Xiaomi Redmi - A Budget Phone with Endless Customization
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Imaging, Performance and Conclusion
Performance Benchmarks
The Redmi is powered by a MediaTek MT6589T quad-core 1.5GHz processor and 1GB RAM. There is another Snapdragon variant announced in China, but there is no information at the moment whether it will be available in Singapore.
We will be comparing the Redmi against the other phones of its class which include the HTC Desire 601, LG Optimus F5, Motorola Moto G, Nokia Lumia 625, Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and Sony Xperia SP. There are other Samsung models such as the Galaxy Ace 3 with LTE that are closer to the price range of the Redmi, but we did not have a chance to review and run our tests.
Xiaomi Redmi | HTC Desire 601 | LG Optimus F5 | Motorola Moto G | Nokia Lumia 625 | Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini | Sony Xperia SP | |
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Quadrant Results
Quadrant evaluates a device's CPU, memory, I/O and 3D graphics performances.
The Redmi ranks at the bottom of the chart alongside the Optimus F5. To be honest, it is not a surprise since MediaTek processors do not perform as well as their other counterparts in our reviews of the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8 and ASUS MeMO Pad HD 7. The Moto G running on an almost stock Android interface, easily beat the Redmi in this benchmark.
SunSpider Javascript
SunSpider Javascript measures the browsing performance of a device. It not only takes into consideration the underlying hardware performance, but also assesses how optimized a particular platform is at delivering a high-speed web browsing experience.
On this test, the Remi exceeded our expectations and is on-par with the Lumia 625. Windows Phone devices generally perform better in this test than their Android counterparts with more powerful hardware, hence it is rare to see the Redmi matching a Windows Phone device of its class.
Synthetic benchmarks aside, the user experience of the Redmi is average. As mentioned earlier in the review, the choice of themes will affect the speed of operation. Using a graphics-intensive theme will slow down the phone as more system resources are required.
Even if the Redmi is using a simple theme, the user experience is not as smooth as that of a Nexus device or another better equipped Android device. Since the Redmi is not built to be a flagship device, we won't be too critical of its performance. After all, you get what you pay for; a S$169 phone cannot perform as well as a flagship phone that is far more expensive. Overall, its performance should suffice for its intended target market of consumers.
Imaging Performance
While most phone makers neglect the imaging hardware on their entry level models, Xiaomi takes a different route and equips the Redmi with flagship worthy specs such as an 8-megapixel rear camera, f/2.2 aperture, 1.4ųm sensor and 28mm wide angle lens.
Another entry level smartphone that can rival or surpass the Redmi on paper is the Desire 601 with its 5-megapixel rear camera, 1/4-inch BSI sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 28mm wide angle lens and HTC ImageChip. Having said that, we encourage you to click on the below photo obtained with the Redmi to check out its imaging prowess:-
Battery Performance
Our standard battery test for mobile phones includes the following parameters:
• Looping a 800 x 480-pixel video with screen brightness and volume at 100%
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
• Constant data streaming through email and Twitter
The Redmi lasted slightly over five hours in our battery test, which is considered quite decent. If you take into account that the Redmi has the biggest and high resolution display among the phones compared, its battery mileage is actually good. The Lumia 625 may have the same display size and battery capacity, but it has a lower resolution display which draws less power.
This also explains why the Redmi has the third highest power consumption after the Xperia SP and Optimus F5. The other phones registered lower power consumption due to smaller, lower resolution displays.
Portability
We measure the portability of a device by calculating its battery life to (weight x volume) ratio. As a result, the Redmi fared badly here due to its weight and larger form factor.
But benchmarking gives only one view to this assessment. To give you a more realistic understanding on how the Redmi fared under real world usage conditions, we included screenshots of the usage and history graphs.
As seen from the graphs above, the Redmi could last about 16 hours before the battery dipped below 15%. Screen-on time is about 2 hours and 43 minutes. Some notes:
- The device logged onto both 3G and 2G networks.
- The device logged onto Wi-Fi connections from time to time.
- Our typical usage scenarios include making some voice calls, texting via WhatsApp, capturing some photos and sharing them on social networking sites, the occasional web browsing via Pulse News Reader and emailing.
Do note that battery mileage varies depending on your usage patterns. As for us, we feel the phone did a decent job despite its small battery capacity. Its battery mileage could potentially be better if we had turned off one SIM card.
Fortunately for extra heavy users of their phone, the Redmi comes with a removable battery and obtaining extra batteries and a battery charger is rather affordable.
Conclusion
There is without a doubt that Xiaomi will disrupt the smartphone market in Singapore with the Redmi. It has already done so in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan and there is no reason why it wouldn't be able to replicate its success here.
While some critics may argue that Singapore is a different market due to the brand conscious mentality of consumers, we think that the price factor alone is sufficient to win significant number of users over to Xiaomi's camp. Even without the price factor, there is a lot going for Xiaomi.
The build quality of the Redmi is plenty decent for the amount of money that consumers are paying, and consumers can personalize their phones with various back covers and protective case accessories which are very affordable. The Redmi also gains brownie points for its 4.7-inch IPS display, memory card slot and imaging performance.
Xiaomi's top killer feature in the Redmi is the MIUI OS, which gives users endless ways to customize the interfaces of their phones. Moreover, users no longer need to wait several weeks or months for software updates as MIUI is updated every Friday or between one to two months (depending if you're part of the beta group or a regular customer).
The software updates are based on users' feedback and requests, which builds brand loyalty and and makes the features of MIUI practical. Everyone knows that the survival of an OS lies in the ecosystem of apps and services, and MIUI is clearly growing stronger by the day thanks to its hardcore users and vibrant community of developers.
However, the full potential of the MIUI is limited by the hardware of the Redmi. 1GB RAM is just barely enough to run MIUI on the Redmi; stress it a little with graphics intensive themes and the whole phone slows down. Perhaps better optimizations and strict regulation of theme designs may address the lags. However, if you are looking for Nexus-class experience (buttery smooth performance), you are better off with a Nexus device or a flagship Android smartphone with an almost stock Android interface such as the ASUS PadFone Infinity (late 2013).
Considering the price, performance and software capabilities with endless customization options, the Redmi has no equal in its category. Priced at S$169, you can purchase the phone from Xiaomi Singapore website this Friday (21 Feb) at noon. Be warned - Xiaomi phones sell like hotcakes and you have to act fast if you want to lay your hands on one. Don't believe us? Check out the video of a Taiwanese customer trying to purchase the Redmi online in December last year:
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