed on a totally flat surface, the sound is not affected.
From a design perspective, the gold-coloured Redmi Note 3 looks quite stylish, especially for its price. I’ve seen the Le 1s and the Huawei Honor 5X smartphones, both of which are full metal body and in the same price-range. Personally, I’ve liked the Redmi Note 3 as it looks the best out of the three, although the Le 1s is a close competitor.