Xiaomi is here to kill the rest of the flagship family, but it is taking the most dangerous route. The company has ventured into releasing flagship-like phones that carry top-end designs and hardware, but are priced at very affordable prices.
Talk of the Xiaomi Mi5, Xiaomi Mi Max, Xiaomi Mi Note Pro, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and now there is a Xiaomi Redmi Note 4. The Chinese OEM has unveiled this handset in China, but there is no word on when it will hit other markets, including the U.S.
As expected, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 comes with an excellent look, a decent set of features and specs and you will be mind-blown by the price tag of the phone as well. You will come across a full metallic unibody on the Redmi Note 4, something similar to what you see with the Note 3. However, there are some tweaks here and there to make it a unique design to the new phone, including chamfered edges and brushed metal finish – adds that make the phone look and feel even better than its predecessor.
Despite its price tag, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 also comes with a fingerprint scanner located at the back, a feature that is growingly becoming a norm even with budget phones. Getting further, the Redmi Note 4 packs a phablet-size 5.5-inch Full HD screen that is covered with a 2.5D curved glass and has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Under the hood, you get a capable MediaTek Helio X20 SoC that is paired with a Mali-T880MP4 graphics processor and a RAM of either 2GB or 3GB.
As for the storage, you get two options that coincide with the RAM options, where the base model packs 16GB while the top-end model has 64GB. The good side of the story is that you still get room to expand the storage via a microSD card on both models as well as a decent 4100mAh battery unit. In terms of photography, Xiaomi has not been the best, but still, you will be impressed with the 13MP snapper you find on the back as well as a 5MP snapper on the front.
Whether Xiaomi will pull a similar stunt as it did with the Redmi Note 3 on this camera matter is still unknown. With the Note 3, the Indian version came in with a 16MP lens on the back, something that could possibly repeat. Furthermore, this Indian variant of the Redmi Note 4 should come with a Qualcomm processor thanks to an ongoing legal battle with respect to MediaTek-powered phones. Software-wise, Android 6.0 Marshmallow is powering the phone out of the box.
The pricing aspect is probably the peak of this article. Apparently, Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Note 4 base model for a price of CNY 899, which is an approximate of just $135. On the other hand, the top-end variant will cost CNY 1199, a price that is equivalent to $180. The question is will Xiaomi maintain the same price tag as far as the international variants are concerned? Let’s give it time and see.
Will you consider getting your hands on a new Xiaomi Redmi Note 4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.