Redmi Note 4G – Review

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3G was banned to be sold on the Indian market and following that court order the 3G version was discontinued. However Xiaomi was allowed to continues sales of their snapdragon chipset based mobiles in India. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G LTE variant is powered by a Snapdragon 400 processor and it is now being made available through the traditional flash sales exclusively in Flipkart.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G Specifications

• 5.5-inch IPS display 720 x 1280 pixels

• Android 4.4.2 OS with MIUI 5

• Qualcomm MSM8928 Snapdragon 400

• Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A7

• Adreno 305

• 2GB RAM

• 8GB internal memory expandable up to 64 GB

• 13 MP rear camera

• 5 MP front camera

• 3200 mAh battery

In the Box

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G Mobile

• 3200 mAh Batter

• 5V 2A Wall Charger

• Manual

Redmi Note 4G

It is the exact same design as the Redmi Note 3G. There is no physical difference between these two mobiles. It will be available in Glossy White. It weighs 199 grams, but it does not feel heavy when held in hands. It feels solid and though glossy, it is not slippery. But the back is a fingerprint and scratch magnet. It is a single SIM device. The device supports 4G TD-LTE 1900 / 2300 / 2600 along with the other 3G and 2G network bands.  The screen is a 5.5 inch IPS display capable of 1280 x 720p resolution. It is protected by corning gorilla glass 3. The display delivers sharp images with vibrant colors and a natural visual experience.

Performance

The 4G variant of the Redmi Note is powered by a Qualcomm MSM8928 Snapdragon 400 chipset and Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A7 processor. It has 2 GB RAM and 8 GB of internal memory of which 5.4 GB is available for user. Memory can be expanded by microSD card slot by upto 64 GB. The device also has the Adreno 305 GPU for graphic rendering. I was a bit ambitious when I tried to run a 4K video on this device. The video file did open, but it stuttereed and staggered all the way, making it totally unwatchable. But it rand 2K and HD videos smoothly without any hitch. I also ran the usual set of benchmark test and found that the device does not score high on test results. It scores even less than the 3G variant. Asphalt 8 and Respwanables games kept crashing but the less graphic intensive games were smooth. I noticed that the sensor calibration was much better than the 3G variant, but the overall performance is a tad bit weaker than the Redmi Note 3G. This is not a great performer, but still it is a very much usable and reliable mobile for your day to day activities.

Camera

The primary camera is a 13 MP shooter while the front facing camera is 5 MP sensor. The camera does not have any fancy feature like image stabilization or laser assisted focusing. It is very basic and delivers more than what is expected out of a device at this price band. The camera UI is also basic and minimal. The image output is a bit different compared to that of the the 3G variant. It is still pretty sharp when there is enough light in the ambience, but there is a subtle and very unnoticable difference in the sharpness and exposure processing between the 4G and 3G variant. It is because of the difference in the processor. But nevertheless the details come out well and the color reproduction is natural. But the device suffers under low light conditions. There are lot of noise and the sensor fails to capture the details under low light. The story is similar with the front facing camera as well. Though it has a wide aperture, it is a fast and sharp shooter only when there is enough natural light.

Check out the Camera Samples

Battery

Redmi Note 4G has a 3200 mAh Lithium ion Polymer battery. It is user replaceable. For a large device like this, a huge battery backup is an absolute necessity. Luckily the 3200 mAh battery and optimal power utilization by the processors, the device lasts for more than a day of regular usage under normal conditions.

Software

The mobile is powered by Android 4.4.2 heavily customised on the MIUI V5 ROM. We have talked a lot about the MIUI features in detail. So ill skip it and just say that the software on this device is very much stable.

Verdict

At Rs 9999, the Redmi Note somehow masks out all its cons. The Microsoft Lumia 638 and the YU are the only close competitors for this 4G enabled device at this price point. The Redmi Note 4G has an edge over YU because of its feature rich MIUI ROM and pricing. Though the Brand Xiaomi has its ups and downs, it has a huge developer base and support community. Micromax has not been a reliable brand with its short shelf life mobile models and finicky developer base.  Lumia 638 beats both the device in terms of brand reliability and pricing. But still the WP OS is not as good as an Android mobile. Finally we give it to the Redmi Note. If you are specific about about a budget phablet with 4G connectivity, look no further and let the Redmi Note 4G decorate your pocket.