Xiaomi go all alloy and add a fingerprint scanner for the first time, so how have they done? Find out in our full Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 review.
Xiaomi made a change to the Redmi launch schedule this year by first launching the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 then the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3. The faster than usual launches are obviously to help Xiaomi compete against Meizu’s constant bombardment of phone launches and also what LeTV have on sale, but it is also to offer Xiaomi fans the option of entry-level and flagship Redmi Note devices.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Review – Hands on
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Review – Design
The Redmi Note 3 is the first Xiaomi to get an alloy body and the first to receive a fingerprint scanner. Most brands would normally bring new features to their range with a flagship phone (in Xiaomi’s case the Mi5), but Xiaomi do like to do things a little different (remember the Mi2a? The largest Xiaomi at the time and also one of the most affordable).
Although Xiaomi have changed the build form plastic to alloy on the Redmi Note 3, they have still kept the classic Redmi look on the face. The grey metal bodied phone has a black face with standard black bezels (no hidden borders) simple navigation controls on the chin and a front facing 5 mega-pixel camera at the top.
The 5.5-inch FHD display might have the same dimensions and the same 1920 x 1080 resolution as the Redmi Note 2, but there are differences. We discovered in our Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 vs Redmi Note 3 comparison that the newer phone has a whiter display (see the video below).
So while the front of the Redmi Note 3 can be described as traditional, then the rest of the phone is new, well at least it is for Xiaomi.
Power and volume controls are kept on the right side. A 3.5mm headphone rack and IR remote are located at the top. SIM tray on the left and a standard micro USB in the base. This is all pretty standard fare for a Xiaomi phone, but the SIM tray on the Redmi Note 3 means that there is only support for dual SIM and no space for a micro SD card.
Turning the phone over to the rear is where we see most of the physical changes of the new Redmi Note 3. Here we see the alloy and plastic rear of the phone. Yes, the center section of the phone is alloy while the top and bottom are simple plastic caps (to prevent WIFI and LTE interference. UMi uses a similar construction method, but Xiaomi do it well with great fit.
The metal body curves around the phone to create enough room for the internal 4000mAh battery, and while it is alloy it is a simple stamped and bent construction, there is no fancy CNC machining here and you can tell once it is in your hand. That’s not to say the Xiaomi feels cheap, but it doesn’t feel as nice as the LeTV Le1s, and it isn’t a patch on the Meizu MX5 (although it shares a very similar design).
In the metal body is a 13 mega-pixel rear camera, dual tone LED flash, and that new single touch fingerprint scanner. The final touches are the Mi logo and rectangle rear speaker.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Review – Hardware
If you are in the market for a well spec phone with Mediatek Helio X10 processor, then you have probably taken a look at the Redmi Note 3 and Redmi Note 2, and more than likely you have seen some similarities between the two phones. But even though things look the same on paper they aren’t in real life.
As you may have seen in my comparison between the two latest Redmi Note phones, the Redmi Note 3 has a whiter, brighter display. The PDAF 13 mega-pixel rear camera takes better photos, and the physical home buttons are back lit in white not red.
Both the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and 2 have a Mediatek Helio X10 chipset, and options for either 2GB RAM or 3GB RAM. The 2GB RAM model is what I am using and it comes with only 16GB internal memory, this is important to remember as there is no SD card slot on this phone like there is on the plastic bodied Redmi Note 2.
The main hardware changes are the battery, LED flash and fingerprint scanner. The battery is a non removable item this time round, and at 4000mAh is one of the largest batteries to find its way in to a Xiaomi device. Its great to see such a monster battery in the phone, and in my usage I was easily getting through 2 days of moderate use.
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I don’t tend to use LED flashes when taking photos, but the dual LED dual tone option on the Redmi Note 3 is a good upgrade over the single LED flash of the Redmi Note 2.
And that leaves the fingerprint scanner. I am really won over with having a fingerprint scanner on my phones. It’s not necessary the additional security that attracts me but the convenience and speed of having one. The rear position of the fingerprint scanner on the Redmi Note 3 means that the overall length hasn’t needed to be stretched and also means it is in the perfect position for your index finger to tap. And a tap is all you need. Even if your phone is asleep and the screen blank, a quick tap of the scanner is enough time for the phone to register the touch, read the print and act accordingly.
