Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB owner reviews are called a worthy continuation of the Chinese company’s tradition of producing phones with good features at low prices. Such a manufacturer’s strategy paid off handsomely, since only in India in 2016 did sales exceed the $ 1 billion milestone. Xiaomi's wide range of products includes fitness trackers, headphones, air purifiers, power supplies and many other devices, but smartphones still come first. And the Redmi series played a key role in the success of the company.
The Note 4 smartphone follows in the footsteps of Note 3 and 3S, which last year were some of the best-selling online models. Like its predecessors, the phone is endowed with a metal casing and impressive features. Although the Chinese version of Note 4 was released with a MediaTek SoC processor, the model received a Qualcomm chip for the foreign market. The price of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB, according to reviews, was set competitive, so the phone is able to easily squeeze the most popular rivals. But can the smartphone continue the victorious march of the Chinese manufacturer, or is it unremarkable?
Design and ergonomics
The package includes the phone itself, a microUSB cable and a charger - the most productive of the supported (2 A, 5 B).
The design of the smartphone Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB reviews are called very similar to the design of its predecessor. The front panel with capacitive navigation buttons under the display and a thin rim around it practically does not differ from Note 3. It also uses 2.5D rounded glass at the edges, which provides the user with an excellent tactile sensation. The metal case seems solid enough, and the back panel has become less slippery.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 3 / 32GB cover, according to the owners, is slightly different, resembling the contours of the Mi 5 design. Thin antenna bands are located at the top and bottom. The rear camera with a two-color LED flash and a slightly in-depth fingerprint sensor are located in the same way as the Note 3. One of the few differences between them is that this time the manufacturer moved the rear speakers to the bottom of the phone. At the bottom there is also a microUSB port, which is used for charging and data transfer, and at the top there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack and an infrared emitter. The volume rocker and power switch are located on the right. They are large and easy to reach with your fingers, but when pressed too “hard”. On the opposite side there is a slot for memory cards and SIM, to remove which you will need a special tool. There is also a notification LED. It is relatively small and dim, and is almost lost against the background of white glass, but against a black background it should be clearly visible.
With a thickness of 8.3 mm, the Note 4 is thinner than its predecessor and only 11 g heavier. One-handed operation of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB, according to user reviews, does not cause problems. The rounded edges of the smartphone really fit in the palm of your hand, without causing discomfort during prolonged use. The design of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB Black reviews are called the best in the line. The gadget is available in black, gray and gold.
Display
The 5.5 ”IPS screen has a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, which corresponds to a density of 401 dpi. With Full HD resolution, text and images appear crisp. The screen of the smartphone Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB reviews is praised for its bright colors and decent viewing angles, as well as the clarity of the text. Its brightness is 440 nits, and color gamut is 72% of the NTSC space. Thanks to improved black levels, the contrast increased to 1100: 1. Screen sizes are great for watching videos. The color temperature can be set in the settings, and the reading mode makes using the smartphone more comfortable for the eyes. Auto brightness level is supported. However, the high reflectivity of the screen does not contribute to working with it in bright sun. In this, it is inferior to the even dimmer Note 3.
The smartphone uses an IPS matrix, which is not subject to color shift when viewed at an angle. By default, color reproduction is pretty accurate with an average deltaE of 5.3 and a maximum of 9.8. These numbers are very similar to the specifications of the LG V20 or Sony Xperia XZ. Blue colors stand out too much, and white balance is close to cool shades. Although it is possible to configure the last parameter, the standard mode is the most accurate. In this case, the average value of deltaE drops to a very good value of 2.8 and the maximum to 6.1. It is close to the iPad Pro and better than many flagship LCDs. In this mode, a slight yellow tint appears, which shifts the white balance to the warm side. At the same time, the maximum brightness of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 X 32GB, according to user reviews, drops to 415 nits.
If you move the brightness adjustment slider all the way down, it will drop to 1 nit. This is great for using the phone at night. Optionally, you can enable reading mode to reduce the amount of blue. It is possible to automatically launch it for selected applications (for example, Amazon Kindle or others related to reading).
Specifications and Features
The phone is equipped with Qualcomm's 2-GHz octa-core Snapdragon 625 chip with built-in Adreno 506 GPU. The manufacturer offers several configurations: 2 GB RAM and 32 GB ROM ($ 145), 3 and 32 GB ($ 160), as well as 4 and 64 GB ($ 190).
The hybrid tray holds one nanoSIM and microSIM or microSD card. Both options support 3G and 4G networks. The Chinese manufacturer has definitely taken note of complaints about the limitation of microSD capacity in Note 3, since Note 4 supports 128 GB cards, which should be sufficient for most users.
