REVIEW: Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 - powerful hardware in a metal case for $ 210

Various variants of Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 have become the most popular Chinese smartphones in 2016. It was not possible to spoil the statistics even with confusion with a lot of different modifications. Buyers love this gadget regardless of the processor installed, the amount of RAM and the camera module. What else can you expect from a smartphone with high-quality components, good assembly and a price lower than the basement copies of European devices - about 8 thousand rubles?

But the company decided not to stop there and released an update to the line - Redmi Note 4. The novelty received a new design, processor and a fresh version of the operating system. Let's see how that affected the $ 210 version with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

Specifications

Display	5.5 inches, IPS LCD, 1,920 × 1,080 pixels (Full HD), 401 ppi
Platform	MediaTek Helio X20 (MT6797)
CPU	64-bit, 10 cores up to 2.1 GHz
Graphics	Mali T880 MP4
RAM	2/3 GB
Persistent memory	16/64 GB
Memory card slot	microSD (instead of the second SIM)
Main camera	13 MP, f / 2.0, phase detection autofocus, dual LED flash
Front-camera	5 MP, f / 2.0
Supported networks	GSM / EDGE, UMTS / HSDPA, LTE (nanoSIM, microSIM)
Interfaces	Wi-Fi Dual-Band (a / b / g / n / ac), Bluetooth 4.2 (A2DP, LE), microUSB, mini-jack (3.5 mm), infrared
Navigation	GPS (A-GPS), GLONASS
Additionally	Fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, light sensor, proximity sensor
Operating system	MIUI 8 based on Android 6.x
Materials (edit)	Metal, glass
Battery	4 100 mAh
Dimensions (edit)	151 × 76 × 8.3 mm
The weight	175 g

Appearance and delivery set

Xiaomi's packaging design hasn't changed for a long time. A white box with a photograph of the device and the name of the model has become a kind of business card of the company. The same can be said about the meager bundle. Looking at the success of the manufacturer, even major brands have given up on additional accessories and now offer to purchase them separately.

The smartphone itself turned out to be extremely successful. Finally, Xiaomi has abandoned the case with huge plastic inserts, which is popular among Chinese brands, and has released a truly stylish device.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 looks more like HTC or Xiaomi premium smartphones. The antennas are now hidden not along the edges of the case behind plastic plugs, but in thin separating inserts. At the same time, they do not stand out from the general contours of the metal back cover, as was the case in previous modifications.

The location and dimensions of the main camera and the flash and scanner placed under it have not changed. But Redmi Note 4 received a new shape of the edges: cut and with a shiny metal bevel. The solution is very successful: the smartphone is much stronger in the palm of your hand.

The speaker grill has moved from the rear panel to the lower end of the case, on either side of the microUSB connector. The elements on the top end have not changed: an infrared port, a headphone jack and a microphone for noise cancellation.

On the right side there is a power key and a volume rocker. On the left is the SIM card slot.

Display

This part remained unchanged, except that the sensor was moved to the left side of the earpiece grille.

The screen of the Redmi Note 4 is very good compared to most of the competition. Brightness, viewing angles, backlight level - all these parameters are the same as a mid-priced smartphone should have. Of course, this is not the Redmi Pro AMOLED panel: this model of the premium line shows richer colors, deep blacks.

You can change the color settings as needed. The operating system offers the user both ready-made profiles and the ability to fine-tune. There is also a night reading mode, when the white backlight is replaced by yellow.

Protects the screen and the entire front surface of 2.5D glass. Official information about the manufacturer is not indicated.

The buttons "Home", "Menu", "Back" are hidden under the glass. Despite the small icons (by the way, with a bright yellow backlight), the touch surface is actually much larger. So much that it allows you to work with the device without accidental clicks.

Hardware platform

It was the processor that caused the appearance of a mass of options for Redmi Note 3. In the updated version of the smartphone, Xiaomi engineers, in choosing between Qualcomm and MediaTek, preferred the latter products.

The basis of Redmi Note 4 was the once flagship platform MediaTek Helio X20: 10 cores, a good video accelerator, fast work with memory. Multi-core contributes to high power efficiency, slow battery drain and high operating speed.