For those of you who like to use the external speaker of a phone to listen to music, then this is one area that I wasn’t too impressed with. A direct comparison with the LeTV Le1s proved the LeTV offers much clearer audio and slightly better bass. Through earphones the Xiaomi performs better, but again LeTV have the slight edge here.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Review – Performance
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Review – Camera
The camera on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is a 13 mega-pixel shooter with PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus) and F2.2 aperture. If those specs sound familiar it is because the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 has the same specs.
While on paper the two phones should perform equally in the camera department, the truth is the Redmi Note 3 is head and shoulders above the cheaper plastic phone. PDAF is actually notably faster on the Redmi 3, and the images are much nicer with more natural colour reproduction.
It’s a quality camera and one that I would be more than happy to use on a daily basis.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Redmi Note 2: Video
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Review – Gallery
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Review – Specifications
| Model: | Redmi Note 3 |
| Sim Card: | Dual SIM Card Dual Standby(both SIM slots support 4G) |
| Color: | Silver| Gold | Gray |
| Capacity | 16 GB, 2GB RAM LPDDR3 dual-channel
32 GB, 3GB RAM LPDDR3 dual-channel |
| Multi-Languages | English as default
(For Multi-languages ,please refer to the screenshot showed above) |
| Chipset | CPU: MTK Helio X10 MT6795 Octa-core
GPU: Power VR G6200 550MHz |
| System | MIUI V7 Android 5.0 |
| Screen | Display Size: 5.5 Inch full HD display
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels,403PPI Screen Color: 16000K Colors Multitouch: Yes |
| Camera | Rear Camera: 13MP, PDAF Autofocus
Front Camera: 5MP Video Capture:1080p@30fps, 720p@30fps |
| Network and Wireless Connectivity | 4G FDD-LTE B1/B3/B7(1800/2100/2600MHz) ,
TDD-LTE (B38/B39/B40/B41: 2555-2655MHz) 3G: WCDMA 850/900/1900/ 2100MHz TD-SCDMA B34/B39 2G: GSM 900/1800/1900MHz GPS: GPS + AGPS + GLONASS + BDS(BeiDou Navigation Satellite System) Bluetooth: BT4.1,HID WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Support 2.4/5GHz,Wi-Fi hotspot,Dual-And, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Battery capacity and life | 4000mAh lithium-ion battery
Standby Time: About 3~4 days |
| Sensor | Fingerprint Scanner,Electronic compass, Accelerometer, Light sensor,Gyroscope, Infrared, Hall sensor, Proximity sensor |
| Size | Dimensions: 149.98 × 75.96 × 8.75 mm
Net Weight: 165g |
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Review – Conclusion
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is a great phone, there is simply no doubt about it. The Helio X10 chipset is powerful, the updated camera is a great performer, and the huge 4000mAh battery and super fast fingerprint scanner are amazing additions.
Its a great phone for anyone wanting a well made phone with constant development and great all round performance. If you want something that handles audio better, has a nicer display, and feels better made then the LeTV Le1s is worth a look too, but remember you will get a much worse camera.
Great review, Andi!
Little greedy by Xiaomi to make the sim tray in a fashion that it only support 2 sim cards and not 1 sim + 1 micro sd.
People are reporting very different things on the Redmi 3 camera. Some reviews saying it’s awful and this phone (for those that care about camera) should be avoided. Maybe you run an updated software version?
I’ve heard different stories about the camera.
Apparently it’s a software-related issue fixed with the last update.
personally I’m starting to think that it could be hardware-related.
Xiaomi is known for using 2 different sensors at random.
so the same phone can come either with one sensor or the other.
I wonder if one of those sensor is faulty.
If I’m not wrong it usually either Sonys IMX or Zamzungs isocell
those are the ones.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe87eB5UQsA&google_comment_id=z12gt3c4myb1tvhj004cepzqplemxlvzoqo0k
“watcher beware”
I don’t understand why reviewers sound just like those people trying to sell pans on TV.
Why would they do that? If that’s true, there’s literally no way to know if you got the good sensor or the bad sensor.. -_-. Redmi Note 2 does this as well?
