Redmi 3 Full Review: Features, Performance, and Price

The Redmi 3 is a budget-friendly smartphone that's packed with impressive features. It boasts a 5-inch HD display, making it perfect for watching videos or browsing the web.

One of its standout features is the 13MP primary camera, which takes stunning photos with its f/2.0 aperture. With features like HDR and flash, you can capture professional-looking photos without breaking the bank.

The Redmi 3 is powered by a 1.8GHz octa-core processor, providing seamless performance and efficient battery life. This means you can use your phone for hours on end without worrying about running out of power.

The phone comes with 2GB or 3GB of RAM, depending on the variant, and 16GB or 32GB of internal storage. This is more than enough space for your apps, photos, and music.

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The Xiaomi Redmi 3 has a plasticky feeling, which might be a warning sign of a cheap phone, but don't let that fool you.

The phone has a diamond-patterned rear case and a chrome-effect metal trim around the screen that makes it look similar to its bigger brother.

Its 5in screen fits comfortably in the hand, and the build quality is impressive - there's no creaking, no flexing, no sharp edges, or gaping holes.

A camera and single-LED flash lie flush with the phone's case at the top left corner on the rear, and a speaker grille is located at the bottom.

The volume and power buttons are on the right edge, Micro-USB is at the bottom, and a 3.5mm headphone jack is at the top.

The SIM tray pops out from the left edge, allowing you to choose between using two SIMs or a single SIM plus a microSD card.

The phone weighs only 144g, but has a 4100mAh battery inside, which offers remarkable battery life, especially considering its mid-range hardware.

Its 5in screen is perfectly clear at 1280×720 pixels, adequately bright, and has realistic colours that can be tweaked to your desire.

The screen has strong viewing angles, making it perfect for watching videos or browsing the web.

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The Redmi 3 packs a great processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 616, which is an eight-core big.LITTLE architecture that combines four faster CPU cores with four slower low-power cores, all of which are Cortex A53s.

The processor is clocked at 1.5GHz for the "big" cores and 1.2GHz for the "little" ones, making it a great combination for smooth performance.

The Redmi 3 also comes with 2GB of RAM, which is plenty for everyday tasks and even some demanding games.

The internal storage is 16GB, but it can be expanded up to 128GB using a micro SD memory card, although this means sacrificing the dual SIM function.

In terms of performance, the Redmi 3 can handle smooth multitasking and even demanding games like "Modern Combat 5" without any stuttering.

The Redmi 3's processor is an upgrade over the Snapdragon 615, and it has improved performance and superior connectivity with X5 LTE.

In benchmark tests, the Redmi 3 scored 3045 points in Geekbench 3, which is close to the Mi 4c's score of 3233, and 33,175 points in AnTuTu, which is lower than the Mi 4c's score of 54,250.

The Redmi 3's battery life is also remarkable, with a score of 9 hours 50 minutes in Geekbench, making it one of the longest-lasting budget phones on the market.

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The Redmi 3's camera is a pleasant surprise, considering its $100 price tag. It's a 13MP sensor, which is a significant upgrade from the typical 5MP camera found in budget smartphones.

You can expect decent image quality from the Redmi 3's camera, making it a capable little shooter.

The camera on the Redmi 3 is surprisingly good, and it's a capable little shooter considering its price point.

It's equipped with a 13MP sensor, which is a significant upgrade from the 5MP sensor you'd typically find on a $100 smartphone.

The camera app is also in-house, offering numerous photo and video settings, as well as support for various scene modes and filters with live preview.

The main camera produces usable images in good lighting conditions, with low image noise, sharpness, and natural coloring.

The auto focus of the smartphone focuses extremely quickly, and the shutter release time is very short.

The front camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels and an aperture value of f / 2.2, making it suitable for video telephony and decent selfies.

The Redmi 3 also supports full-HD video recording and time-lapse recording modes from its primary camera.

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The Xiaomi Redmi 3 has a 5-inch HD IPS display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels and a point density of 294 PPI.

This display is extremely sharp, making individual pixels almost invisible to the naked eye. The colors are strong and natural, and the automatic brightness adjustment works well.

