Redmi 4 First Impressions: At Rs 6999, capable of disrupting the budget segment

After the Redmi Note 4 and the Redmi 4A, Xiaomi has launched the Redmi 4 in the Indian market at an event held in New Delhi on Tuesday. It is a successor to the extremely popular Redmi 3s that was the highest selling device online. We managed to spend some time with the newly launched smartphone and here's our first impressions on the Redmi 4.

Design

At a glance, the Xiaomi Redmi 4 looks like a smaller Note 4. We liked the matte black metal finish, but you also get the gold option.

On the front, you will find the 5-inch display. The smaller display makes it highly portable or rather pocketable. It was easy to operate in one hand. The 2.5D curved glass gives it a premium look. The front has a trio of capacitive buttons keys on the lower side. On the upper side, you will find the earpiece, 5MP front camera and notification light. 

The right edge houses the volume rocker and power button, while the left side shows the SIM slot. It's a hybrid slot, just like most devices these days, which means you can either use the device in the dual SIM mode or one SIM and memory slot if you are looking to expand the memory. The microphone, IR blaster and 3.5mm headphone are on the upper edge of the phone. The lower edge has the microUSB port. The back is fitted with the fingerprint scanner along with the 13MP rear camera. 

In a nutshell, it's a premium looking device that starts at Rs 6999, offering an ergonomic grip with a curved back and easy single hand operation. 

Display 

The Redmi 4 Comes with an HD IPS 5-inch display with 720 * 1080 pixels of resolution. The lower resolution is maintained to ensure smooth operation, thermal and power efficiency, says the company. The colours seemed punchy and the brightness levels and viewing angles were good. However, this is depending on the limited time we got to spend with it. We won't be able to comment on the overall display performance until we've taken it for a spin in our labs. 

Processor and OS

The device is powered by the Snapdragon 435 coupled with either 2GB, 3GB and 4GB RAM options. These also form the three variants of the device that come packed with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB on board storage options (respectively). 

It runs Android 6.0 marshmallow-based MIUI 8, but the company has started testing the latest Nougat support.

Camera 

The device sports a 13 megapixel rear snapper with f/2.2 aperture with LED flash and PDAF support that promises quick and stable images. On the front, it gets a 5MP selfie shooter. Both cameras are capable of recording videos at full HD resolution. We took a few outdoor clicks, which produced punchy colours and looked detailed. But, we cannot comment until we have tested it thoroughly.

Battery

The device comes with large battery capacity with 4100mAh battery that promises 18 hours of standby time. However, we will have to take it for a test in our labs to find out if that's possible. 

Price and availability

The Xiaomi Redmi 4 will be available in three variants - 2GB RAM + 16GB onboard storage priced at Rs 6999, 3GB RAM + 32GB on board storage at Rs 8998 and 4GB RAM + 64GB on board storage at Rs 10,999. It will be available starting May 23 on Mi.com and Amazon.com. The device will also be made available via the recently launched Mi Home store in Bengaluru. In fact, you can prebook it today for an amount of Rs 1000 and get it picked from the Mi home store. Others who simply walk into the store will be guaranteed an f-code that guarantees the device.

 

With the Redmi 4 starting at Rs 6999, the company brings in a great replacement for the popular Redmi 3s. It's an overall value for money package, at least on paper. 

 

Watch this space for a complete review soon.