With more and more brands entering India's mobile market, we now have plenty of devices to choose from at any price bracket. But it seems to me that the price bracket of around ten thousand rupees is where the competition is hottest.
While big brands like Samsung and LG do have some nice devices for this price, the race is being overshadowed by brands like Micromax, ASUS, Moto, Xiaomi etc.
Xiamoi recently launched their much awaited Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 . The device was being eagerly anticipated by many. And I think it doesn't disappoint, at least in terms of looks and specifications.
When we talk about looks, Xiaomi Note 3 has sandblasted metal exterior with rounded edges. The rounded edges would make the device more comfortable to hold. But I guess they'd also make the phone more slippery in hand. It has ample 5.5 inch display which makes it a big device. The bezels are narrow enough. It weighs 164 grams. Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is available in three colour variants: silver with white front, grey with black front and a gold variant. The back is non-removable and looks clean and elegant. The round finger-print sensor under the camera reminded me of the fingerprint sensor of LE Eco 1S.
What makes Xiamoi Redmi Note 3 an attractive package is the set of specifications it offers, despite being a budget phone. As mentioned earlier, it has 5.5-inch display (1080p IPS) which is protected by scratch-resistant glass. The device is equipped with 1.8GHz Hexa-core (2x Cortex A72, 4x Cortex A53), Snapdragon 650 processor and Adreno 510 GPU. Xiaomi Note 3 is available in two RAM/ROM variants. These are 2GB RAM with 16GB ROM and 3GB RAM with 32GB ROM. The internal storage is expandable with the memory card that can be inserted in the Hybrid SIM Slot. The device has Android 5.1.1 Lollipop operating system with MIUI 7. As for camera, Xiaomi Note 3 has 16MP Rear Camera with impressive f/2.0 aperture, phase-detection autofocus and dual-tone LED Flash. The front camera is 5MP.
The 2GB RAM/16GB ROM variant is priced at Rs. 9999 and the 3GB RAM/32GB ROM variant is priced at Rs. 11,999. At this price, the device does seem like an attractive option for those looking for a big screen smartphone with a great sounding specifications set. However, the after sale service of Xiaomi is a worry for many people and might pinch a hole in the success story of this device too.