The model is equipped with a 4100 mAh non-removable battery, slightly larger than Note 3 4050 mAh. There is a 13-megapixel rear camera with phase autofocus, f / 2.0 aperture and a two-color LED flash. The front sensor has a resolution of 5 megapixels and a lens with a fixed focus and a similar aperture. In addition, users get dual-band Wi-Fi, USB OTG, Bluetooth 4.1, Miracast, FM radio, GLONASS, GPS and BeiDou. Like its predecessor, the phone does not support NFC, but there are 4G and VoLTE, and their users are quite satisfied with the quality.
User Interface & Software
The smartphone operates on the Android 6.0.1 platform with the MIUI8 add-on. The manufacturer has added many new features, including Now on Tap, which was one of the highlights of the operating system introduced in 2015. Google Now on Tap can be launched from any application, simply by pressing the go to home page button, and can use screen contents as context for search. MIUI8 on Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB Gold reviews are rated better than previous versions. System animation looks fresh, especially uninstalling the application.
MIUI 8 comes with the new Gallery app, which automatically syncs saved photos on your device with Mi Cloud. Users get 5 GB of free cloud storage when registering an account. The application has features for editing and sharing videos.
The touch assistant Quick Ball, which debuted on the Mi Max, always remains on the screen, including locks, and allows you to define up to 5 shortcuts for easy access.
To ensure privacy, the smartphone offers DualApps and SecondSpace applications. According to the reviews of the owners of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB, this software is one of the most popular. The first application, as the name implies, creates 2 copies of any program on one device, which allows, for example, to use 2 WhatsApp accounts simultaneously. Second Space, on the other hand, enables users to separate business and personal data. This feature provides the operation of 2 separate Google accounts.
Another advantage of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Snapdragon 32GB software is the feedback from the owners called the ability to take screenshots of not only the visible part, but the entire web page. The manufacturing company also worked on its dialer application, which is now easier to use. MIUI 8 adds the function of caller ID, which eliminates the need for third-party programs such as Truecaller. The application for working with SMS messages in the latest version has also been improved. For example, it became possible to store similar messages in one folder. This is useful for prioritizing what needs to be viewed first. The pre-installed Themes application offers many options for wallpapers, ringtones and icons.
Xiaomi also provided one-handed operation, in which the desktop size is compressed and it is shifted to the side of the screen, allowing the user to choose a new diagonal - 4.5 ”, 4” and 3.5 ”.
Too many preinstalled applications on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB phone are not very welcome reviews. These include a compass, barcode scanner, voice recorder, feedback application, remote control, weather forecast, Mi forum, default browser, etc. Since it is impossible to remove the preinstalled software, according to the owners, the manufacturer should reduce their number or provide an opportunity removal of at least some of them.
Performance
According to reviews, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB copes with all the applications that users run on it. However, they did not have any complaints about the processor. For example, the CPU can easily handle heavy games like Asphalt 8 and Dead Trigger 2 without causing a feeling of lack of power. Multitasking does not reduce the speed of the smartphone - applications run without delay. The option with 4 GB of RAM always has enough free memory. However, modifications with 2 GB of RAM that are more popular due to the low price may suffer from its shortage.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB black reviews are called an excellent multimedia device due to its good IPS display and support for high-resolution video files, including 4K. The lower speaker has a decent volume and does not give distortion at its maximum levels. A headset is not included, but checking the sound quality through the headphones indicates mediocre results.
Test results
The smartphone scores an impressive 65,560 points in the AnTuTu test and 42,690 in the Quadrant, which is higher than the recently released Asus ZenFone 3 and Lenovo P2, which have the same Snapdragon 625 processor. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 4G 32GB GPU performance is also highly appreciated by users - in T-Rex GFXbench achieves a frequency of 28 fps and 9,029 points in 3D Mark Ice Storm Extreme. These estimates are in line with expectations, but it is worth noting that the Note 3 with Snapdragon 650 CPUs achieves better overall results.
Camera
The preinstalled application for photo and video shooting has many modes, including improvements, panoramas and manual. In Scene mode, the device allows users to choose from a variety of options, including portrait, landscape, sport, night, night portrait, snow, beach, sunset, fireworks, lights and flowers. Filters can be applied immediately when shooting, which is not bad. Selfies have good colors and details if they are made in well-lit conditions. The dynamic range of the 5-megapixel sensor, however, is not so wide and there is no HDR mode for it.
