Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Review

Call Quality and Connectivity

In terms of connectivity, the Redmi Note 3 has it well covered. Both SIM card slots support LTE bands, but only one SIM card can use LTE at a time. Leaving the other slot to GSM or 2G mode. It’s got dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS and GLONASS, plus an FM radio. There’s also an IR blaster with a built-in app to remotely control supported devices. I’ve tried it on a Samsung TV and it worked fine, but using it with a not-so-popular cable box is a different story.

The lone micro-USB port supports USB On-the-go, which is a must since there’s no microSD card slot for expansion, so the OTG feature can make up for that.

And being a cellular phone itself, the Xiaomi budget phablet makes clear calls. Voice clarity from the earpiece is great and the secondary microphone does a good job in keeping environment noises down as we can be heard clearly on the other end of the line.

Battery Life

Despite the 8.7mm waistline, there’s a big 4000mAh Li-Polymer battery on-board the Redmi Note 3 which will last you for two days of regular use or if you’re onto your device all the time, you might need to charge overnight.

Though, with the PCMark battery test, it was able to last for 7 hours and 46 minutes. And with our traditional video loop test, it got an impressive 14 hours and 17 minutes’ runtime. While continuous use is not the device’s feat, it’s standby time endurance is something. As can be seen from the screenshot, it’s been chugging for almost 6 days with Wi-Fi on.

Conclusion

In the end, despite the quirks of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, it’s a recommendable smartphone. With the good build, fingerprint scanner, and more than capable Helio X10 chipset, it’s a great buy for those seeking an upgrade from their aging smartphone. We’re just waiting for Xiaomi to release a Global build for this, and things will get even better. You can get your own for Php10,500 through Widget City (see listing here). There’s also a cheaper 2GB/16GB variant for Php8,990.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 specs:
5.5-inch Full HD Sunlight display, 401ppi
MediaTek Helio X10 processor
PowerVR G6200 GPU
3GB RAM
32GB internal storage
13-megapixel PDAF autofocus camera w/ dual-tone flash
5-megapixel front camera
Dual-SIM / Dual Standby
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS
Fingerprint sensor
4,000mAh Li-Po battery
MIUI 7.1
150 x 76 x 8.7mm
164g

What we liked about it:

• Good build
• Crisp, quality display
• Fingerprint scanner
• Fast Helio X10 performance

What we didn’t:

• Average camera
• Non-expandable storage