Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Brings Premium Build, Helio X10 SoC, Fingerprint Sensor and $141 Price Tag
Xiaomi may have forfeited the top spot to Huawei as China's largest smartphone player, but that doesn't mean the company is throwing in the towel and conceding defeat. Just the opposite, Xiaomi has come out swinging with the Redmi Note 3, a premium-looking handset with some high-end features and a budget price tag.
The Redmi Note 3 follows the modern design philosophy of top-tier competitors like Samsung and Apple with a metallic and glass construction that's thin (8.65mm) and light (164g). It also boasts a sizable 5.5-inch Full HD 1080p display, which is the same size and resolution as the iPhone 6s Plus, a flagship device that costs hundreds of dollars more (we'll get to that in a moment).
This phone is an upgrade over the plastic Redmi Note 2 that came to market a mere three months ago. It should be a much faster handset with a MediaTek octa-core Helio H10 processor running the show, which is flanked by 2GB or 3GB of RAM and 16GB of 32GB of internal storage.
Photo buffs will find a 13-megapixel rear shooter with phase detection autofocus, and a 5-megapixel front camera for selfies and video chat.
Rounding out the feature-set is a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone (unlocks the device in 0.3 seconds), 802.11ac Wi-Fi, dual SIM slots with support for 4G LTE, and a capacious 4,000 mAh battery.
The real story here is pricing. Xiaomi will offer the Redmi Note 3 with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage for CNY 899 (~$141 in U.S. currency). The higher end model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage doesn't cost much more at CNY 1,099 (~$171).
The Redmi Note 3 follows the modern design philosophy of top-tier competitors like Samsung and Apple with a metallic and glass construction that's thin (8.65mm) and light (164g). It also boasts a sizable 5.5-inch Full HD 1080p display, which is the same size and resolution as the iPhone 6s Plus, a flagship device that costs hundreds of dollars more (we'll get to that in a moment).
This phone is an upgrade over the plastic Redmi Note 2 that came to market a mere three months ago. It should be a much faster handset with a MediaTek octa-core Helio H10 processor running the show, which is flanked by 2GB or 3GB of RAM and 16GB of 32GB of internal storage.
Photo buffs will find a 13-megapixel rear shooter with phase detection autofocus, and a 5-megapixel front camera for selfies and video chat.
Rounding out the feature-set is a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone (unlocks the device in 0.3 seconds), 802.11ac Wi-Fi, dual SIM slots with support for 4G LTE, and a capacious 4,000 mAh battery.
The real story here is pricing. Xiaomi will offer the Redmi Note 3 with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage for CNY 899 (~$141 in U.S. currency). The higher end model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage doesn't cost much more at CNY 1,099 (~$171).