The 13-megapixel rear sensor Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB, according to the reviews of the owners, can take decent landscape shots in both bright and low light. Macrophotographs look good, they have the correct color rendering and detail. AF quickly focuses the camera on subjects. Pictures in low light have good detail, although graininess can be seen with magnification. In addition, the smartphone is not able to take good photos of moving objects.
The manufacturer focused on improving the quality of the camera after complaints about the previous model, and it is clear that everything has changed for the better. However, users would still like to see other results in low light, the panoramic mode is disappointing, and the HDR is too conservative.
See you soon
The smartphone shoots video with a resolution of 1080p at a speed of 30 fps and can produce slow-motion shooting at a speed of 120 fps with a resolution of 720p. The interface here is a little inconvenient - the slow-motion mode becomes available only after switching to 720p. In any case, videos in Full HD quality are shot with a standard bit rate of 17 Mbps and capture audio at a speed of 128 Kbps and a sampling frequency of 48 kHz. The video suffers the same softness and desaturated colors as the camera. Even worse, although the frame rate is 30 fps, some frames are duplicated, which gives the image some nervousness. The sound quality is normal, but the stereo is not as well divided as we would like.
Voice communication
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Pro 32GB supports 2-x SIM cards by user reviews, but the device can work without them. Mi SIM is a virtual built-in SIM card that allows you to connect to mobile data without having a real one. It is enough to make an advance payment - and the smartphone will work even when roaming. This can come in handy if the owner of the phone travels a lot. In any case, you can dial using a SIM card and VoLTE. Xiaomi Mi Voice VoIP service is also supported, which allows you to call a subscriber via the Internet.
More advanced features include support for a list of blocked numbers, which allows you to get rid of automatic calls and text SMS), and a call logger (which can work for all or only for certain numbers). If you dig deeper into the menu, you can find even more settings. The smartphone allows you to disconnect the call or proximity sensor, automatically lock in your pocket or disconnect calls from unknown numbers.
Music player and radio
The player is similar to the MIUI version of Google Play Music. It can stream music online with added features such as music videos and radio stations. It can also recognize songs thanks to ACRCloud. Naturally, the audio player plays music offline, but the application does not miss the opportunity to advertise compositions that, in his opinion, may appeal to the user. Nevertheless, its possibilities are vast. The player supports DLNA, can show lyrics and search for similar songs. The player does not have an equalizer, but it has presets for several headsets - from ordinary headphones to specific Xiaomi models.
FM radio requires a headset connection and can play sound through it or the speaker. The application can record the broadcast and has a sleep timer.
Video player
The player starts from the gallery. There is no subtitle support, but there is DLNA. Here lies an amazingly powerful editor that can trim video, add filters, text shortcuts and even soundtracks (from its own or pre-installed library).
Average sound quality
According to user reviews, the smartphone at first seems to do a pretty good job. When connected to an active external amplifier, the device has a completely clean output without weaknesses. The sound of the golden Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB reviews are called high-quality, in their characteristics not inferior to the sound of its predecessor and Redmi Pro. The only speaker is located below, but it is quite loud. Its lack is the lack of bass. The volume of voice is 64.2 dB, music - 67.2 dB, ringtone - 76.9 dB. But after connecting the headphones, stereo crosstalk increases significantly (from -94.9 to -53.6), intermodulation distortion occurs . The frequency response also deteriorates slightly, and the volume level decreases. The phone will not be the dream of an audiophile, but it will cope with its task if you do not make too high demands on it.
Text messages
A standard application is provided for them, but you can use the cheaper Xiaomi service, which works similarly to a phone application. MMS, emoji and even time-delayed messages are supported, but overall the capabilities of the smartphone are basic. The Baidu keyboard allows you to send stickers and has an interesting way to enter additional characters (for example, the numbers on the top line). Instead of a long press, just press and swipe up. After getting used to, the speed of dialing becomes quite high.
Battery life
The non-removable 4100 mAh battery provides 15 hours 10 minutes of operation in a continuous video playback test, which is impressive. In the real world, the phone will last up to 2 days. With intensive use, it can last almost a day and a half without activating battery saving modes. The most impressive feature of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB Gray smartphone is its ability to work with weak cellular and Wi-Fi signals. There is no support for fast charging, although for this price level this feature could only be welcomed.
Conclusion
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB reviews are called a worthy acquisition, the disadvantages of which are its hybrid SIM slot, lack of fast charging and an excess of pre-installed applications. The model is in fierce competition with other smartphones in its price segment and even some more expensive models. The phone performs very well in terms of design, performance and battery life. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32GB Gold reviews are recommended for those who are looking for a model with a large screen and an excellent battery.