Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 spotted with Snapdragon 808

Chinese Xiaomi fans will soon have the option to buy the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 with Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset.

New details from TENAA in China have revealed an updated version of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 which has had the Mediatek Helio X10 processor replaced with a Snapdragon 808 chipset.

The details confirm this new version of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 will feature the same alloy body, rear fingerprint scanner and even come in the same three colour options (gold, sliver and grey) as the current Mediatek versions.

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Best of all is that TENAA lists the phone with support for WCDMA and FDD LTE network support meaning that the Snapdragon 808 version of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 could be sold through resellers to international customers.

One benefit of a Qualcomm powered Redmi Note 3 might be an unlocked boot loader on the phone. Customers buying the current Mediatek version have been disappointed to realise their phones do not have an unlocked boot loader.

If you had the choice between a Mediatek or Qualcomm powered Redmi note 3 which would you choose?

Read our Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 review here.

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

About the author
Andi

ofc majority may go with 808 …
but depends on price difference

MaxPower
December 28, 2015
i was very surprised to read on Yash post that the Note3 had the bootloader locked and there was no option to get into the recovery.
So is this a Mediatek issue?
if so then they better fix it soon otherwise they won’t have any chance outside china.
A Note3 with SD808 can also sell in India, and I’m expecting huge numbers here.
If i have the choice between the 2 SoCs at the same price I would probably go for the Snapdragon version due to its big.LITTLE configuration that might help with power management. otherwise the 2 Socs are pretty much comparable.
- Lazar Prodanovic
  December 28, 2015
  You ask for a unlock code on a official website & they send it to you, naturally warenty is void if you unlock boot loader.
  In couple of months their will even be a generator for codes so that you can go unofficial. It’s even possible to lock boot loader back if you wish (with ADB) but message will be different so they will know it whose been unlocked.
  Bootloader state doesn’t have anything to do with a preferred choice of SoC. It’s a company’s policy.
  MTK also have a core pilot that is a pandan of big litle or a cluster governor to call it like that.
  Best regards.
  - MaxPower
    December 28, 2015
    knowing that you are an expert of SoC, then my question is:
    if you had the choice to pick one or the other at the same price which one would you pick and for what reasons?
    - Lazar Prodanovic
      December 28, 2015
      Would pick a QC even I don’t like S808 all that much. Reasons: open stock (CAF) insurance of longevity suport, better cellular radio (meaning better battery life out of WiFi connection).
      Their is also one advantage of the X10 over S808 & that is a better multitasking even S808 is faster in running apps.
      Actuality now when it’s almost at the brick of down I would wait for S652 powered models & already have my favorite (if they don’t fuck up something) it’s gonna be a Alcatel Idol 4 as Idol 3 5.5 whose a fantastic phone. I like in country service & TCL behind the Alcatel, I also like a quality built in stereo speakers & I guess JLB’s in ear earphones will be good for a most folks (at least they are better then other garbage you get with a phone). Still we need to see would Idol 4 be at least good as Idol 3 5.5.
  - MaxPower
    December 28, 2015
    let’s say something goes wrong with the software and you need to get into recovery, or let’s say you want to do a factory reset for any reasons… you ask for a code and then your phone is out of warranty?
    don’t you think this is silly?
    why the same company would adopt for a locked bootloader policy on their MTK variant and do differently for the exact same phone just with a different SoC?
    help me understand this please.
    - Lazar Prodanovic
      December 28, 2015
      When I say it’s a company’s policy then I mean that all future models will come with it.
      You have access to the stock recovery with locked boot loader & you still can get a firmware & flash it manually from internal storage or SD card. ADB will work one side (to read or extract thing out of the phone).
      This is nothing new in to practice of manufacturers.
      - MaxPower
        December 28, 2015
        then you probably missed the article of Yash Garg about the Note3 bug related to child mode and he couldn’t get into recovery due to an unlocked bootloader.
        Lazar Prodanovic
        December 28, 2015
        With unlocked boot loader it’s not of a much problem if their is a costume one to flash.
K-Paxian
December 28, 2015
that could be an indian version..!
Guaire
December 28, 2015
That probably is Xiaomi Kenzo.

