Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Review

Xiaomi has a number of Android smartphones that surpassed the expectations of consumers, especially when compared to the big names. Getting the best available hardware for a fraction of the price of flagships is a good deal for potential buyers. And with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, you’ll understand why.

Design and Construction

Up front is the 5.5-inch display with the earpiece, sensors, and front camera above it. Beneath is the three capacitive buttons for multitasking, home, and back. Thankfully, these buttons are backlit while other devices in this range always disregard the importance of this. The whole glass front is surrounded by a chrome lining.

To the right are the volume rocker and the power/lock button and the left side is where the SIM tray sits. On top, we have the 3.5mm jack, secondary microphone, and the IR blaster for the remote control app. The micro-USB port and the primary microphone are both at the bottom.

The back has the rear camera with its dual-tone LED flash. Also, there’s a fingerprint scanner conveniently positioned for the index finger. The shiny Mi label and the grille for the loudspeaker is at the lower end.

The Redmi Note 3 has an aluminum body with a pair of plastic bands to allow radios to pass through easily. Xiaomi did a good job in making the two materials look uniform thanks to the seamless paint job. With this, handling the device is pleasant on hand. Its dimensions may not be suitable for all but for a 5.5-incher, it’s pretty easy to hold.

Overall, build is solid and definitely feels like a premium-priced Android smartphone.

Display and Multimedia

The 5.5-inch display is an IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels or Full HD. With that, you’ll get a sharp 403ppi. Like most IPS panels, color reproduction is good with wide viewing angles. We’ve noticed that the contrast is not top-notch because the blacks are not as deep as we’ve hoped it to be. Also, with the screen test of Antutu 6, the gradient of grays misses some numbers in the chart.

Media consumption on the Redmi Note 3 is great thanks to the quality display installed and the loudspeaker has adequate volume. Too bad that it is placed on the back, so it’s not that suitable when watching outdoors, but it is fine for indoors.

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