Xiaomi Redmi Note 4

The budget king, Xiaomi, brings the upgraded version of Redmi Note 3 in the market. Starting from Rs 9,999 for the 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage, this flagship product will not disappoint you.

Powered with a new processor, better battery, and upgraded software, the Redmi Note 4 is looking to beat the flagship market with its attractive specs list. Though it retains some design features from Note 3, it improves significantly from the predecessor, especially by addressing issues like low-light photography and overheating.

Sporting a premium metal body with tapered edges and 2.5D curved glass front, Redmi Note 4 is a perfectly symmetrical set. The capacitive keys at the bottom are responsive and do a good job. Like Note 3, it comes with fingerprint sensor at the back which works fast. It has the 3.5mm headphone jack which iPhone 7 has removed.

The device has a 5.5-inch fullHD display, with a resolution of 1080×1920 with the first-time inclusion of 2.5D curved glass which is handy and feels good. While outdoor legibility is good, the black stripes dim out. The HD 1080p is great for the range, but in the time of QHD, it looks outdated. However, it produces vivid colours and has good brightness levels that give you a stellar cinematic experience if you watch videos on it.

Packed with the powerful octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 clocked at 2GHz and paired with the fantastic Adreno 506 GPU, Redmi Note 4 can handle whatever you throw at it with ease. Heavy games like Dead Trigger 2 and Asphalt 8 run without a single lag, and multitasking works like a breeze. Partnering up with the 4GB RAM, it can open apps in a jiffy and run high-definition videos, including 4K. The processor went up to 42,690 in Quadrant, which was much higher than Lenovo P2 and Asus ZenFone 3, which means Xiaomi comes out as a winner. Snapdragon 625 comes attached with 14nm FinFet technology which promises thermal management. Bid farewell to overheating while playing heavy games with this modification.

Redmi Note 4 has a powerful rear camera of 13MP with an aperture of f/2.0. It is also fitted with phase detection auto-focus, which is pretty snappy to detect objects in daylight conditions. It can capture decent landscape shots in daylight with good details and proper colour accuracy.

However, low-light images do not capture as many details. It does a reasonably good job but on zooming in, the images appear grainy. Complex shots like dense foliage may create issues regarding sharpness, especially with a lot of pixels inclusion and jagged edges.

Plus, the camera comes loaded with different modes to choose from like Panorama, Manual and Beautify. Nice filters are also preloaded. The camera app is capable of loading FullHD videos at 1080p and again, does a better job in daylight rather than in low light.

The front 5MP camera is good and comes, as per Xiaomi’s claim, with 85-degree field of view. It produced enough details for casual selfies that could be uploaded in social media – but don’t expect stellar v-logs.

Xiaomi defends the fame of coming with powerful battery yet again with its mammoth 4,100 mAh non-removable battery, a marginal improvement over the 4,050 mAh of Note 3. It is can easily last for two days with moderate use and can keep running for a day and another half after heavy use, without using battery saving modes. On a continuous video loop test, Redmi Note 4 lasted for 15 hours 10 minutes which is fabulous for the price range. However, the killer battery does not support Quick Charge. Quick Charge is now a flagship feature present in most competing phones. So, if your phone is dead, it will take about 2 hours to recharge it back to full power.

Redmi Note 4 is an all-round update over Note 3, coming with a better display, improved battery life, and dominating performance. Looks-wise, it tries for a symmetrical design, and the 2.5D curved glass feels great in the hands. However, it does not come with significant flagship features that could differentiate it from competing flagship phones. Lack of quick charge is a significant disappointment. With a little more money, Lenovo Z2 Plus is a better option.