Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Unboxing & Hands On!

I really couldn’t be more excited about testing out the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (well, maybe if I was testing the Lenovo Z2 Plus) as the Redmi Note series has always been a perfect union of price and specifications.

We here at GizChina are a little late to the Redmi Note 4 party, but we hope this first impressions article will hold you over until the review drops.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Specifications:

MediaTek MT6797 Helio X20 chipset; 2x Cortex-A72 + 4x A53 + 4x A53
5.5″ 1920×1080 IPS LCD Display

2/3GB RAM, 16/64GB ROM
MIUI8 running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow
13 megapixel rear camera, f/2.0 PDAF, 5 megapixel front camera, f/2.0
4100mAh Battery, Fingerprint Sensor, Dual SIM
2G: GSM 900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100MHz
4G: FDD-LTE 850/900/1800/2100/2600MHz
175g, 15.10 x 7.60 x 0.70 cm

Packaging

The phone comes in a pretty standard and recognizeable white box with the name and photo of the Redmi Note 4 emblazoned across the box. Opening it up and you find the phone itself resting on top and the rather spartan accessories below the phone. We only see a manual, a charger, and a SIM slot pin and nothing else, which is understandable considering the price.

The phone itself comes wrapped in plastic and a preinstalled screen protector. The metal body lends itself to an extremely good first impression, I was definitely wowed by how good the device felt in my hand. I will say though that the number of phones with great build quality and feel has increased considerably this past year, so good build quality is somewhat less or a selling point.

The Phone

The phone isn’t small, so its still a little awkward for me to use as I have small hands. I was hoping for minimized or non existent bezels as seen on the Ulefone Future, but the phone size is pretty standard for a 5.5″ device.

Software

Turning on the phone and MIUI8 boots up with an OTA right out of the gate and this was the first thing I did. After the update, I started playing around with it, and as I expected, there was no Google Play or any Google services installed. Installing it is quite simple, you can follow the instructions here to install Google Play on your Xiaomi Redmi Note 4.

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While Google apps were installing in the background, I explored the phone further and found quite a few pre-installed chinese apps, some were uninstallable, and some were not, taking up some space on the device.

Navigation through the device is incredibly quick and fluid, there is absolutely no lag time between the finger tap and the associated action. However, new devices are usually fast and fluid, so I’ll have to use it more to see if it slows down.

After using MIUI7 on my Redmi 3 for a while, I’ve actually come to dislike it more and more. The colour palette and lack of app drawer really irk me, and so after Google Play was installed, I immediately got NOVA launcher on there.

Additional Thoughts

I’ve had a pretty good first impression regarding the Redmi Note 4, and here are a few more comments about certain aspects of the Redmi Note 4:

It is still using a MicroUSB port instead of USB-C. I was hoping for a USB-C port as my tablet (Xiaomi Mi Pad 2) and my laptop (Jumper EZBook Air) both use USB-C.
The screen quality is pretty good. A little hard to tell when MIUI’s colours are so muted, but easier when watching a colourful video or webpage.
Speaker quality is about the same as my Redmi 3 in terms of loudness and quality, there is a little crackling though.
Battery life is obivously incredible. It so far matches up to my Redmi 3 in the short time I’ve been using it.

I get LTE/4G when using the Redmi Note 4, GPS and Bluetooth also work normally.
The camera is a lot better than what I have on my Redmi 3, but seeing samples from other devices, I was expecting a little better.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4: Final Thoughts

To conclude this article, I have a really good feeling about this device. I can’t foresee any major downsides apart from my preference for smaller devices, but that’s opinion based and therefore is going to be different for everyone. Stay tuned for the full review that should be coming soon. Big thanks to Gearbest for sending out this unit to us at Gizchina, the link is below if you are thinking of purchasing this device, but again, I highly recommend waiting for the full review before making your decision. Good things come to those who wait.

You can buy the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 here from Gearbest starting at $170.

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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

Zi Jin Cheng
Just a guy incredibly passionate about technology, so much so that he started his own Youtube channel, check it out here!
www.youtube.com/c/zireviewstech

- October 5, 2016
  Oh man I didn’t realize that something like this existed, thanks for bringing it to my attention!
- Zi Jin Cheng
  October 5, 2016
  Oh wow did not know this, thanks for bringing it to my attention! Will have to root and install xposed at some point
- Simon
  October 5, 2016
- - - Muhammad Yasir
      October 7, 2016

