Preview: Xiaomi Redmi Note | TechTree.com

Preview: Xiaomi Redmi Note

A quick-look at Xiaomi's latest "phablet".

 
Preview: Xiaomi Redmi Note

Xiaomi is known for delivering power-packed handsets at insanely low prices. Its first handset to reach the Indian shores was the Mi 3 — a 13k phone powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 800 chip. Its next offering, the Redmi 1S, became a hit due to its Rs 6000 price tag. This time around, it's taking on the wannabe GALAXY Note devices from the domestic manufactures. For Rs 9000, the Xiaomi Note has been priced aggressively. The Chinese company has been swift to send us the review units. While it's still being tested for the full-review, here's how this Chinese gadget has been treating us so far.

Design
The Redmi Note feels like an overgrown Redmi 1S. It's plasticky and excessively big. Kept in a Jeans pocket, it makes you feel uncomfortable. Holding it near your ear looks ridiculous too. Plus, at 200 grams, it's quite hefty for a mobile phone. On the bright side, the construction is solid. The Redmi Note gives an impression that it can withstand a few drops. Although I have not done that (yet).

The review unit that we received is White. It's glossy and closer inspection it reveals a glitter pattern, which looks somewhat weird. Thankfully, the back-covers are replaceable. Users also get access to battery compartment and memory card slot.

The button placement is exactly similar to what we have seen on the Redmi 1S. The Volume rocker and Lock button are placed on the right side. The rear camera lens has a protrusion around it. below that is a single LED flash.

Screen
The redmi Note sports a 5.5-inch HD IPS display. This translate to the pixel density of 267 ppi. You can't call this screen sharp, but it gets the work done anyway. The colour reproduction is quite good. What else can you expect with an IPS display. The screen is bright enough for most usage scenarios. However, it becomes highly reflective under direct sunlight.

Specifications
The Redmi Note is powered by an 1.7 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT 6592 chip. It has 3 GB RAM to handle multitasking. Gaming is taken care of by Mali-450 MP GPU. In the photography section, you get a 13 megapixel camera. For slefies, there;s a 5 megapixel front-facing snapper. Other than that, you get 8 GB internal storage, microSD card slot (supports upto 32 GB), dual-SIM support, and 3100 mAh battery.

Software
The Redmi Note ships with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with MIUI layer on top of it. The interface on this device is very similar to what we get on the Redmi 1S. It lacks app menu, which means you have to arrange all the app icons on the homescreens.

Most interface elements and transition effects have been inspired Apple's iOS. For instance, app folder opens with a 'zoom' effect. There's a problem though. The phone fails to render these animations smoothly. Every time you swipe through homescreens or open app folders, you meet with considerable amount of stutter. I guess, the MediaTek processor is the culprit here. I haven't noticed so much lag on other Xiaomi phones that are powered by the Snapdragon SoC (System on Chip).

While the device fails to deliver good user experience, it shines in terms of gaming. For instance, anything from Angry Birds to Asphalt 8 Airborne run without a problem. For those interested in numbers, here are the synthetic benchmark scores:

AnTuTu: 32,055
Quadrant: 14,297

Expect the full-fledged review to go live in a few days.


Tags : Mobile Phones, Android, Xiaomi, Redmi Note

 
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