Redmi 4A Review: Cheapest Redmi Ever!
by mitch002 (follow me on Twitter @MI_mitch002 for my latest unboxing and tutorials)
by mitch002 (follow me on Twitter @MI_mitch002 for my latest unboxing and tutorials)
We review the Redmi 4A!
While we were busy reviewing our Mi Note 2, an unexpected item got launched by Xiaomi, and its the successor of the successful Redmi 3S. Introducing the all new Redmi 4A! This series has 3 variants, Redmi 4 Basic, Redmi 4 Prime and Redmi 4A. We are going to review them one by one and lets focus ourselves on the Redmi 4A.
Normally Xiaomi units gets launched within the span of a year but seems Xiaomi has been stepping up the pedal recently and launch their items so fast that we had a hard time catching up with the releases. Redmi 3 got launched January 2016, Redmi 3s last June 2016, and now Redmi 4 Series, not 1, not 2 but 3 different variant on November 2016. It took just roughly 5 months for the Chinese Smartphone manufacturer to launch another variant of the budget friendly Redmi Series.
Official Video:
Unboxing Video:
Xiaomi Redmi 4A Specs
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 MSM8917 Quad-Core processor 1.4Ghz Cortex A53
• Adreno 308 GPU, 500Mhz
• 2GB of RAM
• 5-inch HD display, 1280 x 720 resolution, 294 PPI
• 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 128GB (using sim 2 slot)
• 13-megapixel rear camera, f/2.2 LED Flash
• 5-megapixel front camera f/2.2, face recognition
• Dual-SIM (Sim 1 Micro Sim, Sim 2 Nano Sim / Micro Sd Card up to 128GB)
• 3G, LTE, Full Netcom 5.0 (supports LTE 2 carrier aggregation)
• MIUI 8, Android 6.0.1
• WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, A-GPS
• 3120mAh battery
• Gold, Rose Gold
Network Bandwidth Support:
- GSM B2/B3/B5/B8
- WCDMA B1/B2/B5/B8
- TD-SCDMA B34/B39
- CDMA2000/1X BC0
- FDD-LTE B1/B3/ B7
- TD-LTE B38/B39/B40/B41(2555-2655MHz)
13 megapixel rear camera
- 5 lens, f / 2.2 aperture
- color temperature and flash
- light picture quality enhancement technology
- HDR high dynamic range adjustment Technical
- Panorama mode
- Burst mode
- facial recognition
- in real-time camera filters
- f / 2.2 aperture
- countdown Self
- facial recognition
- 1080p / 720p video shooting, 30 fps
Whats in the Box:
Very Light on the Pocket (Physically and Financially)
Now that we have have our hands on all three variants of the Redmi 4, the Redmi 4A is the only one sporting an all plastic case, going back to the Redmi 2 days, where the unit is all plastic and Redmi 3 started with a metal back cover. The feel of the Redmi 4A is quite okay for a budget conscious person, but when you have held the Redmi 4 Basic or the Redmi 4 Prime in your hands, you will tend to feel that the phone is cheaply built, of course at the end of the day its just 499RMB and it is the cheapest Redmi phone ever released by Xiaomi. The phone is pretty ultra light since its made of all plastic material and its pretty easy to carry around.
The Redmi 4A sports a round edge, reminds me more of the Redmi 3 design, its siblings the Redmi 4 Basic and Redmi 4 Prime sports a more cornered edges design.
The top of the phone shows the 3.5mm audio jack as well as the IR blaster and the noise-cancellation mic. While at the bottom we can find the Micro USB port, the loudspeaker is placed at the back, similar to the Redmi 3 series while its siblings the Redmi 4 Basic and Redmi 4 Prime placed its loudspeakers at the bottom of the phone beside the charging port. We have a little hard time hearing the ring of the ringtone when someone called when the back is lying flat on the table. The right of the phone sports the volume rocker and the powerbutton while the left sports the sim card tray.
The phone is pretty easy to carry, being the 5 inches smartphone that it is, this is the perfect size for one handed use. The HD display is pretty good enough as a daily driver and we have a little difficulty reading the screen at direct sunlight, but minor sunlight is pretty much okay. The capacitive button does not lit up like the MI Series, but the notification light can be under the capacitive home button just like the Redmi 3 series.
This model has the latest MIUI 8.0 installed and sporting Android Marshmallow 6.0.1, bootloader is locked therefore you have to checkout en.miui.com/unlock to flash your favorite custom rom should you require in the future.
Snapdragon 425, Slow but still gets the Job done.
The Redmi 4A's main difference with the other members of the Redmi 4 Series is mainly focused on the SoC, Snapdragon 425's slower processor is slowest among its siblings and ablility to process task and multitask will be a bit lagged for sure. This SoC supports LTE connection in CAT 4. Although slower in processing, the SoC 425 sill preforms well for daily task like calls, text, messengers, social apps and online games. Its performance for multitasking is also average considering it has 4-cores ready to help you push those tasks to the finish line. AnTuTu gave it a 36,179 points. For more detailed infomation on the processor, check this out: qualcomm.com/products/snapdragon/processors/425
Audio and Video:
We have tested the audio for the loudspeaker, it is pretty normal for a small phone of its size, nothing special about it, but sound is weaker compared to our Mi5 Pro. We also pitted it against its own siblings the Redmi 4 Basic and Redmi 4 Prime, they all sound the same. We also tested watching 720p video via youtube and its pretty clear and decent for a phone this cheap. Good job on that category for Redmi 4 Basic.
Good Camera for its Class
The camera used in the Redmi Series seems all the same, they all gather almost the same quality of photos. But to highlight it for the Redmi 4A, the camera is pretty above average for a phone of its price range. It took pretty decent photos under good light but a bit dark on dark spots. We have yet to confirm the sensor present in this phone, but overall its pretty good for my standards of a low budget entry level phone.
Unedited Photos:
Impressive Battery Endurance!
One of the main focus that we have notice from this unit, othert than its pocket friendly price, is its battery. We were able to let PC Mark do the battery stress test for us and after the long endurance test, it yielded an above average of 12 hours 39 minutes, it withstand more hours compared to the bigger battery inside the Redmi 4 Basic. This is what we all want, a good endurance battery from a budget phone. Sweet!
More Benchmark Results:
Who said this cheap phone cant do the Mi MIX trick?!
Mitch002 Verdict: Xiaomi Impressed us on the Battery Endurance
With the market so loaded with smartphones already, the Redmi 4A will surely rock the budget entry level series smartphones with its build, specs and camera. This phone is pretty simple to use, unsophisticated and unadulterated. Now, if you are pretty much on a tight budget but want to get the most out of your hard earned cash, this phone is probably the best option you have, good battery life, good daily driver, decent camera. If you dont use much data, this phone can last you beyond one whole day, in short you dont need to keep pulling out your powerbanks. Overall the Redmi 4A is a pretty lightweight phone, average performance, decent camera and pretty good battery life. Now if you need more firepower for multitasking and other usage, I strongly suggest the Redmi 4 Basic or the Redmi 4 Prime.
The Redmi 4A is available at Xiaomi China Webstore for 499 RMB.
Redmi 4A
Disclaimer: Please don't send me any PM regarding any type of sales related inquiries. I'm a Xiaomi enthusiast but not a seller of Mi Products. I'm just a hardcore Xiaomi Fan, one notch higher than many of you here. Also I'm a Tech Blogger in the Philippines and all my review devices are either bought by myself from Xiaomi or borrowed from someone for a short period of time.
