Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 review
Introduction
The Redmi Note 3 is a thoughtfully targeted device with a premium metal build, flagship-grade specs, and an iconic MIUI launcher. The third device of the series upgrades design of the Redmi Note 2 just three months after its premiere, while keeping the same specs, but improving the security with a fingerprint scanner.
Indeed the upgrades are not that many - a metal shell, a bigger battery, new dual-LED flash, and biometric security. But are those enough to justify a new device?
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 hit the shelves in August 2015 and the dust from this launch didn't even had a chance of settling before the Redmi Note 3 got official.
It's an unexpected product strategy and we have no possible explanation other than the possibility that the two phones will be offered on different markets altogether.
Or perhaps we should be looking at the Redmi Note 3 as the Pro version of the Redmi Note 2 (or Prime as Xiaomi calls those) - it costs a few bucks more and improves on the usability. The metal shell boosts the aesthetics and handling, the fingerprint reader unlocks the screen faster than a PIN number, while the dual-LED dual-tone flash may help for a better white balance when taking flash photos. And there is the bigger battery to keep the phone running for longer.
The 5.5" 1080p screen seems as great as before, the snappy Helio X10 chip is promising a flagship-grade performance, while the 13MP camera seems adequately equipped. The MIUI 7 comes out of the box and we know it will deliver a smooth and unique experience.
Key features
- 5.5" IPS display of 1080p resolution; 403ppi
- Mediatek Helio X10 chipset MT6795; octa-core 2.0GHz Cortex-A53; PowerVR G6200 GPU; 2GB (16GB model) or 3GB (32GB model) of RAM
- 13MP main camera with hybrid phase detect autofocus, dual-LED dual-tone flash
- 1080p video capture at 30fps
- 5MP front-facing camera, 1080p at 30fps video recording
- MIUI v.7 based on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop
- 16GB or 32GB of built-in storage
- 4G LTE Cat.4 (150Mbps); Dual SIM; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.1; GPS, GLONASS and Beidou; FM radio
- IR port
- Dual-microphone active noise canceling
- 4,000 mAh non-removable battery, fast charging
Main disadvantages
- No scratch resistant front glass
- No NFC
- Battery not removable
- No microSD expansion
It's as if the Redmi Note 3 follows in the steps of the Meizu m1 metal, which came with a similar range of upgrades over the Meizu m1 note.
Like most of the recent Xiaomi offers, the Redmi Note 3 omits memory expansion and removable battery, but this will hardy surprise anyone. The lack of a scratch resistant glass is what bothers us, but maybe Xiaomi just isn't advertising its presence - there is really no way to test that.
Display
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 features a 5.5" Full HD IPS, the same as on the Redmi Note 2, which has 401ppi for pleasantly sharp imagery. Unfortunately, there is no information on the glass covering the display and there is a good change it isn't of the scratch-resistant kind.
Taking a closer look at it under our digital microscope reveals a standard RGB arrangement of the sub-pixels that make up the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 LCD panel.
The display on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 seems to be identical with the one on the Redmi Note 2. It has the about the same maximum brightness.
The screen's contrast ratio is average at 953:1. The color rendition accuracy is average as well with an average deviation of DeltaE 6.8 and max deviation DeltaE 13. We managed to improve the color rendering by shifting the screen setting to a warmer preset (there is an option for changing the color temperature) and by doing so we got a more accurate color rendering with an Avg DeltaE of 5.2 and a Max DeltaE of 9.1. However at this setting the screen takes a 10% hit in the maximum brightness output.
| Display test | 50% brightness | 100% brightness | ||||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | |||
| 0.16 | 152 | 927 | 0.42 | 403 | 953 | |
| 0.17 | 162 | 953 | 0.492 | 467 | 953 | |
| 0.30 | 305 | 1001 | 0.52 | 536 | 1016 | |
| 0.08 | 54 | 720 | 0.50 | 390 | 780 | |
| - | - | - | 0.65 | 562 | 867 | |
| 0.00 | 117 | ∞ | 0 | 346.00 | ∞ | |
| 0.13 | 230 | 1742 | 0.24 | 432 | 1793 | |
| 0.08 | 121 | 1613 | 0.28 | 452 | 1609 | |
| 0.08 | 110 | 1392 | 0.63 | 527 | 839 | |
The sunlight legibility is just average and pretty much about the same we measured on the previous Redmi Note. The screen glass is rather reflective and while you will be able to see what's happening on the screen under bright sunlight, you'll need the maximum brightness and all the colors will be washed out.
Sunlight contrast ratio
Battery life
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 received 30% power upgrade over its predecessor as the company put a 4,000 mAh battery, quite a beefy unit for a 5.5" device. We ran our battery test and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 scored a 72h rating, which means you can count on the battery to last 3 full days if you do an hour each of calling, browsing the web and video playback a day. Adding a second SIM card cuts 2 hours from the total endurance down to 70 hours. That's a day boost over the Redmi Note 2's two-day rating.
The Redmi Note 3 did well across all tests - 3G talks, web browsing, video playback, and it posted above average scores on standby, which makes it a solid performer.
Such usage pattern is of course entirely artificial, but we've established it so our battery results are comparable across devices.
Our proprietary score also includes a standby battery draw test, which is not featured in our battery test scorecard but is calculated in the total endurance rating. Our battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you want to learn more about it.
Connectivity
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 supports 7 LTE bands and you can tap to an LTE network on either SIM, but once you do, the second one will be limited to GSM connectivity only. As for that, the Redmi Note 3 also offers tri-band GSM connectivity. There is quad-band 3G connectivity with HSPA support.
The rest of the connectivity features include dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac support and Wi-Fi Direct. There is also support for Bluetooth 4.1, GPS and GLONASS, plus an FM radio.
A microUSB 2.0 port handles charging and data connections. Media transfer mode is supported for accessing the phone's built-in memory over a USB connection. The microUSB port also supports USB On-the-go for connecting USB peripherals such as pen drives, keyboards or real USB hard drives.
Wireless screen mirroring is available via the Miracast protocol.
The IR blaster is located on the top and coupled with the right software, it can be used to operate pretty much any remotely controlled home appliance, turning the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 into a universal remote. Xiaomi provides its own MiRemote app right out of the box.
MiRemote app
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