In addition to its impressive display, the Xiaomi Redmi 3 also offers display settings within which the colors and contrast can be corrected afterwards. This feature is a great option for users who want to customize their display to their liking.

The display of the Xiaomi Redmi 3 is also very stable in terms of viewing angles. Even with a strong incline, the characters remain legible at every viewing angle, making it easy to use the phone in different positions.

The Xiaomi Redmi 3 can handle 10-finger multitouch, which is a nice surprise considering its price range. This means you can use multiple fingers to interact with the display, making it more intuitive and user-friendly.

The Redmi 3 has an impressive battery life, with a 4100mAh battery that can easily last two days on a single charge. This is especially notable considering the phone's mid-range processor and 5-inch 720p screen.

The battery can be charged quickly with a charger, taking around 2 ½ hours to fully charge. This is a significant advantage over other phones, where upgrading to a faster model often means sacrificing battery life.

The phone's connectivity features are also impressive, with support for dual-SIM functionality and microSD expansion. However, users should note that the phone can only use one of these features at a time, as the second SIM slot is also used for the microSD card.

The rechargeable battery in the Xiaomi Redmi 3 has a capacity of 4100mAh. This is a significant amount of power that can provide excellent battery life.

With a quick charger, the battery can be fully replenished in about 2 ½ hours. This is a convenient feature for those who need to top up their phone on the go.

The battery life of the Redmi 3 is outstanding, lasting for a good 2 days on normal use. This is a testament to the well-optimized MIUI operating system.

In standby mode, the battery consumption of the Redmi 3 is very low, using an estimated 10% of the battery over a 2-day period.

The Xiaomi Redmi 3 is a great phone for connectivity, especially considering its budget-friendly price. It supports IR blaster, dual-SIM functionality, and microSD, making it a versatile option.

However, there is a catch - it can't support both two SIMs and a microSD at once, as it uses the same slot for its second SIM as it does the microSD card.

The Redmi 3 is a 4G phone, but UK O2 users should note that it doesn't support the 800MHz band, which means they won't be able to receive 4G coverage.

Fortunately, it does support the 1800MHz and 2600MHz 4G bands, which is good news for customers of other UK mobile operators.

Other connectivity specs include GPS with GLONASS and Bluetooth 4.1.

The Redmi 3 has a 5in HD screen with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels, which is perfect for watching videos or browsing the web.

It runs on Android 5.1 with MIUI 7, a user-friendly operating system that's easy to navigate.

The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor, which provides smooth performance and efficient multitasking.

This processor is paired with an Adreno 405 GPU, which helps with graphics rendering and gaming performance.

You can choose from 2GB of RAM, which is suitable for general use, or upgrade to more storage with a microSD card up to 128GB.

The phone also supports dual-SIM, dual-standby functionality, which is convenient for users who need to switch between two phone numbers or networks.

Here's a quick rundown of the phone's connectivity options:

Software plays a crucial role in modern technology, and understanding its basics is essential for making informed decisions.

System software, such as operating systems, manages computer hardware and provides a platform for running applications.

It's like having a personal assistant, handling tasks like memory management, process scheduling, and file system management.

The most popular operating systems are Windows, macOS, and Linux, each with its own unique features and user interfaces.

A well-designed operating system can significantly improve a computer's performance and user experience.

Device drivers, a type of system software, enable hardware components to communicate with the operating system and other devices.

They're like translators, ensuring that the computer's hardware and software can work together seamlessly.

In contrast, application software, such as Microsoft Office or Google Chrome, performs specific tasks and provides functionality for users.

It's like having a toolset, with each application serving a particular purpose, such as word processing or web browsing.

The software development process involves designing, coding, testing, and maintaining software applications.

It's a complex process, requiring collaboration between developers, designers, and quality assurance teams.

Software updates and patches are essential for fixing bugs, improving security, and enhancing performance.

Regular updates can make a big difference in a computer's overall health and security.

The Xiaomi Redmi 3 has some impressive specs. It features a 5in HD (1280×720) screen.

The processor is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 octa-core, with 4x 1.5GHz and 4x 1.2GHz cores. This should provide a good balance of performance and power efficiency.