PietroSoft
October 5, 2016
The RN4 its an amazing device.Awesome design, and awesome hardware. It only needs an Snapdragon and a little better camera.
- October 6, 2016
  Well we just have to wait for the indian version to be released, then we can buy it. I wonder what chipset the RN4P will use though, I can’t imagine it using the 652 again.
- Thanks Linus!
- Muhammad Yasir
  October 6, 2016
  lol @disqus_zVM1xgVozO:disqus has already declared redmi note 4 cams to be one of the BEST for the price
  - October 6, 2016
    Fair enough, Linus is a highly respected reviewer of these devices. Maybe I’m just expecting too much from Xiaomi
    - Muhammad Yasir
      October 6, 2016

Nikos Niachos
October 5, 2016
“The camera is a lot better than what I have on my Redmi 3, but seeing samples from other devices, I was expecting a little better.” Which are these devices?? And please compare the camera with xiaomi redmi note 3 pro
- Nope not at all. Just troublesome
- Guest
  October 7, 2016
  hmm … if i get a phone soon i will ask you soon
Guest
October 5, 2016
The RN4 its an amazing device.Awesome design, and awesome hardware. It only needs an Snapdragon and a little better camera.
- Zi Jin Cheng
  October 6, 2016
  Well we just have to wait for the indian version to be released, then we can buy it. I wonder what chipset the RN4P will use though, I can’t imagine it using the 652 again.
- Guest
  October 6, 2016
- Thanks Linus!
- Guest
  October 6, 2016
  lol @disqus_zVM1xgVozO:disqus has already declared redmi note 4 cams to be one of the BEST for the price
- Zi Jin Cheng
  October 6, 2016
  Fair enough, Linus is a highly respected reviewer of these devices. Maybe I’m just expecting too much from Xiaomi
- Guest
  October 6, 2016
Nikos Niachos
October 5, 2016
“The camera is a lot better than what I have on my Redmi 3, but seeing samples from other devices, I was expecting a little better.” Which are these devices?? And please compare the camera with xiaomi redmi note 3 pro
- Zi Jin Cheng
  October 6, 2016

MattD
October 5, 2016
“a little late on the rn4 party”?! Dude, I am disappointed to even see this news!
Do you really think an hands-on of a low cost phone which created the usual xiaomi buzz is something gizchina’s reader would be interested in?!
Delete this and go back to uhans riding nokia’s d*ck and elephone showing its next flagship 1cm per pic for the whole length of the phone… That’s what we come here for!
BS aside, it’s nice to finally see a review of such devices here, we’ve been lacking reviews of real upper-midranger (well, we’ve been lacking reviews in general, but I was growing particularly tired of so-called “mt6753 flagships”)
- October 6, 2016
  Wow, that first 2 paragraphs shocked me, then I was like…. oh LOL.
  And yes, MTK6753s are no longer flagships, my friend just asked me whether his buddy should buy a P8000 over the Mi4c or Zuk Z2….

G'n'T
October 6, 2016
It is great to see a review here of a decent device. Is there any chance you will do a review of the Redmi Pro as well?
- October 6, 2016
  I don’t see myself reviewing the Redmi Pro anytime soon, but there is a chance others from the site might.
piotr c
October 6, 2016
- - - October 7, 2016
      I’ve been trying to take the best photos I can and they still don’t match up to the Redmi Pro

MattD
October 6, 2016
“a little late on the rn4 party”?! Dude, I am disappointed to even see this news!
Do you really think an hands-on of a low cost phone which created the usual xiaomi buzz is something gizchina’s reader would be interested in?!
Delete this and go back to uhans riding nokia’s d*ck and elephone showing its next flagship 1cm per pic for the whole length of the phone… That’s what we come here for!
BS aside, it’s nice to finally see a review of such devices here, we’ve been lacking reviews of real upper-midranger (well, we’ve been lacking reviews in general, but I was growing particularly tired of so-called “mt6753 flagships”)
- Zi Jin Cheng
  October 6, 2016
  Wow, that first 2 paragraphs shocked me, then I was like…. oh LOL.
  And yes, MTK6753s are no longer flagships, my friend just asked me whether his buddy should buy a P8000 over the Mi4c or Zuk Z2….