It’s true, Xiaomi switch between Samsung and Sony depending on stock/price. There is no way of knowing which you have unless you open the phone up (if there is please let me know how). So it could be that I have a Sony (for example) and others are testing a Samsung unit.
yes Redmi Note 2 aswell
wait, i haven’t said that one is good and the other is bad.
they use 2 different sensors randomly and so far they have worked well on other devices.
people can’t tell which one is which.
i don’t know if they are using two different sensor on the Redmi line.
They often do it because of supply and availability issues. They are not the only ones to do it either, Samsung is notorious for this. The problem is nearly all of these phones use sensors from the same 4 companies: Sony, Omnivision, Samsung or Toshiba. Often time the demand for a particular sensor will outweigh the supply forcing companies to use two similar sensors.
The sensor is only one part of a camera for a phone and is almost never the reason for a camera being good or bad. As long as the phones are using the same optics and running the same software the results will be near equal. The algorithms they use in their software corrects for any differences the sensors do have so you get a consistent picture with either. Very few people will be able to tell a difference.
Yeah many reseller tend to install a modified version (by them) of a software and some reviews don’t even bother to check what a phone’s running cause they think every phone has to be nexus or moto.
Today I saw A review of the Redmi Note 3 on a Italian YT channel (he has reviewed Xiaomi phones in the past) and it didn’t even have the original MIUI stock browser! It was some kind of “modified to look like” android stock browser, and the os was unstable in general.
If you want I’ll link it.
I’d like to see that 🙂
I’d check they were using the official MIUI 7 ROM for the phone as @tajwar mentions. I have the official ROM and its a good camera. Yes the Mi Note, Mi4C and OPX are all better, but they also cost more. Compared to the LeTV X500 the Redmi Note 3 has a better camera, I haven’t tried a Meizu Metal but that would be an interesting comparison.
I was hoping for more words about the battery, instead of the camera. Not just “it’s huge and blablabla” but something like: how many hours can we expect of SOT? How many with single sim? How many with dual sim?
I’m little disappointed about this aspect.
Anyway thanks for the review.
Still digging that Epic username… Gimme NOW!!
“Its great to see such a monster battery in the phone, and in my usage I was easily getting through 2 days of moderate use.”
That tells you everything you need to know reading the rest of the review. Even if he gave detailed run downs of everything he did, it wouldn’t be typical use because he was doing a review where you subject a phone to more than the normal user will on a daily basis. But battery time can vary wildly from one user to the next just based on the apps they use or what they do with the phone. Even if he gave you his SOT it wouldn’t tell you much more than “2 days of moderate use” does.
Hey Andi +1 for the review pal. I would really appreciate if i could see a comparison of Letv le1s.
Video already made and up on YouTube for a few days https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E69EcTbtvz0
Thnx bro…
Looks like a perfect gift for my father, his oukitel u8s screen cracked in one corner and it has some bright spots on the display. Anyone wants to buy a used U8?
Anyone has info on the Siswoo r9 Darkmoon want to get my hands on It it might become my “Manga Reading” companion device. Thanks
P. S. :totally unrelated the topic 😛
I’ve been asking them about this too, and it still isnt on sale yet
Thanks
I played around with one for a few hours, I was not a fan of it. I loved the idea of it but in actual execution it just felt weird holding one in person.
If you had to choose between Yotaphone 2 and r9?
Meizu MX5.
Oky….. ?
What happened to the rating score?
I forgot it 🙁 sorry will add it now
16GB storage and no SD card slot?
on the 2GB RAM version yes
does it have gorilla glass ?
Andi between Letv X600 and Redmi Note 3 which is better?
I have order the X600 and i make thoughts to sell it when it arrives, and order the Redmi Note 3.
What do you think?
I am also keen to hear Andi’s opinion on this, if possible :-). The Letv x600 still seems to hold its own against this new wave of phones. It appears the only real difference is the metal design and fingerprint scanner. Being a music fan I would take better audio over those. I don’t really mind the plastic design since, and this is something that doesn’t get taken into account often, most people have covers on their phones anyway. And how often do people really remove their cover. If you shop around you can get the x600 quite cheap.
