Xiaomi Malaysia announces Redmi Note 3’s pricing, availability date

As promised, Mi Malaysia at 12pm on March 29th 2016, revealed the prices and release date of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, and as always, none of my predictions were true, except maybe the color options. The Snapdragon Redmi Note 3 starts at RM749 for the 2GB + 16GB model and comes only in Silver, while the 3GB + 32GB variant is priced at RM849 and it comes in either Gold or Gray. The Redmi Note 3 we’re getting here is priced noticeably higher than it is in China, but still affordable nonetheless. This also means that the Redmi Note 2 released in Malaysia almost five months ago, retains its RM649 price tag. Mi Malaysia will begin selling the device on Wednesday, April 6th, but the exact time was not specified, which leads us to believe that there may be enough units in stock, and sales might start as early as 12am. Purchasing it officially will give you a free delivery, as well as a one-year limited warranty for the Redmi Note 3.

Better than the Redmi Note 3 with MediaTek Helio X10

If you’re not already clear on which variant we’re getting, here’s a bit of a refresher. There is a MediaTek Helio X10 variant that was the first to be announced, followed by this Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 Redmi Note 3 what we can buy here next week. Mi Malaysia stressed many a time that our Redmi Note 3 is not labeled as a ‘Pro’ version; it’s just an “international variant” of the Redmi Note 3, that runs on Snapdragon 650. But lucky for us international folks, this Note 3 we’re getting here is much better than the one China gets.

The most obvious one is the processor. Xiaomi claims that though the 64-bit Snapdragon 650 is a hexa-core processor, it outperforms Helio X10 (octa-core) and Qualcomm’s own Snapdragon 808 (hexa-core). This is partly contributed by 650’s newer, dual Cortex-A72 CPUs, while the 808 has a slightly older, dual Cortex-A57 CPUs. Snapdragon 650’s GPU (Adreno 510) may not be as powerful as Snapdragon 810’s (Adreno 430), but the former also operates at a much cooler temperature compared to the latter that’s infamous for its overheating issues.

Back by popular demand, the international Redmi Note 3 we’re getting, also has a hybrid nano-SIM slot that also accepts microSD up to 32GB in size. It is a dual-SIM device, and the other slot is a micro-SIM. Besides having an expandable storage, the international Redmi Note 3 also supports VoLTE (Voice over LTE), and has faster WiFi (802.11ac) and LTE (Cat 7 300Mbps downloads) than the Helio X10 variant.

Redmi Note 3 outside of China also gets a larger (4050mAh), denser (690Wh/L) battery. It’s not user-removable, of course, but the compactness of the battery alone is notable; after all, we’re talking about a 4050mAh battery that’s thinner and has a smaller footprint than Xiaomi’s own 5000mAh Mi Power Bank. Match the battery with the processor’s efficiency, Xiaomi claims the Redmi Note 3 can outlast other flagships including the Galaxy Note 5 and the Nexus 6P. To top it off, literally, is Redmi Note 3’s Quick Charge that allows it to charge from 0—50 percent in just an hour (with a 5V 2A charger), and around three hours for a full charge. Xiaomi is quick to point out that this is not Quick Charge 2.0, but the first version.

One final feature of the Snapdragon Redmi Note 3 that’s superior, is the 16-megapixel rear camera with an aperture of f/2.0, compared to the 13-megapixel, f/2.2 shooter on the MediaTek variant. However, they both do have phase detection autofocus (PDAF), 5-element lens, 78-degree wide-angle view, and are accompanied by the two-tone LED flash. The 5-megapixel front-facing camera is also the same one on both variants, as far as we can tell.

Better than most Xiaomi smartphones

Right off the bat, Redmi Note 3 is the first Xiaomi device to come with a fingerprint sensor. It adheres to Qualcomm’s Secure Execution Environment (QSEE), and is always on standby, allowing the phone to be unlocked in just 0.3 seconds. Of course, you can also use the fingerprint sensor for other in-app authentications, like LastPass, for instance. It is also the first Redmi phone to have an all-metal body.

The 5.5-inch IPS LCD display has 1080 x 1920 pixels, and we often forget that even for a display that large, 1080p still gives a pixel density of around 400.53ppi. Since the Mi 4i, Xiaomi phones including this one has Sunlight Display, that not only cranks up the backlighting, but also dynamically adjusts the contrast of darker and brighter areas separately; think of it like an HDR mode for your display. It also does Night Mode that dims the display to as low as 1cd/m², and Reading Mode that reduces blue light emission that is said to suppress melatonin secretion, something that’s crucial for a good night’s rest.

As mentioned earlier, this Redmi Note 3 variant comes with the X8 LTE modem that supports Category 7 LTE speeds (300Mbps downloads), which is significantly faster than the MediaTek variant (Category 4, 150Mbps downloads). This Note 3 also does Voice over LTE (VoLTE), a feature that will soon be offered by our Malaysian telcos (especially Digi).

Redmi Note 3 also has, of all things, an infrared (IR) blaster to control your appliances remotely. It comes accompanied by the Mi Remote app, but the app and (possibly) the hardware itself, doesn’t seem to allow recording of custom IR signals, though Mi Remote does offer a plethora of known devices it can control.

And finally, the device comes with Mi Mover, an app that helps you migrate from an old Xiaomi phone to the new Redmi Note 3. Transfer speeds can go up to 6Mbps, possibly through WiFi Direct. Other Android phones can install Mi Mover too, but that app only allows sending out the data to a Xiaomi phone, but not receiving it (obviously).

All in all, the Snapdragon 650 variant of the Redmi Note 3 is a flagship-class smartphone with a low-cost price. “Flagship-class” because the hardware rivals even Snapdragon’s own flagship 808 chipset of last year, and “low-cost” because most mid-range smartphones from the competition are usually above RM1,000. That said, it is the priciest Redmi device yet, and Xiaomi phones seem to be getting more and more expensive as time goes by. Redmi Note 3 also lacks NFC which is a bummer for enthusiasts, but then most people don’t even know what it does.

Specifications of Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 with Snapdragon 650

• Dimensions and weight: 150 x 76 x 8.65 mm, 164 grams
• Color options: 16GB — Silver; 32GB — Gold, Gray
• Display: 5.5” IPS LCD, 1080 x 1920, ~400.53ppi, 178º viewing angle
• Processor: 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 MSM8956
• CPU and GPU: 1.4GHz quad-Cortex-A53 & 1.8GHz dual-Cortex-A72, Adreno 510
• Memory and storage: 2GB + 16GB; 3GB + 32GB (dual-channel LPDDR3 + eMMC 5.0)
• Card slot(s): Micro-SIM, nano-SIM/microSD (up to 32GB)
• Cellular: GSM / HSPA / LTE Cat 7 (300Mbps down, 100Mbps up)
• WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4/5 GHz dual-band, WiFi Display, WiFi Direct, WiFi hotspot
• Other connectivity: Bluetooth 4.1, A-GPS, BDS, GLONASS, FM radio, no NFC
• Sensors: Fingerprint; IR; accelerometer, gyroscope, hall, light, magnetometer, proximity
• Main camera: 16MP, 5-element lens, f/2.0, 78º wide-angle, two-tone LED flash, PDAF
• Video recording: 1080p at 30fps, slow motion 720p at 120fps
• Front camera: 5MP, f/2.0, 1080p videos
• Battery: Non-removable 4,050mAh lithium-ion polymer, Qualcomm Quick Charge 1.0
• Operating system: Android 5.1.1 with MIUI 7.0
• Price: 16GB — RM749; 32GB — RM849
• Link: http://www.mi.com/my/note3/specs/

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