The phone comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, which is a decent amount for most users. You can also expand the storage up to 128GB with a microSD card.

If you're looking for a phone that can handle multiple SIM cards, the Redmi 3 has dual-SIM, dual-standby functionality. This means you can have two separate phone numbers and data plans on a single device.

The phone also supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi, which is a good thing if you want to stream videos or download files quickly.

Here are the phone's key specs at a glance:

The phone's dimensions are 139.3×69.6×8.5mm, and it weighs 144g.

The Xiaomi Redmi 3 makes a great first impression, with its unibody aluminum housing that's both noble and well-made. The dotted check pattern on the back looks really good, and the quality and processing quality are top-notch for its price range.

One thing to note is that the battery is not removable, which might be a drawback for some users.

The control buttons on the side are made of metal and feel solid in the hand, while the hybrid SIM slot on the opposite side can accommodate both a micro SIM and a nano SIM, or a micro SD card.

The Xiaomi Redmi 3 unboxing on YouTube left a very good impression. The smartphone's unibody aluminum housing with a dotted check pattern on the back looks damn good and outperforms other smartphones in its price range in terms of quality and processing quality.

The control buttons on the side are made of metal and sit firmly in the housing. The hybrid SIM slot, which can hold a micro SIM, nano SIM, or micro SD, is located on the opposite side.

The back of the phone features a speaker next to the camera with LED flash. The rounded portions of the back are made of plastic, which is likely due to a better transmission.

The 5-inch HD display is on the front, and below it, you'll find 3 capacitive buttons and a notification LED. The front camera, earpiece, and proximity sensor are located above the display.

A unique feature of this smartphone is the infrared sensor, which can be used to control a television with the right app. It's located on the upper edge, along with a small microphone that's used to suppress noise.

The Xiaomi Redmi 3 has its share of pros and cons, as seen in user reviews.

Many users have reported that the phone is good for gaming, but it can overheat after just 10 minutes of use.

Some users have also mentioned that the battery drains fast, especially after an hour of use.

The phone's performance in games is not consistent, as not all games can cause the phone to overheat.

Users who have installed custom ROMs on their Redmi 3 have not shared any specific firmware details, but it's worth noting that custom ROMs can be a great way to breathe new life into an old device.

The battery life issue seems to be a common problem for many users, with some reporting that it's a major concern.

The Xiaomi Redmi 3 is a decent budget Android phone, but it's not ideal for those unfamiliar with Android.

It doesn't come with Google Play installed out of the box, which can make it difficult to navigate for beginners.

The phone has a plasticky build, but it's still decent and gets the job done for its price.

Overall, the Redmi 3 is a good option for those who are already familiar with Android and want a budget-friendly phone with good performance.

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The Xiaomi Redmi 3 and Redmi Note 3 may seem like similar devices, but they have some key differences. The Redmi 3 has a part-metal, part-plastic build, while the Note 3 is a fully metal phablet.

In terms of screen size, the Note 3 has a 5.5in full-HD panel, while the Redmi 3 has a smaller 5in HD screen. The Note 3 also has two LED flashes, while the Redmi 3 has just one.

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Inside, the Note 3 is powered by an octa-core Helio X10 chip, while the Redmi 3 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 chip. The Redmi 3 also has a microSD slot for up to 128GB of additional storage.

One area where the Redmi 3 shines is battery life, with a massive 4100mAh battery inside. The Note 3 has a slightly smaller 4000mAh battery.

The Xiaomi Redmi 3 is a very decent budget Android phone, but it's not ideal for those unfamiliar with Android.

It's not intended for a UK audience and doesn't come with Google Play installed out of the box.

This means it's best suited for people already familiar with Android and its ecosystem.

The phone has a plasticky but decent build, which is a compromise for its budget price.

It delivers good performance for the money, making it a great option for those who want a reliable device without breaking the bank.

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If you're in the UK and want a Xiaomi Redmi 3, you'll need to get it from a third-party grey-market site, such as GearBest.

GearBest charges £114.95 with free shipping to the UK for the 16GB Redmi 3.

You'll also need to be aware that all phones shipped from China to the UK are liable for import duty.