A very good question. I suppose it all boils down to the fingerprint scanner and metal build. If you don’t mind either of those then the X600 is still an awesome phone. Also the X600 has better audio.
i’m also concern about the fragility of the screen. Some users report that the X600 screen it has broken after the drop of only 50 cm height. This is one more factor that i’m scared about the phone. :/
Great review, Andi!
Little greedy by Xiaomi to make the sim tray in a fashion that it only support 2 sim cards and not 1 sim + 1 micro sd.
People are reporting very different things on the Redmi 3 camera. Some reviews saying it’s awful and this phone (for those that care about camera) should be avoided. Maybe you run an updated software version?
I’ve heard different stories about the camera.
Apparently it’s a software-related issue fixed with the last update.
personally I’m starting to think that it could be hardware-related.
Xiaomi is known for using 2 different sensors at random.
so the same phone can come either with one sensor or the other.
I wonder if one of those sensor is faulty.
Yeah many reseller tend to install a modified version (by them) of a software and some reviews don’t even bother to check what a phone’s running cause they think every phone has to be nexus or moto.
Today I saw A review of the Redmi Note 3 on a Italian YT channel (he has reviewed Xiaomi phones in the past) and it didn’t even have the original MIUI stock browser! It was some kind of “modified to look like” android stock browser, and the os was unstable in general.
If you want I’ll link it.
If I’m not wrong it usually either Sonys IMX or Zamzungs isocell
I’d like to see that 🙂
those are the ones.
“watcher beware”
Why would they do that? If that’s true, there’s literally no way to know if you got the good sensor or the bad sensor.. -_-. Redmi Note 2 does this as well?
I’d check they were using the official MIUI 7 ROM for the phone as @tajwar mentions. I have the official ROM and its a good camera. Yes the Mi Note, Mi4C and OPX are all better, but they also cost more. Compared to the LeTV X500 the Redmi Note 3 has a better camera, I haven’t tried a Meizu Metal but that would be an interesting comparison.
It’s true, Xiaomi switch between Samsung and Sony depending on stock/price. There is no way of knowing which you have unless you open the phone up (if there is please let me know how). So it could be that I have a Sony (for example) and others are testing a Samsung unit.
yes Redmi Note 2 aswell
wait, i haven’t said that one is good and the other is bad.
they use 2 different sensors randomly and so far they have worked well on other devices.
people can’t tell which one is which.
i don’t know if they are using two different sensor on the Redmi line.
I don’t understand why reviewers sound just like those people trying to sell pans on TV.
They often do it because of supply and availability issues. They are not the only ones to do it either, Samsung is notorious for this. The problem is nearly all of these phones use sensors from the same 4 companies: Sony, Omnivision, Samsung or Toshiba. Often time the demand for a particular sensor will outweigh the supply forcing companies to use two similar sensors.
The sensor is only one part of a camera for a phone and is almost never the reason for a camera being good or bad. As long as the phones are using the same optics and running the same software the results will be near equal. The algorithms they use in their software corrects for any differences the sensors do have so you get a consistent picture with either. Very few people will be able to tell a difference.
I was hoping for more words about the battery, instead of the camera. Not just “it’s huge and blablabla” but something like: how many hours can we expect of SOT? How many with single sim? How many with dual sim?
I’m little disappointed about this aspect.
Anyway thanks for the review.
Still digging that Epic username… Gimme NOW!!
“Its great to see such a monster battery in the phone, and in my usage I was easily getting through 2 days of moderate use.”
That tells you everything you need to know reading the rest of the review. Even if he gave detailed run downs of everything he did, it wouldn’t be typical use because he was doing a review where you subject a phone to more than the normal user will on a daily basis. But battery time can vary wildly from one user to the next just based on the apps they use or what they do with the phone. Even if he gave you his SOT it wouldn’t tell you much more than “2 days of moderate use” does.
Hey Andi +1 for the review pal. I would really appreciate if i could see a comparison of Letv le1s.
Video already made and up on YouTube for a few days
Thnx bro…
Looks like a perfect gift for my father, his oukitel u8s screen cracked in one corner and it has some bright spots on the display. Anyone wants to buy a used U8?
Good review as always, although if I may I would recommend a little more lighting or and unboxing outside for a change of scenario.
i am so sorry to chose redmi note 2, over redmi note 3, because of sd-card and removal battery- i really wanted fingerprint and better screen and bigger battery
too bad…….
