Xiaomi Redmi 4 First Impressions: Big battery, premium design with a Snapdragon CPU underneath

Xiaomi Redmi 4 sports a 5-inch HD display and is backed by a large 4,100 mAh battery unit. It comes at a starting price of Rs. 6,999

By Rohit
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Xiaomi today expanded its product portfolio in the Indian market with the launch of budget Android smartphone- Redmi 4. Launched in three variants, the Redmi 4 will come at a starting price of Rs. 6,999 for the 2GB RAM+ 16GB storage variant.

 
Xiaomi Redmi 4 First Impressions

The 3GB RAM+32GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 8,999, and finally the Redmi 4 with 4GB RAM+64GB storage will set you back by Rs. 10,999 and will be available by June end.

 

This time around, Xiaomi is following an aggressive market strategy to sell the new Redmi smartphone. Redmi 4 will be made available on May 23 at 12 noon via Amazon India and Mi.com.

The smartphone will also be made available to offline buyers, however only to the consumers in Bangalore where the Chinese tech giant has recently opened Mi Home retail store. Redmi 4 will start selling from 9am IST on Saturday, May 20 via Mi Home store.

Moreover, interested buyers users can pre-book the smartphone on Mi.com, and pick it up on launch day from Mi Home retail store. The pre-booking starts today by paying an amount of Rs. 1,000. Fret not if the new Redmi 4 goes out of stock at Mi Home store as the company guarantees that a F-Code will be provided for redemption on Mi.com to purchase the smartphone.

We were present at the launch event of the Redmi 4 and here's what we have to say about the new budget Redmi handset.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 First Impressions

Design: It's compact, premium and looks like a mini Redmi Note 4

Xiaomi has been offering metallic handsets in the budget price-point from quite a while. The new Redmi 4 also sports a unibody metal design and looks quite premium for the price-point it comes at. The smartphone follows the Xiaomi's symmetric design language and comes with a 2.5D curved glass at front.

I have always found Redmi handsets quite ergonomic and this one sits right in your palm without any design issues. As the handset comes with a 5-inch footprint with minimal bezels, your thumb effortlessly reaches every part of the display without any struggle.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 First Impressions

Designed to match the look and feel of the bigger Redmi Note 4, the smartphone have two speaker grilles at the bottom positioned on either side of the micro-SUB port. You will find the 3.5mm headphone jack at the top placed along with a microphone and an IR blaster to let you control electronic devices at home or office.

SEE ALSO: Xiaomi Redmi 4 launched in India with 4100mAh battery; price starts from Rs. 6,999

Like the previous Redmi devices, the volume rockers and power button are placed on the right and you have the hybrid SIM card tray at the left side. The real panel comes with a matte finish surface and houses the 13MP camera module and a fingerprint scanner.

Overall, Redmi 4 will please consumers with its premium looks and ergonomic design.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 First Impressions

Display: 5-inch HD screen with a 2.5D curved glass on top

Like the recently launched Redmi 4A, the new Redmi 4 also sports a 5-inch HD display, which seemed quite bright and vivid. The screen has a 2.5D curved glass and felt very responsive. The 720p resolution on a 5-inch footprint will result in crisp images, videos and texts while you browse web pages. We will test the 5-inch screen's performance in outdoor conditions while reviewing the handset.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 First Impressions

Battery & Software: The large 4,100 mAh battery unit is definitely the USP of the smartphone

It's pretty interesting to see some of the flagship handsets working on battery capacities in the range of 3,000- 3,500 mAh, while a budget handset sporting a large 4,100 mAh battery unit. Redmi 4 is certainly designed to last long as the 4,100 mAh battery has to support a small 5-inch 720p screen and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 CPU.

Xiaomi claims that the Redmi 4 can power through up to two days of regular usage, something we are eager to test in our comprehensive review of the smartphone.

As far as software is concerned, Xiaomi Redmi 4 runs on Android 6.0.1 with MIUI 8. The company claims that the smartphone and will be upgraded to Android N very soon.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 First Impressions

Camera: 13MP rear camera with PDAF and a 5MP front shooter

On camera front, you get a 13MP rear snapper with LED flash light. The camera is equipped with Phase Detection AutoFocus (PDAF) and has an aperture size of f/2.2 aperture. Like the previous Xiaomi devices, the rear camera is quick to focus and captures decent pictures.

The smartphone has the Xiaomi's easy to use camera app that offers features such as Panorama, Timer, Beautify, Filters, Audio, Scene and even a manual mode that allows you to tweak ISO, White balance, etc. to play around with images you capture. The front has a 5MP shooter to capture selfies.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 First Impressions

Hardware: 2GB, 3GB and 4GB RAM options with Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 CPU

Xiaomi has announced three variants of Redmi 4. You get a 2GB RAM variant with 16GB storage option, one with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal memory and the third with 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage.

All the three variants are powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor, which would be capable enough to run most of the daily tasks without breaking a sweat. You can choose the Ram and storage variant as per your requirement. Besides, the internal storage can be expanded by upto 128GB via microSD card. For connectivity you have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, 4G VoLTE, hybrid dual-SIM, GPS and an IR blaster.

I tested the 3GB RAM variant for a while and during my brief stint with the handset, I found it to be quite responsive with no lags and stutters. However, it's too early to give a verdict and the real potential of Redmi 4 will be evaluated in its detailed review.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 First Impressions

Verdict

Xiaomi Redmi handsets have done quite well in past and it seems Xiaomi Redmi 4 will do the same to the company's profits. Moreover, the Chinese tech giant has now expanded its distribution channels (MI Store), which is only going to boost the sales figures. We will evaluate the Redmi 4's performance in the coming week to give our final verdict on the smartphone's performance.

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