Xiaomi has released a lot of phones in 2016 and it seems that they are planning to do the same this year. Even though the Redmi Note 4 was launched quite a while back, the Redmi Note 3 Pro is still one a very solid offering. Learn more in our full review.
Thanks to Banggood.com for sending the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro (International model) for a review
VIDEO REVIEW
UNBOXING
In the box, you get all the usual items, no extras included.
DESIGN and DISPLAY
I have the international version of the phone that has 32GB of storage and it costs just over $180. You can also opt it for a much cheaper yet less powerful model that costs $140. All the links will be down below in the video description.
The Redmi Note 3 Pro follows a familiar design language of the Note series. It sports a metal design (except for the top and bottom parts on the back for antennas), rounded edges and tactile metal buttons.
I love that the phone feels great in the hand despite it’s 5.5” 1080p display, which is sharp and vibrant but the sunlight legibility could be slightly better. As usual to the Note series, we have a highly customizable LED notification light and nicely backlit capacitive keys.
I like the sound quality via the headset jack and same can be said about the loudspeaker. The sound is crisp, balanced and definitely one of the better ones you can find in this price range.
The fingerprint scanners on Xiaomi phones have been great and the Redmi Note 3 Pro is no exception. It is fast, reliable and it unlocks the phone straight from the standby mode.
Finally, the phone has the IR blaster that allows you to control other devices like TVs.
HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE
Hardware department is where the Redmi Note 3 Pro shines. Even though it was released back in February, the Snapdragon 650 chip coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage is a great combination.
Yes, you may see a few skipped frames in some games if you play them on the highest graphics but you can’t really complain about that.
The device gets a little warm when gaming but it does not overheat.
USER INTERFACE
The international version of the Redmi Note 3 Pro comes with the MIUI 8, Google Services pre-installed, all the Chinese bloatware removed and OTA support. Even after installing quite a lot of apps, the phone runs smoothly and I’ve yet to see the Android 6.0-based MIUI 8 lag.
That is even more impressive given a formidable feature set and plenty of customization options. Just to name a few, you can change the looks by using one of the largest theme stores on any phone.
My other favorite features include the ability to customize the capacitive keys, quickly launch the camera or adjust the display settings. The list of features goes on but these are my favourites.
CAMERA
IT IS HIGHLY-RECOMMENDED TO DOWNLOAD FULL RESOLUTION CAMERA SAMPLES TO SEE THE ACTUAL IMAGE QUALITY. THE PICTURES UPLOADED ON THE WEBSITE ARE 50% SMALLER IN RESOLUTION.
The Redmi Note 3 Pro has a 16MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and a single LED flash.
The stock camera app allows you to take pictures very fast. Also, you can select from a few shooting modes like a pro mode for photos or slow-motion mode for videos.
The daylight images look great. There is plenty of detail, sharpness and the color reproduction is pretty good. There were a few photos with inaccurate white balance though.
You can also take some good-looking macro and indoor shots if there is enough light.
The low-light camera performance is a lot worse. There is much more noise, the level of detail is lower and sometimes you may a red tint in the outdoor shots.
The 1080p video looks pretty good but it would be great to see a bit more detail. A great thing is that the CAF works quite well.
The front-facing camera uses a 5MP sensor. The selfies look kind of soft and they could definitely have more sharpness. The selfie video is mediocre. The footage not only looks soft but also, the auto-exposure was really struggling on the sunny day when I tested out the camera.
Download full resolution camera samples
CONNECTIVITY
When it comes to connectivity, I have no complaints. The wifi works well, the GPS is really fast and accurate and finally, I didn’t have any issues with neither signal reception nor call quality.
BATTERY LIFE
One of the key selling points of the Redmi Note 3 Pro is a huge 4050 mAh battery that performs great. Depending on your usage habits, you will be able to get about 6 or even 7 hours of screen-on time, which is a great result.
Since the Redmi Note 3 Pro was released like a year ago, it uses the standard micro USB charging port. The phone supports the Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 tech but the supplied charger does not support this feature. It takes about 2.5h to fully charge the phone with it.
CONCLUSIONS
So, there you have it, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro after 1 year of the official release. I still think it is a very solid offering, especially if you consider that you can get it for as low as $140.
The phone has a sturdy metal design, it sits comfortably in the hand and the display is plenty sharp for everyday use.
Also, I love that the Snapdragon 650 chip has enough power for 3D gaming and MIUI 8 is well-optimized for a smooth performance. In addition, the camera is still one of the best in this price range and finally, the battery life is fantastic.
However, you have to know that low-light camera performance is kind of mediocre and there is no 4k video recording. Also, if you want to use the Quick Charge 3.0 tech, you would need to buy a fast charger separately.
Speaking of charging, the micro USB port is slowly becoming a legacy port and this phone may slow down your transition to the USB-C standard.
At the end of the day, we have to agree that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro has some shortcomings that you have to consider but I can still recommend it as one of the best offerings for the price, even after 1 year of the official launch.