Redmi note 2 is an awesome phone too, the finterprint is nice, but you won’t miss it much.
I disagree kind of. You won’t miss it if you never used one, but if you have used one you will. I always find myself trying to unlock my work phone (which doesn’t have it) with my thumb on a daily basis.
Personally i don’t miss it. I’m on the OPX the lack of fingerprint scanner doesn’t bother me. I was on the OP2 before, and recently bought the Vibe X3.
It drives me crazy lol.
Anyone has info on the Siswoo r9 Darkmoon want to get my hands on It it might become my “Manga Reading” companion device. Thanks
P. S. :totally unrelated the topic 😛
I’ve been asking them about this too, and it still isnt on sale yet
Thanks
I played around with one for a few hours, I was not a fan of it. I loved the idea of it but in actual execution it just felt weird holding one in person.
If you had to choose between Yotaphone 2 and r9?
Meizu MX5.
Oky….. 😮
Nice review man.
What happened to the rating score?
I forgot it 🙁 sorry will add it now
It’s difficult to take the review as unbiased when there’s a big buy button at the end to buy it from GizChina’s shop. Should consider leaving out the buy links as you have a link to the shop in your sites navigation bar already and sans buy links would make the review more credible.
You can see just how unbiased I am with my comments on Zopo recently (the shop stocks those too)
lol , we ALL hate ZOpo , Andi :p
and especially now that they picked the greatest cheater Jorge Lorenzo as their brand spokesperson.
that kinda makes sense 😀
Yes, but surely you can see the conflict of interest as I remember this was also brought up by other readers when you first announced the shop was launching. Ultimately the sincerity of the review is compromised and new readers might question the integrity of GizChina and it’s purpose (bring you the latest news and reviews of Chinese tech or sell phones?). I hope your site can grow in both readership and quality!
Just watching your back. 😉
I can see why people might think there is a conflict of interest, but just reading my reviews should be enough to show I am being honest. For example I basically told people they were better off with the X600 in my X500 review. If I was thinking of the bottom line wouldn’t I tell people to go for the more expensive phone? More importantly the store isn’t owned or ran by me, I see very little benefit expect earlier review samples (and I still accept review samples from other stores if they can be faster OPX for example). But I do get what you mean, I guess you will just have to trust me, and the fact that a reviewer from a rival site has shown up mirroring my opinions on the phone 😉
I think shop.gizchina facilitates non-chinese smartphone lovers to import Chinese smartphone without landing in a scam, etc.
I see this in most reviews today, look at the following all of them have a link to buy the phone:
http://www.gizmochina.com/2015/12/15/xiaomi-redmi-note-3-review-the-best-budget-smartphone-redefined/
http://www.androidheadlines.com/2015/11/xiaomi-redmi-note-2-vs-redmi-note-3-whats-the-difference.html
https://www.androidpit.com/xiaomi-mi-4c-review
http://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_mi_4c-review-1328.php
Android Authority is one of the few who doesn’t offer a link and no one’s reviews are more biased than there’s. At the end of the day though a review is nothing more than one person’s opinion and should be one of many tools used when someone is considering buying something. But anyone that follows Andi regularly knows he shows no favoritism towards phones regardless of advertisers.
16GB storage and no SD card slot?
on the 2GB RAM version yes
does it have gorilla glass ?
Andi between Letv X600 and Redmi Note 3 which is better?
I have order the X600 and i make thoughts to sell it when it arrives, and order the Redmi Note 3.
What do you think?
I am also keen to hear Andi’s opinion on this, if possible :-). The Letv x600 still seems to hold its own against this new wave of phones. It appears the only real difference is the metal design and fingerprint scanner. Being a music fan I would take better audio over those. I don’t really mind the plastic design since, and this is something that doesn’t get taken into account often, most people have covers on their phones anyway. And how often do people really remove their cover. If you shop around you can get the x600 quite cheap.
A very good question. I suppose it all boils down to the fingerprint scanner and metal build. If you don’t mind either of those then the X600 is still an awesome phone. Also the X600 has better audio.
i’m also concern about the fragility of the screen. Some users report that the X600 screen it has broken after the drop of only 50 cm height. This is one more factor that i’m scared about the phone. :/
i am so sorry to chose redmi note 2, over redmi note 3, because of sd-card and removal battery- i really wanted fingerprint and better screen and bigger battery
too bad…….