Until recently, the Helio X20 showed excellent results in synthetic tests, overshadowing many other solutions. Now the platform is significantly inferior in these indicators to solutions from Qualcomm, but the real headroom will be enough for the next year or two.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4: test results in AnTuTu

None of the modern games can load the processor to the maximum. Interface lags and slowdowns can be observed only due to poor-quality optimization of programs, but not in any way due to a lack of hardware resources.

Another advantage of using the platform from MediaTek is the support of all necessary communication protocols. First of all, this concerns LTE frequencies. Many Xiaomi smartphones do not work in Band 20. With the release of Redmi Note 4, you can forget about this problem: the smartphone is not limited in supporting any frequencies used by mobile operators in Russia and the CIS countries.

Other wireless interfaces are just as good. There is support for modern standards Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi at frequencies of 2, 4 and 5 GHz. The navigation system can work with GPS and GLONASS. And not only can - it works great, allowing you to use a smartphone instead of a navigator.

Unfortunately, there is no separate slot for memory cards in Redmi Note 4. The USB stick can be inserted into one of the SIM card slots. True, here Xiaomi has offered a partial exit. The older model with 3 GB of RAM is now equipped not with 32 GB, but 64 GB of permanent memory. Buyers of the younger model with 2 GB of RAM will have to make a combined SIM + flash at their own risk.

Software

So far, there are no official deliveries of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 with global firmware - only with Chinese. At the same time, minor difficulties are caused by the need to unlock the bootloader: you need to register on the official website and obtain permission. After that, the device is flashed to the global firmware version in two clicks.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4: MIUI 7 operating system

Officially, the smartphone is sold with the MIUI 7 operating system based on Android 5.1. But already at the first start-up, the device allows you to update to the latest version, and this applies to both the Chinese and global firmware versions.

The new MIUI 8 is an add-on to Android 6.0. There are practically no differences from previous versions. All the same unique possibilities for customizing all parameters, from screen and sound to security policy.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4: notification curtain

The only thing that catches the eye is the new curtain: now instead of two usual pages, it occupies only the upper part of the screen. The choice of the necessary icon is carried out by scrolling the quick launch strip.

The Chinese version of the firmware is filled with proprietary applications. Unfortunately, most Xiaomi and MIUI services are not available in Russia or in Russian. Strictly speaking, the Russian language in this version of the shell is not available at all, including as a system language. Therefore, the transition to the global is necessary.

There are fewer additional applications here, but certain services like the MIUI cloud and the associated Mi Home application for controlling home appliances remain available immediately after reinstallation.

Multimedia capabilities

The smartphone has long ceased to be a device for communication and information consumption. Now its tasks include creating content, with which Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 does an excellent job.

The main camera can take excellent pictures in good lighting conditions. As in other Xiaomi smartphones, there is a fairly wide range of settings in manual mode, up to adjusting exposure and aperture parameters. Although not without flaws.

Night shots come out better than the Redmi 3s, but getting a good shot is still problematic. The lens desperately lacks aperture ratio, which manifests itself even at dusk.

The front camera allows you to take selfies, can smooth out facial imperfections and is able to determine age - a rather fun feature, which, however, does not save you from dissatisfaction with slightly blurry pictures.

Battery life

Another important parameter that determines the relevance of the device. Built-in 4 100 mAh battery allows Redmi Note 4 to work for a long time. True, the results do not reach Xiaomi Max and Leagoo Shark 1. But the operating time from a single charge is still significantly higher than that of competitors.

So, when watching movies at medium brightness via Wi-Fi or from the internal memory, Redmi Note 4 works up to nine hours.

Turning on LTE (in good reception conditions) reduces this figure to seven hours. If you replace the movie with a three-dimensional shooter, for example World Of Tanks, the operating time will be five hours - a very good result.

In a mixed mode of use (enabled wireless interfaces, several calls, a couple of hours of correspondence in instant messengers and social networks, an hour of music and video), the device can easily live up to 20 hours.

conclusions

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 will soon become the most popular smartphone of the company. So far, the Note 3 Pro competes with it - primarily because of the processor and lower cost. As soon as prices equalize a little, they will be less willing to buy the previous version.

On the side of the novelty there is an excellent design, which distinguishes the device favorably from many clones, and a successful hardware platform. The price is still unprofitable. But with the use of the RedmiMIGB coupon, it drops to $ 173, and at that cost, there are no competitors.