Redmi Note 3: Xiaomi's Biggest Bet to Take on LeEco, Huawei is Coming on March 3!

By Sayan
|

Xiaomi, after having commenced their Explorer program in the country thanks to 100 handpicked users has eventually announced the launch date of the Redmi Note 3 in India. The budget Redmi phablet from the Chinese maker is all set to debut in India on March 3 at an event in Delhi.

Xiaomi's Biggest Bet to Take on LeEco, Huawei is Coming on March 3!

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 was launched back towards the end of last year in China at a price similar to that of its predecessor the Redmi Note 2 - 16GB variant at 899 Yuan (Rs 9,500 approx.) and 32GB at 1099 Yuan (Rs 11,500 approx.) Incidentally though, the phablet was powered by a Mediatek Helio X10 SoC thereby preventing the company to launch the smartphone in India. For those unaware Xiaomi was forced to withdraw the sales of Mediatek powered Redmi Note phablet in the country two years back by the orders of the Supreme Court of India.

SEE ALSO: Top 10 Android Smartphones under Rs 15,000, best for College Students

Due to popular demand of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 in India the high flying Chinese smartphone maker were forced to launch a new variant which replaced the Helio X10 chip on the inside with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 (previously 618). Well, the main motive behind launching the variant was quite clear and needed no explanation. Interestingly though Xiaomi also upgraded the 13MP camera on the rear of the smartphone with a 16MP one which was capable of shooting 4K footage.

Can it change Xiaomi's sluggish sales in India?

With the launch in India round the quarter we believe that the Redmi Note 3 has the potential in it to change the dimension of the present mid-range smartphone market in India. But the fate of the Note 3 will surely depend on the pricing. Just a few weeks back the mid-range segment i.e. the 10-14K segment was lying quite barren for Xiaomi. Well, the expectation from the company has tripled thanks to the aggressive pricing strategies they had followed when they made an entry into the country.

Xiaomi's Biggest Bet to Take on LeEco, Huawei is Coming on March 3!

LeEco Le1S time to take 'Note'

The all new Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has the caliber in it to fulfill the mid-range vacancy, but it will surely face stiff competition from yet another Chinese player namely the LeEco. The recently launched LeEco Le 1S is creating quite a buzz in the market thanks to their full page ads on newspapers, posters on the road and an aggressive pricing of Rs 10,999 to top it off.

Xiaomi's Biggest Bet to Take on LeEco, Huawei is Coming on March 3!

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and the LeEco Le 1S has a number of similarities especially when you compare their external footprint. Both the smartphone come with a 5.5 inch Full HD display (1920x1080p) which is incorporated into a well-built all metal body. The differences however creep in when you consider the internals of the smartphone.

Snapdragon vs Helio

As compared to the Snapdragon 650 SoC inside the Redmi Note 3, the Le 1S sports a Helio X10 chip. There's no denying that the Snapdragon SoCs by Qualcomm are the front runner when it comes to consumer choices, however the Mediatek chips are stepping in quite fast.

Xiaomi's Biggest Bet to Take on LeEco, Huawei is Coming on March 3!

May well be the best camera phone under 14K

Who doesn't want their smartphone to come with a good camera? Well, the popularity of various social networking platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter has leveraged the importance of the cameras in smartphone. Coming to the two devices in questions, the Redmi Note 3 has a decisive edge over the LeEco Le 1S in this department. The budget Xiaomi phablet has a higher resolution (16MP) rear camera to that found on the Le1S.

Xiaomi's Biggest Bet to Take on LeEco, Huawei is Coming on March 3!

Pricing will be the deciding factor

As mentioned earlier Xiaomi sells the 3GB RAM/32GB internal storage version of the Redmi Note 3 in China for a price of 1099 Yuan which is roughly Rs 11,500. After applying import costs and logistics it is expected that Xiaomi will launch this device in India at a price of Rs 12,999. This will pit it in direct competition with the recently launched Huawei Honor 5X. Apart from that it will place the smartphone at a slightly higher price bracket than the Le 1S which retails at Rs 10,999. However, this price point is justified considering the fact the Redmi Note 3 sports a Qualcomm chip and a higher resolution camera.

Xiaomi's Biggest Bet to Take on LeEco, Huawei is Coming on March 3!

It's worth noting that the Rs 12,999 price tag will also place the device head to head with yet another Xiaomi smartphone namely the Mi4. Though the Xiaomi Mi5 launch is scheduled for Feb 25 at the MWC, the Xiaomi Mi4 is still smartphone to beat in its price range. So it will a tough choice to select one among the two - Xiaomi Redmi Note and the Mi4!

Best Mobiles in India

Best Phones

Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Yes No
Settings X
X