Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G review: A budget 4G-ready phablet

Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer, which quickly rose to fame in the shortest time of its existence in the market and in India, needs no introduction anymore. Xiaomi entered into India, promising high-end smartphones with an affordable price with an aim was to have the MIUI operating system and a decent smartphone in every hand.

Xiaomi had announced the launched the Redmi Note and Redmi Note 4G a while back and started sales in India with the Redmi Note 3G in early December 2014. The Redmi Note 4G was scheduled to go on sale in mid December 2014. Unfortunately, the Chinese manufacturer was banned from selling and importing their smartphones in India by the Delhi High Court, citing an infringement case by Ericsson. A few days later, they were given the green signal to sell only the Qualcomm-based handsets, while the MTK chipset handsets were still kept on hold due to the pending case. Hence, the Redmi Note 3G is not available now, and Xiaomi has carried on with the Redmi Note 4G sales thereafter.

The Redmi Note 4G is a 5.5-inch phablet and has a pocket-friendly price tag of Rs 9,999, while the 3G variant was prices Rs 1,000 lower. The only difference between the two are the chipsets and the radio network (3G/4G).

The Redmi Note 4G features a 5.5-inch IPS HD display with a 720x1280 pixel resolution. The display is protected with a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, tough enough to resist scratches and scuffs caused due to daily use. Moving ahead, the Redmi Note 4G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset which features a quad-core processor clocked at 1.6GHz each. Supported by 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 305 graphics processor, the Note 4G is a significantly powerful handset for daily use.

The internal storage supplied is 8GB, which can be expanded using a micro SD card to 64GB. The Redmi Note 4G is provided with a 13MP sensor for the rear camera along with a single LED flash, while the front camera incorporates a 5MP sensor for selfies. One the connectivity side, the Redmi Note 4G supports two SIM cards (WCDMA and GSM), 4G, LTE, 3G, 2G, GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n. Lastly, the Redmi Note 4G is powered by Xiaomi’s own MIUI operating system, a custom brewed version of Google’s Android operating system, and fuelled by a really large 3100mAh battery. The Redmi Note 4G weighs 185g and is 9.45mm thick.

The Redmi Note 4G looks almost similar to the Redmi 1S in terms of aesthetics, except that it is a larger and broader than the latter. The Redmi Note 4G sports a dual-tone body with an extremely glossy black front and white rear panel. Equipping the Note with a silicon rear panel is recommended in order to avoid scratches and scuffs on the glossy surface due to everyday use.

The front panel has the regular look as found on any of the Xiaomi devices—earpiece on the top with the front camera next to it and backlit capacitive buttons (back, menu and home) on the lower end. The volume rocker and power buttons reside on the right side of the handset, while the headphone jack and micro USB port take their places on the top and bottom, respectively.

The rear panel sports the 13MP camera, towards the top-centre, with an LED flash just below it, while the chrome-plated Mi logo and the speaker grill are placed on the lower end. As for the front panel, since it sports a Gorilla Glass 3, you need not worry about scratches. So even if you don’t install a screen guard, it would be fine. However, installing a screen guard or screen protector is a personal preference.

We did notice one issue with the rear panel—Xiaomi somehow did not provide a recess to the rear panel to help open it. Instead, you have to rely on the groove of the micro USB slot, on the bottom end, to open the rear panel.

Below the rear panel you will find a really large housing for the 3100mAh battery. You have to remove the battery in order to slide in any of the SIM cards or the micro SD card.

The handset can be a bit uncomfortable for regular use, if you are not used to larger smartphones already. The device is a bit large and not recommended for those with tiny palms. However, if you are looking for a device with a screen for work and fun, then the Redmi Note 4G is a handset that we could recommend. The device is a good blend for those looking for a smartphone with an extra room for a tablet experience.

Moving on to the camera front, though the camera is good enough with a 13MP sensor, we found the camera almost similar to the Redmi Note 3G. Images shot are above average - the quality is not at par as the Mi3, as we assumed it would be similar to the 13MP camera of the Mi3.

To get more in-depth information about the camera and a few sample pictures, click on the Redmi Note 3G review.

As far as the performance is concerned, we did not find the device sluggish or any lags in the user interface. Initially, when you switch on the smartphone for the first time after unboxing, you may find a little lag, but it should be resolved after a while and a few restarts. The reason is because the new operating system takes a while to settle, build up the necessary cache files and the dalvik cache region, to start performing faster. Additionally, tweaking a few settings in the developer settings mode can help increase the performance to an extent. Overall, the user experience with the MIUI and Redmi Note 4G was great and we have absolutely no complaints, whatsoever. We only hope Xiaomi brings in the MIUI V6 update for the handset at the earliest.

Overall, the experience with the Xiaomi Redmi Note was good. The above-average performance along with the large display with an IPS panel and great viewing angles make it a good multimedia handset. The large display also makes it comfortable for the internet and casual typing and chatting. The camera is definitely above-average, albeit a bit sluggish while capturing shots. For a price of Rs 9,999, the Xiaomi phablet is definitely a good value for the price it demands.