Redmi note 2 is an awesome phone too, the finterprint is nice, but you won’t miss it much.
I disagree kind of. You won’t miss it if you never used one, but if you have used one you will. I always find myself trying to unlock my work phone (which doesn’t have it) with my thumb on a daily basis.
Personally i don’t miss it. I’m on the OPX the lack of fingerprint scanner doesn’t bother me. I was on the OP2 before, and recently bought the Vibe X3.
It drives me crazy lol.
Nice review man.
It’s difficult to take the review as unbiased when there’s a big buy button at the end to buy it from GizChina’s shop. Should consider leaving out the buy links as you have a link to the shop in your sites navigation bar already and sans buy links would make the review more credible.
You can see just how unbiased I am with my comments on Zopo recently (the shop stocks those too)
lol , we ALL hate ZOpo , Andi :p
Yes, but surely you can see the conflict of interest as I remember this was also brought up by other readers when you first announced the shop was launching. Ultimately the sincerity of the review is compromised and new readers might question the integrity of GizChina and it’s purpose (bring you the latest news and reviews of Chinese tech or sell phones?). I hope your site can grow in both readership and quality!
Just watching your back. 😉
I can see why people might think there is a conflict of interest, but just reading my reviews should be enough to show I am being honest. For example I basically told people they were better off with the X600 in my X500 review. If I was thinking of the bottom line wouldn’t I tell people to go for the more expensive phone? More importantly the store isn’t owned or ran by me, I see very little benefit expect earlier review samples (and I still accept review samples from other stores if they can be faster OPX for example). But I do get what you mean, I guess you will just have to trust me, and the fact that a reviewer from a rival site has shown up mirroring my opinions on the phone 😉
I see this in most reviews today, look at the following all of them have a link to buy the phone:
http://www.gizmochina.com/2015/12/15/xiaomi-redmi-note-3-review-the-best-budget-smartphone-redefined/
http://www.androidheadlines.com/2015/11/xiaomi-redmi-note-2-vs-redmi-note-3-whats-the-difference.html
https://www.androidpit.com/xiaomi-mi-4c-review
http://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_mi_4c-review-1328.php
Android Authority is one of the few who doesn’t offer a link and no one’s reviews are more biased than there’s. At the end of the day though a review is nothing more than one person’s opinion and should be one of many tools used when someone is considering buying something. But anyone that follows Andi regularly knows he shows no favoritism towards phones regardless of advertisers.
and especially now that they picked the greatest cheater Jorge Lorenzo as their brand spokesperson.
that kinda makes sense 😀
im a bit split from the review here AND the one at gzmochina (where linus totally blasted the camera to hel)
you’re saying its better for daily use while linus said its one of the worst to see in a xiaomi phone. and in the end , you say its a much worse camera … ?!
other than that , there’s no mention of the actual name of the sensor used on the mobile.
this review , if anything , served to confuse me even further ..
No I said the LeTV X500 has a worse camera. The camera on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is better than the Redmi Note 2 for sure and better than the LeTV X500 (Le1s). Yes, there are better cameras but not on phones at this price.
oh .. my bad
Muhammad, “the worst camera” were my initial thoughts based on the v. 7.0.7.0 software where a lot of images came out poor. Then I re-tested the camera with the latest software, which had to be flashed manually (not available via OTA in the EU region). My conclusion was that Redmi Note 3 has one of the best camera on a budget phone 🙂
Thanks for the update, glad we have the same conclusion 😀
yeah 😀
i see ..
Linus, how did you update? My Note 3 refuses both OTA and manual updates from v 7.0.9.0. And I can’t seem to get the phone into recovery mode.
Great review, Andi. Cheers
Hi, which is the best investment between Mi4c and Redmi Note 3? Thanks.
I was really curious about the 4000mAh battery and hoping for a better breakdown of usage, particularly screen-on time. Any chance of an update?
I can tell you that I can go through 2 days with one charge easily, and that is something most phones can not do. So yes, battery life is pretty good. I get about 5 hours of screen-on time in real-life use. Geekbench 3 battery test result in 8 hours using performance mode and about 12 hours in energy saving mode.
