Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Launched

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Launched

When it comes to budget devices in the country, we all think of Infinix, Tecno and the other obscure, often short-lived brands. But the budget device rage has been on for a number of years across the world. These little fighters normally sell more than their mid-range and high-end counterparts because, well, not everyone has an elaborate ‘phone budget’ these usually cater for the first-time smartphone owners moving from feature phones.

Meizu and Xiaomi are two well-known phone giants in China that lead the low-end and mid-range market brackets. Every month (or week, really) they outdo each other’s days-old revelations of new gadgets by launching their own. Every week (almost). Seriously, Meizu ‘Blue Charm’ U10 and U20 are not even a week old. Xiaomi leads this trend as well, releasing everything from smart TVs, phones, air purifiers and, lately, a laptop that blogs are calling a MacBook clone (I don’t think it is. It just looks like it.)

Well, Xiaomi are at it again, with the world’s equivalent of the upcoming Infinix Hot Note 3 we spoke of recently. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, a successor to last year’s Note 3. A big-screen budget phone for the masses, albeit Chinese masses for now. The device, apparently set to come in two trim levels (car guy here) will apparently be available as from August 26th (tomorrow).

Design

This year’s Redmi features a full-metal unibody construction just like its predecessor, the Redmi Note 3 to yield a beautiful premium look. Its design struts a brushed metal finish that makes it look more expensive than it is.

Its dimensions are 151mm × 76mm × 8.35mm and is 175 grams light. There will be gray, silver and gold versions.

Processor, Storage & Battery

Running things, the Redmi Note 4 is powered by a deca-core 2.1GHz MediaTek Helio X20 chip. The lower-end version apparently comes with 2GB RAM & 16GB internal storage while its better brother features 3GB RAM & 64GB ROM, both expandable to 128GB via micro SD card (if you opt to on the second SIM slot), of course. The powerhouse is a beefy 4100mAh that should keep things running for a good while. (This is in addition to Android Marshmallow’s power consumption improvements & features such as Doze, which we hope isn’t ousted in the MIUI ROM.)

Display

The main attraction points, like the Infinix Hot Note 3, are the big screen and metal body build, among others. In this case it is a 5.5 inch Full-HD (1920×1080) IPS panel. This is well furnished with the now-ubiquitous curved 2.5D glass design.

Camera

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is said to sport a 13MP shooter at the back with a large f2.0 aperture and fast Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF). Up front, there is a 5MP camera that is said to come with an ‘intelligent beautification’ mode to rival the selfies-centric phones out in the market. Remember however that there was an Indian variant of its predecessor (Redmi Note 3 that is also a best seller in the country) that had a 16MP camera piggyback.

Connectivity

The Redmi Note 4 is said to be a dual-SIM handset with one of the slots being a hybrid one where you can choose to use it as a Micro SD slot instead. It is a 4G device, just like the Redmi Note 3 before it. Additionally there is the usual pack of connectivity options including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Hardware-wise, you will be glad to know that Xiaomi hasn’t bent to the wave of ditching the 3.5mm audio port. It is present at the top alongside an IR blaster. Along the bottom, a micro USB port (no USB-C) is flanked by stereo speaker vents.

Software & Security

A fingerprint sensor lies just below the camera at the back for authentication like its older brother. The Redmi Note 4 comes with MIUI 8 built upon Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It comes with the perks of Android Marshmallow and a few camera tricks & features as mentioned

Pricing & Availability

The lower-end version with 2GB RAM & 16GB ROM will go for roughly Ksh. 13,700.00 while the beefier 3GB RAM & 64GB ROM version going for about Ksh. 18,300.00. The device will go on sale online at mi.com on August 26th (tomorrow) in China before (hopefully) other countries.

 

 

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