Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Review

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has started selling in Malaysia from 6 April 2016, available in 2 variants - 2GB RAM + 16GB Storage (RM 749 - Silver) and 3GB RAM + 32GB Storage (RM 849 - Gold/Dark Grey). The 3GB RAM variant was eventually sold out in seconds due to the great demand from consumers. Let's check out how good is this Redmi phablet that attracts the eye of consumers.

Interestingly, the Redmi Note 3 was launched not even more than half a year following the Redmi Note 2, which is an odd timing. Currently, looking at Xiaomi selling Redmi Note 3 together with Redmi Note 2, I think the launch of Redmi Note 3 is actually offering a wider product and price range of the Redmi lineup instead (from Redmi 2 RM 399 to Redmi Note 3 RM 849).

Design
First look at the appearance, the Redmi Note 3 has a metal unibody design (Dimensions: 150 x 8.65 x 76 mm) and weight 164g only. The plastic caps are placed at the top and bottom to allow for antenna reception. The polished chamfered edges on the phone are pleasing to the eye. Its volume rocker and power button are tactile. It really is a premium looking and well-built smartphone.

Performance
Under the hood, Redmi Note 3 comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 upper mid-range processor, a hexa-core design with two ARM Cortex-A72 processor cores and four Cortex-A53 cores. The phone feels snappy and switching apps is rapid.

Adreno 510 GPU in Snapdragon 650 handles games easily. The frame rate slightly drops at some points in 3D high graphic game, but it is playable. It is really close reaching up to flagship performance but it is not quite there.

Geekbench 3 Score:

AnTuTu Score:

3DMark Result:

Display
The 5.5-inch 1080p full HD IPS LCD display is crisp and has wide viewing angle. You can also adjust the colour temperature to warm, standard or cool. The display can get ridiculously dim where it more comfortable to look in a completely dark room. I wish the display could be a little brighter as the visibility under direct sunlight is rather dark to my liking. However, it is still impressive for a device in this price range.

Battery Life
Thanks to its whooping 4000mAh battery. I am impressed with Xiaomi for keeping the Note 3 slim despite having a large capacity phone battery inside. The battery life of Redmi Note 3 is very good. It can easily last more than a day on moderate usage. Due to the large capacity battery, it takes longer time to be fully charged. The recharging time is still reasonable charging with 2A power adaptor.

Camera
Redmi Note 3 has a 16 megapixels camera and 5 megapixels front camera with f/2.0 aperture. The image quality capture from Note 3 is average and it struggles in low light condition. The camera is not sharp and you may have to take a few shots to choose the best picture.

Image samples

Fingerprint sensor
Fingerprint identity sensor is not gimmick anymore, but becomes something rather useful. The fingerprint features on Redmi Note 3 works for me most of the time. It is indeed fast unlocking the smartphone. Bear in mind, the sensor might have trouble to identify your fingerprint when hand is wet.

Conclusion
Redmi Note 3 ticks all the boxes in many aspects except if you want heavy 3D gaming and great photography on phone. But hey, it is just a RM 849 phone. There isn't much rivals in the market at this price range outperform the Note 3. Overall, the Redmi Note 3 is a fast, nice-looking, feature-packed smartphone that doesn't burn a hole in your wallet.