Redmi 3s Prime: Packs a punch

The Redmi 3s Prime is everything a budget phone aspires to be

Xiaomi is slowly climbing up the rung of smartphone bigwigs by slashing its prices. Its latest entrant in the smartphone arena is the Redmi 3s Prime. Priced at Rs 8,999, the phone boasts of uncompromising quality.

The phone looks like a mini version of the Redmi Note 3. The volume rocker and the power button are located on the right side, while a fingerprint sensor graces the back. The 3s Prime is very comfortable to hold and its 5-inch 1280x720 HD display is a fresh change from most 5.5-inch bulky devices. The colours are sharp and crisp, and great for its price. The fingerprint sensor is fast and easy to set up. It lets you unlock the device seamlessly.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Processor: Snapdragon 430
• OS: Android 6.0
• Camera: 5MP (front); 13MP (rear)

Under the hood, it houses an octa-core Snapdragon 430 processor with 3GB of RAM. Though it's not the best, it's perfect for its price. If you're a hardcore gamer then this is not the one for you. Casual games such as Candy Crush and Temple Run runs perfect but if you take it up a notch and try to play Injustice: God Among Us, you will notice lags. But for everyday usage, I couldn't find a single thing to crib about.

The phone runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with MIUI Global 7.5 on top. The custom user interface doesn't pose a problem and is similar to other Redmi phones. It doesn't have a dedicated app drawer but you can segregate them into different categories.

The 3s Prime comes with a 13-megapixel (MP) primary and a 5MP secondary camera. Photographs are decent, but only in good lighting. I could see a lot of noise in pictures that were clicked in low-light conditions. Video recording is a let-down as well; the audio is mostly garbled. But then again, for its price tag, it's is a pretty decent deal.

But the headliner is its 4,100 mAh battery. Its ginormous battery back makes it a perfect buy for people on the go. On a full charge, the phone lasted for more than a day, even though I browsed the internet and played some games on it. With little-to-no usage, the phone lasts for more than two days. It's wondrous how a phone with a low price tag can pack in so much punch.

At Rs 8,999, the Redmi 3s Prime directly takes on phone such as those by Micromax YU and Huawei - who rule the budget segment. With the 3s Prime, Xiaomi leaves the user with no room to complain. It most definitely is a must-buy.