Great review – phone is a very attractive option at the price, but I still cannot come to peace with the fact that Chinese phones start at 5.5 inches.
I am a bit tired of stuffing 5.5 in my pocket. I keep waiting for something of the same quality, functionality and pricing, but in 5 inches. Time for Redmi 3 Xiaomi!
@Linus
It’s not a budget phone already – it’s a mid-range. Budgets are at half the price and below.
Mi4c is 5 inches.
16gb and even 32gb without sd card is useless for me, so sad because i would have bought it for sure 🙁
Redmi note 2 then?
im a bit split from the review here AND the one at gzmochina (where linus totally blasted the camera to hel)
you’re saying its better for daily use while linus said its one of the worst to see in a xiaomi phone. and in the end , you say its a much worse camera … ?!
other than that , there’s no mention of the actual name of the sensor used on the mobile.
this review , if anything , served to confuse me even further ..
No I said the LeTV X500 has a worse camera. The camera on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is better than the Redmi Note 2 for sure and better than the LeTV X500 (Le1s). Yes, there are better cameras but not on phones at this price.
Muhammad, “the worst camera” were my initial thoughts based on the v. 7.0.7.0 software where a lot of images came out poor. Then I re-tested the camera with the latest software, which had to be flashed manually (not available via OTA in the EU region). My conclusion was that Redmi Note 3 has one of the best camera on a budget phone 🙂
Thanks for the update, glad we have the same conclusion 😀
i see ..
oh .. my bad
yeah 😀
Linus, how did you update? My Note 3 refuses both OTA and manual updates from v 7.0.9.0. And I can’t seem to get the phone into recovery mode.
Hi Andi, which is better Mi4c or Note 3?
Mi4c
Thanks for the quick response, I think I’ll get the 4c. Cheers!
Thanks Andi. It was the question I wanted to ask as well. I already have an mi4c and was going to sell it to buy the note 3. But the mi4c is very nice in every dept.
yup, Mi4c is a really good phone
vs OP-X?
hmm I have all 3, but use the OPX as my daily phone now if that answers your question
Did you ever get a hold of a Gionee E8?
I did, and a review should be out next week’s end 🙂
Let’s hope it actually comes out unlike the last Gionee you reviewed…..
Haha, let’s keep our fingers crossed ?
Haha just giving you crap, look forward to seeing if the camera lives up to the expectations set by the E7.
Don’t buy it
Great review, Andi. Cheers
Hi, which is the best investment between Mi4c and Redmi Note 3? Thanks.
hi there, i recently got this device as a gift , which one is sim 1 and sim 2? does this device support micro sd expansion?
sim1 is the one that goes deeper.
no SD card for this model, only the pervious model (Note 2) supported sd cards.
as for scratches, it’s pretty common with any metal built phones and that’s why I’m not a big fan of metal.
It’s true that metal phones look more premium but it’s also true that they are heavier and more subject to scratches and denting (and when this happens then the phone doesn’t look as premium as before).
Is it not labeled? The SIM tray in my Mi4c is numbered.
it is
I was really curious about the 4000mAh battery and hoping for a better breakdown of usage, particularly screen-on time. Any chance of an update?
I can tell you that I can go through 2 days with one charge easily, and that is something most phones can not do. So yes, battery life is pretty good. I get about 5 hours of screen-on time in real-life use. Geekbench 3 battery test result in 8 hours using performance mode and about 12 hours in energy saving mode.
Great review – phone is a very attractive option at the price, but I still cannot come to peace with the fact that Chinese phones start at 5.5 inches.
I am a bit tired of stuffing 5.5 in my pocket. I keep waiting for something of the same quality, functionality and pricing, but in 5 inches. Time for Redmi 3 Xiaomi!
@Linus
It’s not a budget phone already – it’s a mid-range. Budgets are at half the price and below.
Mi4c is 5 inches.
16gb and even 32gb without sd card is useless for me, so sad because i would have bought it for sure 🙁
Redmi note 2 then?
Hi Andi, which is better Mi4c or Note 3?
Mi4c
Thanks for the quick response, I think I’ll get the 4c. Cheers!