mickeymau
December 28, 2015
I can assure you that 99% of Xioami buyer don’t even know what a bootloader is…They care even less if it’s locked or not. What Xioami buyer care more is the price and features offered.
- Karly Johnston
  December 30, 2015
  I can assure you 90% of the people that import Xiaomi knows what a bootloader is.
realjjj
December 28, 2015
No way that’s SD808, it’s SD650. Nice and all but too many versions for Redmi Note in just a few months.
- Steven Fox
  December 29, 2015
  That would be even better, as thr SD 650 will be better than the 808 in almost every way. I’m down with buying an SD 650 3GB Ram phone even if it costs 280$!
  - realjjj
    December 29, 2015
    Yes it would be better and cheaper,that’s why no way it’s 808, 808 makes no sense anymore.
    It is likely however with just 2GB of RAM, there was a Xiaomi kenzo that showed up in Geekbench with SD650 and just 2GB and it’s likely this device. 2GB is not ideal,especially now when DRAM is cheap. Hopefully the price is 200$ or less.
    - Steven Fox
      December 29, 2015
      No problem with just 2GB of RAM. Have a 3GB device now and most of the time 1.5 GB of more is free anyway.
      - Karly Johnston
        December 30, 2015
    - Karly Johnston
      December 30, 2015
      The 808 has a better gpu than the 650 so it still remains higher on the food chain. It also has 20nm fab vs 28nm which means better power efficiency.
      - realjjj
        December 30, 2015
        Except it’s broken and everything throttles hard, including the GPU, nobody should buy a device with it. Being on 20nm and with extras that matter less to the user is a disadvantage vs 650 because it just costs more.
        28nm is as mature as it gets and many foundries offer it so pricing is rather good.
        Karly Johnston
        December 30, 2015
        You are forgetting the 615 was made on the same fab and was a laggy overheating pos. You also confuse the 808 with the 810. It didn’t throttle and is a solid option for upper mid-range phones. The 650 is unkown how it will perform in real world usage and QC will undoubtedly do something to cripple it to keep it a budget chip.
        
        realjjj
        December 31, 2015
        I am not confusing anything, you just got lost in marketing. SD808 throttles hard.
        Yes the 615 is a PoS too but the 650 is very different from 615 and 808 and there is no indication so far that the 650 has problems.
        The 650 is likely to be clocked at just 1.7GHz, slightly bellow the 1.8 GHz for the 652 even if it’s listed at 1.8 for now.
        Here a few links showing how 808 behaves under load
        Scroll down to the Sustained perf section http://www.anandtech.com/show/9742/the-google-nexus-5x-review/3
        Scroll down to Device Thermals section and check out the 2 devices with 808 http://www.anandtech.com/show/9820/the-google-nexus-6p-review/4
        And GPU behavior (granted it doesn’t drop by 50% like some high end SoCs but it’s bad enough) http://images.anandtech.com/doci/9742/yryrsanhai.PNG
        
        Karly Johnston
        December 31, 2015
        This breaks it down, 808 throttles less than both 810 and 7420.
        For continuous use under load, the 808 was the most stable chipset of 2015.
        realjjj
        December 31, 2015
        lol you must own a device with 808, way too desperate to defend it no matter what.
        i’ve tried to help you get informed but there is no point . so spend your money as you wish.
        Karly Johnston
        December 31, 2015
        Believe what you want, I am looking to see how the Cortex A72s will perform in real world use.

- King
  December 28, 2015
  Now the launch dates need to be announced. Won’t be surprised if it is going to Jan 4 or 5.
- Levi Smith
  December 28, 2015
  Even at this time, 808 is too much of a flagship SoC to be put in a Redmi device, which are targeted more as an affordable lineup. And seeing Xiaomi’s current “love” for India, I highly doubt this would come here anytime soon. But the hope’s still there. Oh, be still my heart…

Christopher Straßer
December 28, 2015
Why should it come with an unlocked bootloader? It’s not Mediatek’s fault after all. Xiaomi claims this has been done to further enhance security of the data stored on the phone, so I expect all future Xiaomi devices to come with a locked bootloader. Anyway, unlocking it is fairly easy and there is an official way to do it, so anyone in the need of an unlocked bootloader won’t have any issues unlocking it.
- MaxPower
  December 28, 2015

Owsley_66
December 28, 2015
WCDMA means the U.S. If this turns out to be true, then phone could be used with any carrier in the U.S., ATT& T-mobile or Verizon & Sprint. Like the Nexus 6P.
Since I cracked my screen and know I will never see the Ubik Uno that I crowd funded on Kickstarter, I need a phone. Was looking at the 6P but so expensive, and then the P9000 but a phone like this purported Note 3 would solve a big problem for me. Hope more specs come out soon.
vijay sud
December 28, 2015
This is good news for India..as Yash surmises, surely Xiaomi is eyeing India with this..now only for addition of Sd. Expansion slot. (Mah wishful thinking guys !) Surely Lenovo Note K4 is in Xiaomi Gun sight.
- Owsley_66
  December 28, 2015
  - tony
    December 29, 2015
    even in india we have wcdma!!
  - Karly Johnston
    December 30, 2015
    No China phone will ever work with Sprint or Verizon. That should be well known fact by now.
Ruby
December 28, 2015
Now, if only Xiaomi can sell this SD808 based model for around $200, it will be the hottest selling smartphone anywhere!
- Steven Fox
  December 29, 2015
  Yeah, everyone and their dog will get one. I doubt that it will sell for less than the Mi4c though.

