Following the success of the Redmi Note 3, Xiaomi has released its successor – Redmi Note 4. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, the Redmi Note 4 hits India first, ahead of all other markets.
The Redmi Note 3 was one of my favourite Xiaomi devices of 2016. It was well put together, packed plenty of flagship-level specs, and offered at typically Xiaomi affordable price. In India, the Redmi Note 3 became the highest-shipped smartphone ever in the online space in India (IDC, 2016). It shipped over 3.6 million units in India, in 2016.
With the Redmi Note 4, Xiaomi has made further enhancements and improvements over its budget phablet. It sports a premium metal body with anodised high-gloss aluminum lines and symmetric design. It happens to be the first Redmi smartphone to feature 2.5D curved glass on the front.
Like its predecessor, it features a 5.5-inch Full HD display on the front, and rear fingerprint sensor.
For the very first time, the Redmi Note will also be available in matte Black, to complement Dark Grey and Gold colour options.
Under the hood, the Redmi Note 4 uses the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. It’s the first chip in its class to use 14nm FinFET technology. As you know, smaller means more power-efficiency and better heat dissipation compared to 28nm-based chips.
Power-efficiency also translates to better battery life. The 4,100mAh works in tandem with the new chip to help it average 25% longer battery life than the outgoing Redmi Note 3.
Camera-wise, there are no surprises. A 13MP f/2.0 BSI sensor with PDAF and large 1.12-micron pixels takes up the task on the rear. Up front there’s a 5MP f/2.0 selfie camera.
In terms of storage, the base model offers a decent 32GB and up to 64GB of onboard storage for the range-topping 4GB RAM variant. There’s also an option to expand storage further via microSD (up to 128GB).
The Redmi Note 4 is a dual-SIM device and is fully compatible with India’s 4F LTE networks, supporting LTE Band 5 with VoLTE.
Xiaomi says that an MIUI 8 beta based on Android N version will be available soon.
Pricing and availability
Sales of the Redmi Note 4 will start at 12PM on 23 January, exclusively on Mi.com and Flipkart. No pre-registrations necessary.
Prices start at INR9,999/MYR652 (2GB RAM + 32GB flash), INR10,999/MYR718 (3GB RAM + 32GB flash) and INR12,999/MYR848 (4GB RAM + 64GB flash).
