Xiaomi Redmi 4 Review: High-end Looking Smartphone at Low-end Price

A few weeks back we saw several Xiaomi smartphones launched especially for the high-end market. I mean the Xiaomi Mi 5S, Mi 5S Plus , Mi Note 2 and Mi Mix . But Xiaomi is one of those companies that has diversified its production long ago. Therefore, this manufacturer always comes in with products for all niches. The mid-range and low-end smartphone markets are no exceptions. This is the main reason why it launched two budget-friendly smartphones a few days ago dubbed as the Redmi 4 and Redmi 4A . We have already got acquainted with the latter , so let’s take a glance at the key features of the Xiaomi Redmi 4.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 Design

Xiaomi has already managed to copy the strategy of top brands that make their flagships’housing of metal. For example, the much anticipated Xiaomi Mi 5S failed due to lack of a ceramic housing . Thus this company thinks metal housing is what high-end devices need. But this statement is not actual for all models. As you remember, the stylish Mi Mix comes with all-ceramic housing, but it is not solid, as some cases showed. So I guess these two reasons affected Xiaomi’s decision to pack their budget handsets with metal body instead of any other material. But you have to know here are some enhancements in metal body making process.

Like its predecessor the original Xiaomi Redmi 4 comes with an all-metal housing. But as the market is full of 3 stage design handsets, Xiaomi has decided to make it as a one-piece phone. As a result, the body has passed 30 processes. After that the body passes blasting process and CNC diamond cutting process. I mean, it is more difficult for a manufacturer to come in with such a mode, but Xiaomi is not from those who avoid difficulties.

Unlike the Xiaomi Redmi 3, which came with a textured back cover, this time we see the manufacturer has made it plain but matted. Though the Redmi 4 is a mid-range handset at low pricing, it looks like a top-notch device thanks to the design.

As for the front panel, we have a 5-inch screen with a 720p resolution (720 x 1280 pixels). It is capable of displaying anything at any angle and condition indoors and outdoors, and even under the direct sunlight. Thanks to an excellent display the content will have vivid colors and clear pictures. There is also a 2.5D glass to protect the screen. But it’s been expected to see something like this because almost all Chinese smartphone makers use this technology to replace the Corning Gorilla Glass technology.

The phone is not light ’it weighs 156 grams, and it’s mainly related to the presence of meal housing and a large battery under the hood. Its dimensions are also standard for the phone from this category – 141.3 x 69.6 x 8.9 mm.

As for the location of different buttons and ports, the front carries a speaker and a front camera on the upper side, the right side comes with a volume rocker and an unlock button, the left side carries a SIM card slot, the mini USB port, and the 3.5mm audio jack are on the bottom and the top, respectively. And what’s more interesting the back panel comes with a rear camera as well as a fast operating fingerprint scanner that is almost the same what we have found on the Mi 5S.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 Performance

It’s been predictable the Xiaomi Redmi 4 will come in two versions, but it is not the case of different storages ’there are two different processors. The Xiaomi Redmi 4 Standard Edition is packed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz and paired with Adreno 505 GPU clocked at 450MHz, 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM. this model is priced at 699 yuan ($105). The Xiaomi Redmi 4 High Version sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core CPU clocked at 2.0GHz and with a great tandem of Adreno 506 GPU clocked at 650MHz, 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM, and this model is available for 899 yuan ($135). However, both phones support TF card port for memory expansion. However, I guess this is not a surprising, as the Redmi 4 and its sibling had been spotted at TENNA .

Both models were put into benchmark tests, and they showed average scores meaning they will run most of the games smoothly, but there will be real difficulties related with heavy graphics games.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 Battery

The battery of original Redmi series handsets has always been at large capacity. The penultimate version sported a 4100mAh battery, and the same can be found on the Redmi 4 as well. The battery showed 76% charged after 5 hours of normal usage. Plus, 20 minutes of playing 3D games discharged the phone only for 4%. This means the device can serve you about two days when using it normally.

On the contrary, the 5V / 2A charging doesn’t support any quick charge option, and the Xiaomi Redmi 4 charged at 23% in 30 minutes. So the phone will take 2.5 hours to charge fully.

As for the connectivity, the Xiaomi Redmi 4 comes with dual standby SIM card slots supporting China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom 4G / 3G / 2G bands. The High Version also supports 4G+, so I see no problem here.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 Camera

It seems both versions come with the same 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. But the High Version comes with dual tone flash, which means it will be more accurate with white balance. However, the Xiaomi Redmi 4 phones support PDAF phase focusing and low light picture quality enhancement technology that are usually found on high-end handsets. On the other hand, the both cameras come with f/2.2 aperture, which means there will be some noise in photos.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• CNC processed metal design
• Nice hardware (latest Snapdragons)
• Best Camera (Generates best pictures even under low light)
• Incredible Battery Life (can last upto 2 days under normal use)

Cons:

• 720p resolution
• Still based on Android 6.0

Wrap up

If comparing the Xiaomi Redmi 3 with the Xiaomi Redmi 4, we can see the manufacturer has made a list of anticipated changes including a high-end looking housing and faster processor. Thus the mid-range original Redmi series is getting closer to high-end smartphones, and customers are given a good chance to get their hands on handsets very close to a top-end category but costing low.