Thanks Andi. It was the question I wanted to ask as well. I already have an mi4c and was going to sell it to buy the note 3. But the mi4c is very nice in every dept.
vs OP-X?
hmm I have all 3, but use the OPX as my daily phone now if that answers your question
yup, Mi4c is a really good phone
Did you ever get a hold of a Gionee E8?
I did, and a review should be out next week’s end 🙂
Don’t buy it
Let’s hope it actually comes out unlike the last Gionee you reviewed…..
Haha, let’s keep our fingers crossed 🙈
Haha just giving you crap, look forward to seeing if the camera lives up to the expectations set by the E7.
hi there, i recently got this device as a gift , which one is sim 1 and sim 2? does this device support micro sd expansion? + this device scratched so easily, under 12h usage the back got scratched
sim1 is the one that goes deeper.
no SD card for this model, only the pervious model (Note 2) supported sd cards.
as for scratches, it’s pretty common with any metal built phones and that’s why I’m not a big fan of metal.
It’s true that metal phones look more premium but it’s also true that they are heavier and more subject to scratches and denting (and when this happens then the phone doesn’t look as premium as before).
Is it not labeled? The SIM tray in my Mi4c is numbered.
it is
Hi Andi, Is redmi note 2 prime with miui 7 as good as redmi note 3? Camera is not a major concern. I live in India. From where I can buy redmi note 2 prime?
Redmi Note 2 is a fine phone 😀
but note 2 lacks fingerprint scanner so wait for note 3 & note 2 prime is coming to india after note 3
Hi Andi, Is redmi note 2 prime with miui 7 as good as redmi note 3? Camera is not a major concern. I live in India. From where I can buy redmi note 2 prime?
Redmi Note 2 is a fine phone 😀
but note 2 lacks fingerprint scanner so wait for note 3 & note 2 prime is coming to india after note 3
mmmmm Still waiting for a proper upgrade for my trusty Mi2S … none of the latest Xiaomi device feel like premium devices compared to the competition.
the Mi 2s is a tough phone to let go of (speaking from experience) 😀
So wait.. the top and bottom parts are plastic? That sucks!
By the way, how come the MI logo is red in the fourth picture? The pic above “Turning the phone over to the rear is where we see….”
Photo was taken while the sun was setting, its just a reflection of the red sky
mmmmm Still waiting for a proper upgrade for my trusty Mi2S … none of the latest Xiaomi device feel like premium devices compared to the competition.
the Mi 2s is a tough phone to let go of (speaking from experience) 😀
So which phone is better? the redminote 3 or the oneplus one? I’d rather not have the oneplus two because the battery seems to be worser than the oneplus one.
So wait.. the top and bottom parts are plastic? That sucks!
By the way, how come the MI logo is red in the fourth picture? The pic above “Turning the phone over to the rear is where we see….”
Photo was taken while the sun was setting, its just a reflection of the red sky
So which phone is better? the redminote 3 or the oneplus one? I’d rather not have the oneplus two because the battery seems to be worser than the oneplus one.
And my question disregards the battery size. So looking more at performance and camera. Its difficult to find a good comparison on the two.
Is there a compile list on this site that shows which phones would work with U.S. Carriers?
You can select phones by the supported bands on Kimovil
Is there a compile list on this site that shows which phones would work with U.S. Carriers?
You can select phones by the supported bands on Kimovil
Great looking phone with really good hardware shame that there is no band 20 LTE FDD support so no good for UK, most of Europe. Looks like the Elephone P9000 is the phone to get for Europe.
Great looking phone with really good hardware shame that there is no band 20 LTE FDD support so no good for UK, most of Europe. Looks like the Elephone P9000 is the phone to get for Europe.
Пошли в продажу уже по 140$ на aliexpress!!!
http://mygip.ru/xiaomi-redmi-3/
Пошли в продажу уже по 140$ на aliexpress!!!
http://mygip.ru/xiaomi-redmi-3/
superb phone ….but any idea when its launch in india?
superb phone ….but any idea when its launch in india?
Great device, but my friend faced heating issues. But the camera is superb! I must say
It has way better camera than the shitty non-optimized Elephone camera right? haha
Great device, but my friend faced heating issues. But the camera is superb! I must say
It has way better camera than the shitty non-optimized Elephone camera right? haha