First impressions: Redmi Note is big, fast and heavy

Big and bulky -- these are the words that come to mind when one picks up the Xiaomi Redmi Note.On Monday, the Chinese phone company launched its phablet in India at an attractive starting price of Rs.8,999. We played with the device for a while. Read on for our first impressions. 

The RedMi Note is a blocky chunk of plastic, albeit sturdy plastic, measuring 9.5mm in thickness and 199 grams in weight. This means it is quite the gargantuan beast. That said, it has tapered sides, which help it fit in hands. Its back is made of glossy plastic, which reminds us of Samsung phones but then again at Rs.8,999, one can't complain. The build quality is actually quite good for the price. 

The RedMi Note comes in two versions. The 3G model is powered by octa-core Mediatek chip clocked at 1.7GHz while the 4G model uses quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chip clocked at 1.6GHz. Both models have 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory. On both models, microSD cards are supported but on the MediaTek version the limit for the card is 32GB while the Qualcomm can use up to 64GB cards.

We tried both models. While we did not stress test the devices or ran any benchmarks on them -- that will have to wait until we review the RedMi Note properly -- we found the performance satisfactory. The user interface was smooth and we did not find any noticeable lag. 

On the back, the phone has a 13-megapixel Samsung-made sensor and the front it has a 5-megapixel sensor. 

The 5.5-inch 720P screen shows great colors that look natural. It has good viewing angles. 

Perhaps the biggest deal about the phone is its 3,100mAh battery which is user removable. Xiaomi claims the battery will last for long time. This is something we will test in the review. 

The MediaTek model offers dual-SIM capabilities and works with both WCDMA and GSM networks. The Qualcomm model is 4G ready but only supports single SIM. That's something the user will need to consider before making the purchase. 

Additionally, the 3G only model is stuck on Android 4.2.2 Jelly bean, while the 4G model is on Android 4.4 KitKat. 

The 4G model will be available in the second half of December for Rs.9,999, while the 3G model will be available on December 2. Xiaomi expects to offer around 50,000 units in the initial flash sale. 

On the basis of hardware, the Redmi Note looks like a compelling option for someone who wants a decent phone with big screen for less than Rs.10,000. Nevertheless, we will have more to say about it in our review.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/xiaomis-redmi-note-is-big-fast-and-heavy/1/403517.html