Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Review Great Mobile For The Price But Not Perfect

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Review Great Mobile For The Price But Not Perfect

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 review. The new sub $200 4G dual SIM king?

Xiaomi’s mid to low range Redmi Note 4 packs a bunch for the starting price of $160, you get a lot. A MediaTekĀ 10 core Helio X20 (Antutu score around 88k) a really nice 1080p 5.5″ screen, 16GB to 64GB of internal storage, dual sim, MicroSD support and you even get fingerprint reader security. The build is decent considering it’s price with a rear alloy unibody, scratch resistant 2.5D glass.

Battery life is also very good with a 4100 mAh battery that gives a 9 hour plus rating in PCmark with the display at 55% (200 nits.)

So what’s not to like about it, unfortunately, like most Chinese mobiles the camera performance is very average. Often it gets the white balance wrong, the sharpness at the edges of photos isn’t great and very low dynamic range. And that custom UI, MIUI 8 isn’t going to be for everyone.

Hopefully, Xiaomi’s camera guys can tweak the software algorithms and improve the quality of images taken from the 13MP sensor, most of the problem lies in the post processing I feel. So it’s possible Xiaomican rectify that and you’ll have a very decent mobile considering it’s $160 starting price.

And any Note 3 Pro users out there thinking of upgrading? I wouldn’t bother. You gain CPU performance, the camera is worse, the GPU is slightly weaker and battery life is down about 10%-15% so it’s not really worth it for that CPU compute gain.

Pros:

  • Price (Base model is around $160)
  • Fast and fluid ROM
  • Fast fingerprint unlock
  • Dual SIM with MicroSD support
  • Great 1080p panel
  • Build is fine for the price
  • Great battery life
  • Good gaming FPS
  • Good thermals
  • Decent 3.5mm audio quality
  • FM radio (hardware)

Cons:

  • ROM has Chinese bloat
  • Included charger is too slow
  • No 4k video (Note 3 Pro has 4k)
  • No Type-C port
  • Very average rear camera
  • Poor low light camera performance
  • Poor video (Colors and focus)

Where to get one? (Affiliate links) These help me cover the cost of buying this to review šŸ™‚

Best price with Paypal: GearBest & Banggood
Cheapest price: Aliexpress

Video tech reviewer and tech blogger. I have a huge interest in the latest tech, tablets, laptops, mobiles, drones, and even e-scooters. Active in the tech community since 2008 days of the Omnia i900 Windows phone. Samsungi8910omnia.com, Samsunggalaxysforums.com founder from way back.

7 Comments

  1. Hi Chris,
    You have great reviews. I am struggling to decide between at xiaomi note 4 and mi max for my teenage son. He is a big guy so size isn’t an issue. He does usual photos, videos and gaming of most teens. Please help, both these phones seem great and I can’t work out which one to get.
    Cheers

    • I’d ask how big is he ? The Mi Max is large enough that it won’t fit in a 13yo’s pocket, even a big 13 yo.

      In the end, I’d ask him. Size is a very personal preference, as for laptops, cars, dogs,… He might hate how unwieldy and hard to carry a 6.44″ phablet is, or love the higher comfort for watching videos, gaming, and reading.

      Side issues: a humongous phone might make him a social pariah (I was mocked repeatedly even later in life for having huge phones), and the larger Mi Max is more fragile.

      And I’d probably get a Redmi Note 3 Pro Int’l Edition, not a 4. Do get the 32 GB, the 64GB version is a valid reason to get a 4 instead since the 3 doesn’t have the option and both are very close in all other respects. Games take a huge amount of space and don’t run well off SD cards, so a 16 GB phone is out of the question.

      • Thanks Oliver. He is 19 and has huge hands (he hates my iPhones keyboard). He would be mostly taking photos, messaging and some gaming.
        I think I have looked at so many I’m really confused lol

  2. any news about an international version with Band20 enabled?
    or are INTERNATIONAL version (with Band20) available only in models featuring a Qualcomm chipset?

    regards

  3. I just bought the redmi note 3 pro for my daughter.. Very pleased with the device for the price, it definitely doesn’t feel or behave like a cheap phone.
    I had considered the moto g4, but the RN3P gives you so much more for the money. The camera seems quite reasonable.

  4. Thank a lot for helping me make my choice. Actually, more like making the choice for me ^^

    I’ll take a Redmi Note 3 Pro then, especially for the international ROM (I’m sure it’ll come the the 4, but it isn’t here yet)

    • Wise choice , it will get a Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 global rom. It’s just a matter of time.

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