Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 4G trounces the sub-$200 phablet competition (REVIEW)

Xiaomi’s cheap phablets, the Redmi Note and Redmi Note 4G, are sweeping across South and Southeast Asia. The 4G version launched in China in August, followed by Singapore and India in November, selling out quickly in all of its inaugural flash sales.

The Note series capitalizes on Asia’s love of a) low prices and b) big screens. So how does it stack up against big screen rivals in the same price range? Here’s a comparison with the Micromax Canvas Turbo from India, the Himax Polymer from Indonesia, and the ever-present Moto G:

As you can see, phones at this price range in Asia face some stiff competition both from local heroes and global giants. But Xiaomi’s new Note comes in swinging with a major advantage plastered right into its name: 4G LTE connectivity.

Hardware and performance

Armed with a quality Qualcomm chipset as opposed to the MediaTek on board the original Note, the Note 4G can handle pretty much anything you can throw at it. Barring the very occasional stutter while playing intensive 3D games, all apps loaded instantly and operated smoothly. Some noticeable heat radiated from around the rear camera when shooting video and gaming for more than a couple minutes.

The phone only comes with with 8GB of internal memory, but a microSD slot means you can add another 64GB.

The screen, despite not being full HD, is bright and sharp. Only the most high-res videos will look slightly grainy, but it’s hardly anything to complain about at this price point.

Phone calls come through loud and clear, but the speaker on the rear of the phone, while sufficiently loud, is poorly positioned. To get the loudest and clearest audio from it, the phone has to be placed screen down, or else it sounds a bit muffled. Speakers along the top or bottom edges would have been preferable.

The battery is excellent, and stands out in stark contrast to the Note 4G’s rivals. Not only is it much larger at 3,200mAh – even bigger than my OnePlus One and an iPhone 6 Plus – it’s also removable. That means you can swap in a new one once the old one inevitable wears down. With moderate use on wifi and 3G, I never even broke through the 50 percent battery mark after a full day of use. That said, 4G subscribers might see a more significant dip.

Look and feel

Camera

Upgradeable to MIUI 6

Conclusion