Boyan
October 6, 2016
2 SIM or 1 SIM + 1 TF? C`mon Mi, is it really that hard to leave all 3 slots there? I need them and you are not getting my money.
G'n'T
October 6, 2016
It is great to see a review here of a decent device. Is there any chance you will do a review of the Redmi Pro as well?
- Zi Jin Cheng
  October 6, 2016
  I don’t see myself reviewing the Redmi Pro anytime soon, but there is a chance others from the site might.

piotr c
October 6, 2016
- Zi Jin Cheng
  October 6, 2016
  Those are definitely some nice photos, those are all in perfect lighting conditions though. Also check out the photos from the Redmi Pro, I like them a lot.
- redmi Pro
- Zi Jin Cheng
  October 7, 2016
  I’ve been trying to take the best photos I can and they still don’t match up to the Redmi Pro
Boyan
October 6, 2016
2 SIM or 1 SIM + 1 TF? C`mon Mi, is it really that hard to leave all 3 slots there? I need them and you are not getting my money.
- Zi Jin Cheng
  October 6, 2016

Ivan
October 6, 2016
Where are the specs? This is a substantial part of any review/hands on/preview/whatever.
I know we could look them up, but I think it is normal to include some tech data here.
Guest
October 6, 2016
Where are the specs? This is a substantial part of any review/hands on/preview/whatever.
I know we could look them up, but I think it is normal to include some tech data here.
- Zi Jin Cheng
  October 7, 2016

Felix Muchiri
October 7, 2016
hi guys, am torn between two phones and I need assistance picking one, the redmi note3 pro 2GB/16GB version or UMI touch model with /16GB/ 3GB, 1.3ghz mtk 6753 occtacore. I am a gamer by heart, huge battery and up to date software is what i look for. my gut tells me I should go for the redmi note but it’s 35$ more expensive from my local dealer and 2GB RAM seems little for a phone to last me 1 year., while the umi sits perfectly on my budget, also the umi boots android 6 while the RN3 boots 5.1, am a lower budget shoper, my curent driver is the homton ht7 pro with 2GB/16GB,1GHz mtk 6735p, and so wish to upgrade. which do you think I should pick?. I don’t want to get frustrated soon
- October 7, 2016
  100% the Redmi Note. The Umi Touch is outdated. However, if you really don’t want to spend that extra $30 on the Note, the UMi Max is about the same price as the Touch I believe.
Gareth
October 7, 2016
Really interested in this phone, really a toss up between this and the Note 3 Pro. With the Note 3 Pro, you’ve got the advantage of all of the custom ROM development. But with the Note 4 you’ve got a nicer build/finish. Interested to see how it holds up in terms of performance and battery in general use after apps are installed.
- October 7, 2016
  Still nothing deal breaking as far as testing goes. If you already have a Note 3 Pro, there’s not really a reason to upgrade. However if you’re choosing between those two, it’s a slimmer difference than one might think.
  - Gareth
    October 7, 2016
    Great thanks, will keep an eye out for your full review, I think I’ve watched everything else there currently is on youtube! I currently have a Galaxy S7 which I am considering selling, the only thing that i’ll really miss would be the camera as its pretty much unbeatable, the rest of it is great, but the Note 4 just looks really good value. I had a few bigger phones previously (oneplus one, Infocus M810) and as good as the Samsung screen is, a 1080p 5.5″ display is the next best thing, or better if you’re not fussed about pixel counts or VR. The 64GB model along with the 4100mah battery are also great advantages.
    - October 7, 2016
      And I’m guessing the reason you want to switch to this is purely because of battery life? Because that’s the only part of this device that far outpaces the S7 (well and price).
      That’s the issue with any high end phone you purchase (except for the S7 Edge), battery life sucks.
      - Gareth
        October 7, 2016
        Battery life actually isnt too bad for me, I have the Exynos model which is supposedly better than the Snapdragon model. I generally get a days usage with between 4-5hrs SOT. It was good to see Samsung up the battery size from the S6 as that was really the only let down with it. But yeah the bigger the battery the better, having more juice is always appreciated and its one area that a lot of the chinese manufacturers have really pushed ahead in, where other big name manufacturers currently offer around the 3000mah capacity the likes of the note 4 cant be beat.
        
        October 7, 2016
        I honestly can’t recommend the Note 4 over the S7 unless you need the cash. Even though the S7 represents way worse value for money than the Note 4, it is objectively a better phone
        
        Gareth
        October 7, 2016
        Yes fully accept that overall it is a downgrade, no doubt and considering doing so, purely to free up some cash. But on the plus side I would be gaining a bigger battery, bigger screen, more internal storage (64gb model) , IR blaster, extra sim slot, what seems like a better finger print reader but losing water and dust resistance, wireless charging (I don’t use it), great camera which would be the biggest sacrifice. I’m not a big gamer so as long as general things run smoothly all would be good.
        What do you reckon the chances are of getting android 7.0 from xiaomi?
        October 7, 2016
        I understand. Even though the biggest difference in any aspect of those two phones is the camera, unless the camera is super important to you, it takes pictures just fine. Imagine the S7’s camera as Messi and the Note 4’s camera as Smalling. Still amazing, but not the very best.
        Slim to none for Nougat.
        Gareth
        October 7, 2016

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4: Unboxing, Hands On & First Impressions!