Guest
December 28, 2015
ofc majority may go with 808 …
but depends on price difference

MaxPower
December 28, 2015
i was very surprised to read on Yash post that the Note3 had the bootloader locked and there was no option to get into the recovery.
So is this a Mediatek issue?
if so then they better fix it soon otherwise they won’t have any chance outside china.
A Note3 with SD808 can also sell in India, and I’m expecting huge numbers here.
If i have the choice between the 2 SoCs at the same price I would probably go for the Snapdragon version due to its big.LITTLE configuration that might help with power management. otherwise the 2 Socs are pretty much comparable.
- Lazar Prodanovic
  December 28, 2015
  You ask for a unlock code on a official website & they send it to you, naturally warenty is void if you unlock boot loader.
  In couple of months their will even be a generator for codes so that you can go unofficial. It’s even possible to lock boot loader back if you wish (with ADB) but message will be different so they will know it whose been unlocked.
  Bootloader state doesn’t have anything to do with a preferred choice of SoC. It’s a company’s policy.
  MTK also have a core pilot that is a pandan of big litle or a cluster governor to call it like that.
  Best regards.
- MaxPower
  December 28, 2015
  knowing that you are an expert of SoC, then my question is:
  if you had the choice to pick one or the other at the same price which one would you pick and for what reasons?
- MaxPower
  December 28, 2015
  let’s say something goes wrong with the software and you need to get into recovery, or let’s say you want to do a factory reset for any reasons… you ask for a code and then your phone is out of warranty?
  don’t you think this is silly?
  why the same company would adopt for a locked bootloader policy on their MTK variant and do differently for the exact same phone just with a different SoC?
  help me understand this please.
- Lazar Prodanovic
  December 28, 2015
  When I say it’s a company’s policy then I mean that all future models will come with it.
  You have access to the stock recovery with locked boot loader & you still can get a firmware & flash it manually from internal storage or SD card. ADB will work one side (to read or extract thing out of the phone).
  This is nothing new in to practice of manufacturers.
- MaxPower
  December 28, 2015
  then you probably missed the article of Yash Garg about the Note3 bug related to child mode and he couldn’t get into recovery due to an unlocked bootloader.
  http://www.gizchina.com/2015/12/23/how-to-fix-xiaomi-redmi-note-3-child-mode-stuck/
  “…there’s no access to recovery on the Redmi Note 3 by default”
  in the comment section Christopher Straßer wrote:
  “You need to unlock the Bootloader to access”
- Lazar Prodanovic
  December 28, 2015
  With unlocked boot loader it’s not of a much problem if their is a costume one to flash.
- Lazar Prodanovic
  December 28, 2015
  Would pick a QC even I don’t like S808 all that much. Reasons: open stock (CAF) insurance of longevity suport, better cellular radio (meaning better battery life out of WiFi connection).
  Their is also one advantage of the X10 over S808 & that is a better multitasking even S808 is faster in running apps.
  Actuality now when it’s almost at the brick of down I would wait for S652 powered models & already have my favorite (if they don’t fuck up something) it’s gonna be a Alcatel Idol 4 as Idol 3 5.5″ whose a fantastic phone. I like in country services & TCL behind the Alcatel, I also like a quality built in stereo speakers & I guess JLB’s in ear earphones will be good for a most folks (at least they are better then other garbage you get with a phone). Still we need to see would Idol 4 be at least good as Idol 3 5.5″.

K-Paxian
December 28, 2015
that could be an indian version..!
Guaire
December 28, 2015
That probably is Xiaomi Kenzo.
Guest
December 28, 2015
I can assure you that 99% of Xioami buyer don’t even know what a bootloader is…They care even less if it’s locked or not. What Xioami buyer care more is the price and features offered.
- Karly Johnston
  December 30, 2015
  I can assure you 90% of the people that import Xiaomi knows what a bootloader is.

