In a surprise announcement during the Xiaomi Fan Festival, the brand releases the Redmi A3 in the Philippines. This budget phone offers a few surprise design nods to its more premium siblings, alongside some key performance improvements.
The back boasts a rather large, circular camera island that houses the modest 8-megapixel dual AI camera system. There’s even an Olive Green color option that comes with a faux leather back — a clear wink at the luxurious aesthetic of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra 26.
At the front greets a 6.71-inch HD+ IPS LCD panel. This is a welcome upgrade from the 6.52-inch panel on the Redmi A2. While the dewdrop notch for the 5-megapixel selfie camera remains, the A3 steps things up with a smoother 90Hz refresh rate and a layer of Gorilla Glass 3 for better protection against scratches.
Under the hood, the MediaTek Helio G36 processor carries over from the Redmi A2. However, the A3 boasts a full-fledged version of Android 14, a significant leap forward compared to the pared-down Android 12 Go Edition on the previous model.
Xiaomi promises to bring two major Android updates and three years of security patches for this new model.
Another upgrade is the switch to a USB-C charging port, ditching the dated microUSB. Disappointingly, the charging speed stays put at 10W, but at least the 5000mAh battery should offer solid endurance on a single charge.
Xiaomi Redmi A3 specs:
6.71-inch HD+ IPS LCD
1650 x 720 pixels, 90Hz refresh
500 nits brightness (HBM)
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
MediaTek Helio G36
3GB, 4GB RAM (+4GB extended memory)
64GB, 128GB storage
Expandable up to 1TB via microSD (dedicated slot)
Dual rear cameras:
– 8MP rear camera
– Auxiliary lens
5MP selfie shooter
Dual SIM
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 5, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.3
GPS, AGPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo
USB Type-C
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
Android 14
5000 mAh battery
10W charging
168.3mm x 76.3mm x 8.32mm
199g | 193g (Olive Green)
Glass: Midnight Black, Lake Blue | PU leather: Forest Green
Price and availability
The Redmi A3 is now available for pre-order across Xiaomi’s online channels (Shopee 176, Lazada 98, and TikTok Shop 26) starting today, April 21 to 27.
It comes with two configurations: the base model 3GB+64GB is priced at PHP 3,399 while the 4GB+128GB trim comes at PHP 3,999.
Xiaomi is also including a freebie Basic Piston wired earphones during its pre-order duration.
