Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 review: Slim edges, 13MP camera at Rs 12,999

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

Riding on the success of its flagship device Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 that offered high-end specifications, the Chinese electronics major has launched Redmi Note 4 -- its first device this year.

Bullish over its over $1 billion India revenue last year, Xiaomi is set to launch some eye-popping devices this year and the Note 4 is just the beginning.

Let us see what works for the Rs 12,999 Note 4 (4GB RAM and 64GB on-board memory).

Similar to its predecessor, Note 4 has an all-metal body. The premium-looking device fits well in the hands with slim borders and 2.5D curved-edge glass on front.

The device has a hybrid SIM tray on the left bumper and volume toggles and power button on the right. The speaker grills have been moved below (Note 3 had those in the back).

The 5.5-inch device with full-HD IPS display returned sharp text, images and videos. There was no eye strain while watching movies (with highest brightness) for a longer period of time.

Xiaomi Note 4 is powered by the 2Ghz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor that makes gaming (Asphalt 8) and multitasking a charm.

At the back panel (with fine antenna bands running across top and bottom), a centrally-aligned, 13MP camera is placed above the fingerprint scanner and a dual-tone LED flash is sandwiched between them.

The photos taken by the rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and PDAF (phase detection autofocus) in bright-light conditions were impressive. The 5MP selfie camera also worked just fine.

Note 4 has a non-removable, 4,100mAh battery -- bigger than Redmi Note 3's 4,050mAh. The battery charge went 0-100 in an hour.

Average daily use (light surfing and chatting) gave us a 20-hour back-up on a full charge.

Note 4 runs on MIUI 8 that is based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The "Gallery" app automatically syncs stored photos on the device with Mi Cloud. Users can turn off the sync if they don't want the photos to be synched.

Like some of the previous devices, Note 4 offers "Dual Apps" and "Second Space". While "Dual Apps" feature allows users to create a second copy of an app, "Second Space" lets people separate business and personal data on the same device.

The performance, however, could vary for different variants (2GB RAM + 32GB storage variant comes for Rs 9,999 and 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage device is for Rs 10,999).

What doesn't work?

The camera is still the problem when it comes to low-light conditions as photos get too grainy. Also, the focus is slow when clicking a photo in low-light conditions.

Conclusion: Overall, the Redmi Note 4 is a good deal, especially at a time when no other device in the same bracket has been launched till date this year. Try to spend a little more to buy the Rs 12,999 Note 4 (4GB RAM and 64GB on-board memory).