Product Listing

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G: A Phablet for the masses, now with 4G

By PY Ho - 13 Nov 2014
Launch SRP: S$229

Performance, Imaging & Conclusion

Performance

As mentioned earlier, the Redmi Note 4G now uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Quad-core 1.6GHz processor in favor of the MediaTek MT6592 octa-core processor found in its predecessor. Qualcomm has marketed the Snapdragon 400 as a low cost processor with integrated LTE, henceforth it is no surprise as to the reason for the switch. It also bodes well that we generally find Qualcomm equipped devices to respond more fluidly then MediaTek equipped products.

In our previous assessment of the Redmi Note (3G), there was a brief explanation on the differences between the MediaTek MT6592 processor and Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, which you can read over here. Given that we now have two nearly identical devices, with the processor as one of the key differences, it would be interesting to see how the Redmi Note 4G fares. We also pit the newcomer against its predecessor and other budget phablets such as the HTC Desire 816, ASUS ZenFone 6 and the Huawei Honor 3X.

Do note that among the compared, only the Xiaomi and HTC devices offer 4G connectivity.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G vs. the competition
  Redmi Note 4G Xiaomi Redmi Note HTC Desire 816 ASUS ZenFone 6 Huawei Honor 3X
  Redmi Note 4G Xiaomi Redmi Note HTC Desire 816 ASUS ZenFone 6 Huawei Honor 3X
Launch SRP
  • From S$229
  • From S$199
  • From S$498
  • From S$329
  • From S$468
Operating system
  • Android 4.4 with MIUI v5
  • MIUI V5 (based on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean)
  • Android 4.4 KitKat with HTC Sense 6
  • Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with ASUS ZenUI (Upgradeable to Android 4.4 KitKat)
  • Emotion UI based on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
Processor
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core 1.6GHz (MSM8928)
  • MediaTek MT6592 octa-core 1.7GHz
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core 1.6GHz
  • Intel Atom Z2580 dual-core 2.0GHz
  • MediaTek MT6592 octa-core 1.7GHz
Built-in Memory
  • 2GB RAM
  • 2GB RAM
  • 1.5GB RAM
  • 2GB RAM
  • 2GB RAM
Display
  • 5.5-inch / 1,280 x 720 pixels / IPS
  • 5.5-inch / 1,280 x 720 pixels / IPS
  • 5.5-inch / 1,280 x 720 pixels
  • 6-inch / 1,280 x 720 pixels / IPS+
  • 5.5-inch / 1,280 x 720 pixels / IPS
Camera
  • Rear: 13-megapixel with aperture of F2.2, 28mm wide angle lens and LED flash, 1080p video recording
  • Front: 5-megapixel, 720p video recording
  • Rear: 13-megapixel with aperture of F2.2, 28mm wide angle lens and LED flash
  • Front: 5-megapixel
  • Rear: 13-megapixel rear with BSI sensor and f/2.2
  • Front: 5-megapixel with wide angle lens and BSI sensor
  • Rear: 13-megapixel with f/2.0 aperture and PixelMaster technology
  • Front: 2-megapixel
  • Rear: 13-megapixel BSI with F2.2 aperture, autofocus and LED flash
  • Front: 5-megapixel
Connectivity
  • WLAN: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, supports 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands
  • GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, AGPS
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE + Bluetooth 3.0 HS, GPS + GLONASS, A-GPS
  • Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX enabled, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, NFC, DLNA
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 (EDR + A2DP)
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0
Storage Type
  • 8GB internal storage
  • MicroSD (supports up to 64GB)
  • 8GB internal storage
  • MicroSD expansion up to 32GB
  • 8GB internal storage
  • microSD support up to 128GB
  • 16GB internal storage
  • microSD support up to 64GB
  • 8GB internal storage
  • microSD support up to 32GB
Battery
  • 3100mAh lithium-ion polymer
  • 3,100mAh
  • 2,600mAh
  • 3,300mAh
  • 3,000mAh
Dimensions
  • 154mm x 78.7mm x 9.45mm
  • 154 x 78.7 x 9.45mm
  • 156.6 x 78.7 x 7.99mm
  • 166.9 x 84.3 x 5.5~9.9 mm
  • 149.5 x 77.4 x 8.9 mm
Weight
  • 185g
  • 199g
  • 165g
  • 196g
  • 161g
Network:
  • Cellular: Supports 3G(WCDMA) and 2G(GSM) networks
  • 3G: WCDMA (900/2100MHz)
  • 2G: GSM (900/1800/1900MHz)


Sunspider

SunSpider Javascript helps measure the browsing performance of a device when processing Javascript. 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.

As seen below, most devices chalk up around 1100ms, except the Asus ZenFone 6 which takes the crown for having the best Sunspider score. This could be down to processor clock speeds since most others run around 1.6 to 1.7GHz while the Intel Atom Z2580 on the ZenFone 6 operates at a much faster 2.0GHz. According to this benchmark, Intel's slogan of having more cores isn't necessarily better turns out to be true (more references can be inferred from the ZenFone 6 review comparisons). 

 

Quadrant

Quadrant evaluates a device's CPU, memory, I/O and 3D graphics performances. The quadrant score of the Remi Note 4G loses to its predecessor by a significant margin. It also loses to the HTC Desire 816 - even when they are of the same processor.

