Days since my last post: 3
Hello again! So as promised, I thought I should come up with the quickest possible way to introduce you to the Redmi Note 3 phone, and somehow I figured that going in splits was a good start. And because I've already unboxed the phone, how about coming in with just a little more detail on the phone? To start off, the phone measures at 150 x 76 x 8.7 mm and weighs just about 164 grams. I'm just about loving the thickness and weight of it, because it doesn't make me look ridiculous when I slip it into the pocket of my favourite jeans.
Up front: A 5-megapixel camera, earpiece, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, notification LED (Lit only when there are notifications) and...no physical buttons?
That's right, there's no physical buttons at the front of the Redmi Note 3 as those are instead replaced with backlit navigation controls. I'm not complaining however, as the controls are really responsive and works ridiculously well with gentle vibrations so you know you're actually tapping on them. The 5.5'' screen also makes watching series quite enjoyable on the phone, in addition to making gaming a fantastic experience. Lock screens are optional, but I rather keep them as I've had my share of Facebook hacks that's enough to last me a lifetime.
From the back: A 16-megapixel camera, dual LED flash, the fingerprint sensor, and the speakers.
As I've mentioned in my unboxing post (Catch it here if you haven't already seen it!), the phone holds really comfortably in my hands. The sand-blasted aluminium body definitely made the phone feel extremely premium, and the fact that the fingerprint sensor was easily accessible just as I picked up the phone proved to be a great plus point for someone with tiny hands as myself.
Fingerprint sensor easily reachable.
What this means is that I could just grab the phone at any angle, then slide it over just that little bit for the sensor to screen through my finger and it unlocks the phone in 1-second intervals. No kidding. I've so far registered 3 fingerprints - both my index fingers, and one of my boyfriend's index finger. I'd like to see how well the sensor registers later on when I keep switching between our fingers to unlock the phone.
What I have an issue with however, is that while the fingerprint sensor has this ridge to protect it, the camera doesn't. This means that the camera is in constant contact with whatever I leave it on, and leaves me to worry about whether or not I would scratch the lens over continuous use. I've always preferred to leave my screen facing up, so maybe a casing could save my lens, but that would probably add to the thickness of the phone.
By the sides: Volume and power button on the right, SIM and memory card slot on the left.
The phone as an overall is pretty rounded; even on the sides. I'm not sure if this helped with the grip of the phone, but it definitely was nice to see that the buttons were simply placed on one end of the phone as opposed to both ends as per on my old phone. The SIM and memory card slot gets pushed out with the pin you've seen in the unboxing video, and it's virtually non-noticeable once you slid it back in.
Upside down: A 3.5mm headphone jack, an IR blaster on top, and the microUSB port below.
Perhaps meant for the minimalistic touch, there isn't much you'll find at the top and bottom of the phone. The touches are standard, which means you don't have to scurry for brand new cables if you've already got several spare ones like I do. Yes, I leave charging cables everywhere. You probably wouldn't need multiple cables everywhere with the Redmi Note 3 however, as the 4050mAh battery (non-removable) lasts ridiculously long even through my constant social media scrolling and iflix binging.
Still going strong with 50% battery.
At the moment of typing this, it is 10:20 PM on a Wednesday and I have about 50% on my phone. I had removed it from the charger at 8:30 AM when I got out of bed. Impressive. This includes a full day of updates via Facebook and Instagram, messaging via WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, binging on my Korean variety show on iflix for about an hour, and snapping photos across the day. Not even kidding.
It has honestly only been a week since I've played around with the phone, and I must say that using it regularly has its perks. One of the greatest things I've gotten used to is definitely the convenience of the fingerprint sensor, as well as the ability to unlock the phone with my MiBand strapped to my hand. It has so far not lagged on me, which is a joy because I seem to flip through my apps very quickly just for the fun of it.
App junkie.
In my next review, I'll touch on the special features that you can catch on the Redmi Note 3 such as the "Read Mode" screen that supposedly helps when you want to use your phone just before you sleep (Who doesn't?!) as well as Xiaomi's sunlight display technology that helps when you want to fiddle with your phone even under direct sunlight. There's even a special MIUI 7 feature to secretly lock files away with a touch of my finger; that of which I have not tried yet.
Can't wait till my camera review? Follow MI on Instagram with the handle @eliephante for daily photo updates as I'm completing a #Project366 there!
For more Redmi Note 3 news, click here:
For more Redmi Note 3 news, click here:
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