Pros:
First let’s get to the USP, which is the battery. I would say this is the most reliable bit of the Redmi Note phones, so reliable that it feels a tad boring. The battery that will last you a day with heavy usage. I used the Redmi Note 4 with 4G VoLTE and I was getting around one and half day without charging. This is with watching videos, streaming Netflix on Google Cast, using the phone for navigation data, and constant notifications. If you’re looking for a phone with a reliable battery, the Redmi Note 4 will be there for you.
The 5.5-inch full HD display from Xiaomi is top class. It’s perfect for those who love to watch videos and works well even in sunlight. However, I do notice the phone’s glass has some deep scratches already, so getting a tempered glass is a must for this phone. I must point out that during my usage the phone’s back had been well-protected thanks to a solid case.
The processor is now the Snapdragon 625; Redmi Note 3 had the Snapdragon 650, which is geared towards a more power packed performance. The new Snapdragon 625 is supposed to offer more improvements on the battery front and uses the 14nm FinFET process, compared to the 28nm on the 650 processor.
I got the 4GB RAM+64GB storage version for review, and so far the Note 4 has been a snappy device. On the benchmark front, the Redmi Note 4 scored around 62, 000 on Antutu, putting it just below the Galaxy Note 5 in the list(around number 51). It might not be setting benchmarks on fire, but the performance is solid. Multi-tasking, browsing the internet, running games like Asphalt 8, etc is not a problem on this device. Given the price of Rs 12, 999, Xiaomi is offering something stellar, especially if you consider the 64GB storage. The phone didn’t heat up for me during gaming either.
On the software side, MIUI 8 has tweaks like the ability to run two versions of the same app. You can go into settings and find Dual apps and check which ones are supported. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger might on top of most people’s lists in India. I could easily run two Facebook Messenger accounts on this, though I’m not someone who needs such features. But for those with two WhatsApp accounts, this will be a god send.