 

3D Mark (2013)

Originally developed as a PC benchmarking tool, 3DMark is now expanded to support multiple platforms including Android OS. The Ice Storm benchmark is designed for smartphones, mobile devices and ARM architecture computers. 

For an in-depth understanding of 3DMark for Android, do head over to our article, "3DMark - Android Device GPU Performance Review." In a nutshell, it is an OpenGL ES 2.0 benchmark test that uses fixed off-screen rendering to run two graphics tests designed to stress the GPU performance of your device and a physics test to stress its CPU performance. The benchmark consists of three test portfolios:- Standard (720p resolution rendering), Extreme (1080p resolution rendering with higher quality textures and post-processing effects) and Unlimited (disabled v-sync, display scaling and other OS factors that make it ideal for chipset comparison).

We ran the latter two modes and found the Remi Note 4G garnering lower scores than the predecessor, but it ranks on par with the HTC Desire 816 that uses similar underlying hardware. 


Real World Experience

Despite the lower benchmark scores against the non-LTE predecessor, the experience when using the Note 4G actually feels smoother. Likewise, regardless of the 3DMark scores, we also observed a marked difference in 3D gaming quality on the Redmi Note 4G - the experience is smoother than in the original Note. This definitely bodes well for the newcomer and it can be attributed to both the usage of Qualcomm's processor that seems to be better optimized for its hardware specs and the improved optimization of graphics transitions in Android KitKat (the predecessor still runs on Android Jelly Bean).


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 Note 4G lasted only about 6 hours 31 minutes, more than 100 minutes less than its competitors. This is intriguing, especially given that the HTC Desire 816, with almost similar specs and lower battery capacity, can last longer than the Note 4G. The same can be said when contrasting against the Huawei Honor 3X too. Power consumption figures are much higher than expected and this adversely affected competing with the other phones. As a result, it ranks the lowest in the Portability Ratio, even worse than a bigger device like the 6-inch ASUS ZenFone 6.
 

Camera Performance

The camera in the Note 4G is exactly the same as that found in its predecessor: a 13-megapixel rear camera with an aperture of f/2.2, 28mm wide angle lens and a LED flash. For in-depth analysis of the camera capabilities, you can refer to the Note’s article here. In short, it's not bad, but the competitors like the ASUS ZenFone 6 and HTC Desire 816 deliver better photography under normal and low light conditions.

 

Conclusion

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G is more of a replacement to the original Redmi Note with minor updates thrown in rather than a proper successor. As mentioned earlier, Xiaomi will stop selling the original Note, in favor for the 4G flavor. Clearly, there's no reason for existing Redmi Note (3G) owners to upgrade to the the Redmi Note 4G given the small improvements. Meanwhile, those who still yearn for dual-SIM capabilities will have to settle for the smaller Redmi 1S.

One one hand, Xiaomi managed to improve the overall usability of the phone by reducing its weight, equipping it with a better processor and updated wireless networking standards. On the other hand, it actually has far less battery performance than its predecessor and it's still bulky and tacky from a handling perspective versus other devices.

As an affordable LTE phablet, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G at S$229 still offers great value and is only one of the very few choices in this segment other than the HTC Desire 816. The HTC device costs nearly twice as much but offers better camera performance, a simpler user interface, a better looking device that's easier to handle, a much longer battery life and NFC support. There's always a catch to the affordable price tag to the Redmi Note 4G and this time round it boils down to what you personally hold as important and acceptable. There's certainly nothing wrong that we wouldn't recommend the Redmi Note 4G, but there are other products that offer a better all-rounded device that might matter more than just being the most affordable LTE phablet.

If you are looking for the most affordable reasonable specced device that is usable and without any expectations, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G is a no-brainer - if you can manage to get one from the weekly flash sales. Given that the phones are often sold out in literally a "flash", you should factor that the chances of you securing one could be small. If you're not in a hurry, patience might pay out eventually.

But what if you need a large screen phone immediately without spending too much? Well, the HTC Desire 816 is a ready option if you need a 4G capable device. If LTE connectivity is secondary, you can also consider the ASUS ZenFone 6. With a 6-inch screen, this device is larger, but yet delivers great battery and camera performance. Plus, it comes with 16GB of internal storage, which is double that of all other phones compared. It also has one of the best UIs and user friendly features. Not to mention, it has a more polished look and feel. At just S$100 more than the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G, it's a serious contender and more so, it's actual retail price is much lower and can be obtained for as low as S$285.

All said and done, if you find the new Xiaomi Redmi 4G is still the perfect fit for your needs, then look out for it next week on 18th November at Xiaomi's Singapore website.

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7.5
  • Design 6.5
  • Features 8
  • User-Friendliness 7
  • Performance 7
  • Value 8.5
The Good
LTE connectivity, finally
Smooth performance
microSD card support up to 64GB
MIUI customizations
Great value for money
The Bad
Basic plastic design
Battery performance is less than expected
MIUI can be overwhelming for some; takes time to fully absorb its capabilities
MIUI's design elements tries too much to be a clone of iOS; no app drawer by default
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