realjjj
December 28, 2015
No way that’s SD808, it’s SD650. Nice and all but too many versions for Redmi Note in just a few months.
- Steven Fox
  December 29, 2015
  That would be even better, as thr SD 650 will be better than the 808 in almost every way. I’m down with buying an SD 650 3GB Ram phone even if it costs 280$!
- realjjj
  December 29, 2015
  Yes it would be better and cheaper,that’s why no way it’s 808, 808 makes no sense anymore.
  It is likely however with just 2GB of RAM, there was a Xiaomi kenzo that showed up in Geekbench with SD650 and just 2GB and it’s likely this device. 2GB is not ideal,especially now when DRAM is cheap. Hopefully the price is 200$ or less.
- Steven Fox
  December 29, 2015
  No problem with just 2GB of RAM. Have a 3GB device now and most of the time 1.5 GB of more is free anyway.
- Karly Johnston
  December 30, 2015
  The 808 has a better gpu than the 650 so it still remains higher on the food chain. It also has 20nm fab vs 28nm which means better power efficiency.
- Karly Johnston
  December 30, 2015
  On a 2GB MIUI device you are lucky to have 800MB free at startup.
- realjjj
  December 30, 2015
  Except it’s broken and everything throttles hard, including the GPU, nobody should buy a device with it. Being on 20nm and with extras that matter less to the user is a disadvantage vs 650 because it just costs more.
  28nm is as mature as it gets and many foundries offer it so pricing is rather good.
  808 is a defective midranger and that’s that.
  Here look at 808 vs a functional SoC, the results range for 808 is just ridiculous
  http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/chart?q=model%3A%22Xiaomi+Mi-4c%22
  http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/chart?q=model%3A%22Xiaomi+Redmi+Note+3%22
- Karly Johnston
  December 30, 2015
  You are forgetting the 615 was made on the same fab and was a laggy overheating pos. You also confuse the 808 with the 810. It didn’t throttle and is a solid option for upper mid-range phones. The 650 is unkown how it will perform in real world usage and QC will undoubtedly do something to cripple it to keep it a budget chip.
- realjjj
  December 31, 2015
  I am not confusing anything, you just got lost in marketing. SD808 throttles hard.
  Yes the 615 is a PoS too but the 650 is very different from 615 and 808 and there is no indication so far that the 650 has problems.
  The 650 is likely to be clocked at just 1.7GHz, slightly bellow the 1.8 GHz for the 652 even if it’s listed at 1.8 for now.
  Here a few links showing how 808 behaves under load
  Scroll down to the Sustained perf section http://www.anandtech.com/show/9742/the-google-nexus-5x-review/3
  Scroll down to Device Thermals section and check out the 2 devices with 808 ( only 2 cores are loaded for all the SoCs there) http://www.anandtech.com/show/9820/the-google-nexus-6p-review/4
  And GPU behavior (granted it doesn’t drop by 50% like some high end SoCs but it’s bad enough)
- realjjj
  December 31, 2015
  While at it , you can also look at this and note the wattage for the SD801 since it’s likely very similar to what SD65x gets (just a bit updated vs 801) http://www.anandtech.com/show/9330/exynos-7420-deep-dive/7
- Karly Johnston
  December 31, 2015
  This breaks it down, 808 throttles less than both 810 and 7420.
  For continuous use under load, the 808 was the most stable chipset of 2015.
- realjjj
  December 31, 2015
  lol you must own a device with 808, way too desperate to defend it no matter what.
  i’ve tried to help you get informed but there is no point . so spend your money as you wish.
- Karly Johnston
  December 31, 2015
  Believe what you want, I am looking to see how the Cortex A72s will perform in real world use.
Yash Garg
December 28, 2015
- illystor
  December 28, 2015
  That would make the most sense, to me, since, as I understand it, the legal troubles with Ericsson that a lot of manufacturers have encountered in India have come about through the use of MediaTek chipsets.
- Yash Garg
  December 28, 2015
  Exactly my point.
- King
  December 28, 2015
  Now the launch dates need to be announced. Won’t be surprised if it is going to Jan 4 or 5.
- DarthBatman
  December 28, 2015
  Even at this time, 808 is too much of a flagship SoC to be put in a Redmi device, which are targeted more as an affordable lineup. And seeing Xiaomi’s current “love” for India, I highly doubt this would come here anytime soon. But the hope’s still there. Oh, be still my heart…
Christopher Straßer
December 28, 2015
Why should it come with an unlocked bootloader? It’s not Mediatek’s fault after all. Xiaomi claims this has been done to further enhance security of the data stored on the phone, so I expect all future Xiaomi devices to come with a locked bootloader. Anyway, unlocking it is fairly easy and there is an official way to do it, so anyone in the need of an unlocked bootloader won’t have any issues unlocking it.
- MaxPower
  December 28, 2015
  what about warranty?
  will this void the phone warranty?
- Christopher Straßer
  December 28, 2015

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