Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi (one of main players currently) has just presented an update for his Redmi Note model, with a few novelties and the goal of being one of most popular smartphones for the season.
Packaging and design
The box is “iPhone-like” in paperboard color, something I've liked since it looks a little bit more Eco-friendly, and at the same time it's simple and elegant.
In the box we find the terminal properly wrapped, a charger (with US plug, not the European one), a good quality USB cable, the warranty and instructions both in Chinese.
As usual lately, no signs of the earphones, we'll have to get used :-/
The design of this Redmi Note 2 is very simple and clean, on the front we have the secondary camera on the top, then the 5,5” FullHD screen with just the 3 touch buttons typical from Android.
On the right side we have the volume and lock buttons, both seem made in good quality
Looking at the bottom, the micro-USB plug and the microphone. We have the jack 3.5 plug for the (non included) earphones and the secondary microphone for noise cancellation on the top.
So we have a completely free left side, something very common nowadays, due to the big size of the devices, the buttons are grouped in just one of the sides.
Once we flip it, the main 13Mpx camera (we have no information about who is manufacturing it), the LED (not dual) flash and the speaker on the bottom with the XIAOMI logo.
When we remove the back cover, we found the removable battery, the slots for the 2 micro-SIM and another one for the microSD expansion card.
This model is available in 5 colors: white, blue, yellow, pink and mint green.
Hardware
The technical specifications are quite good. Just to start, it's equipped with the new X10 octa core from Mediatek, so 64-bits and 2.0Ghz speed. The 2GB of RAM memory put it on the middle of the table, since most of new phones already come with 3GB or 4GB if we talk about flagship devices.
To complete the game, we find a GPU Power VR G6200 that will put all the sauce for videos and games to play smoothly.
Model* Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
SO*MIUI 7 (Android 5.0)
Processor*X10 64bits, octa core @ 2,0Ghz
GPU Power VR G6200
RAM*2GB
Screen*5,5” IPS LCD FullHD 1920x1080,*with*403ppi and 16M colors
Storage*16GB + microSD
Cameras*Main 13Mpx with flash LED; front 5Mpx; video 1080p @ 30 fps
Connectivity*Wi-Fi 2.4GHz b/g/n with Wi-Fi Direct support // BT 4.0*// MicroUSB (High Speed USB)
Dual SIM*GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 Mhz ; 3G WCDMA: 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 Mhz; 4G FDD-LTE: B1(2100MHz) / B3(1800MHz) / B7(2600MHz)
Other*G-sensor, P-Sensor, L-Sensor, Wifi, GPS, OTG< Multi-touch, Dual SIM, Schedule Power on/off, E-compass, Hall IC, Gravity Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Light Sensor, Magnetic Sensor, Gyroscope Sensor
Battery*3060mAh removable
Dimensions*152 x 76 x 8.25 mm
Weight*160gr with the battery
Colors White, blue, yellow, pink, mint green
Price*From $169.99 with current promos
Software and Multimedia
The Redmi Note 2 comes with the almost last version of Android 5.0 (Lollipop), however we won't appreciate it since the customization layer is very “intrusive”. We are talking about the very well known MIUI, which brings a iOS flavor that either you love or you hate normally.
MIUI is probably one of most known Android ROMs and doubtless one of the strengths that helped Xiaomi growth as much and sell their handhelds outside of China.
In this case, the Redmi Note has the v7 of MIUI and as expected it runs very well, fluid and smooth even when playing 2K videos. However, in my opinion is a little bit silly to play 2K videos in a 5,5” screen, even a very good one like this case. It will be very interesting if we are using a remote screen, and we are broadcasting to a big screen, but (and again is just my opinion) with a smartphone, I guess FullHD is already a great resolution.
On the same way, games (like Asphalt 8) run perfectly thanks to both the powerful chip X10 and the GPU Power VR G6200.
Camera
Nowadays it's very common to find 13 Mpx cameras on almost every smartphone. If we compare this one to other Chinese phones, we can say the results are very good.
It's not the main point in this phone, although as said before it achieves quite good results, specially with daylight (very good pictures!). But when the light is reduced, for example taking night pictures there is a lot of noise on the images.
When we move to video recording, FullHD at 30fps offer very good quality.
Battery
The trend is now to go around 3000mAh, and Xiaomi hits that mark in this case.
Of course the duration will depend on how much we use the smartphone and for what. Taking into consideration that on the first days we will be trying everything and the use will be much more exhaustive that the normal one.
However we will reach the end of the day without any difficulty, using data, camera,...
Conclusions
We have on our hands a very good terminal. We can notice it on the finishing and the overall user experience, thanks also to the good integration and performance of MIUI 7.
I don't like to open the box and don't find the earphones, but it becomes the rule now, so I will finally have to get used to that. I know manufacturers try to cut cost wherever they can, and they guess we all have good earphones already... but if you're presenting a device with an impressive screen and powerful enough to play and enjoy the multimedia part, why don't you complete it with a good earphones?
I'm sure this is a problem that we don't have when buying an iPhone or last Galaxy S or LG or any other first brand smartphone, since they have margin enough to pay quality extras.
This model (Redmi Note 2) is on the medium range so we have to consider it like that. If we are looking for a top class (Chinese) device we will have to choose the Xiaomi Mi5 (when available) or Xiaomi Note Pro and there the price will be already above 500€.
Are you looking a good smartphone for less than 200€? don't think more, you have to look and consider this one. It's not only because of the specifications on the paper, it's also (or mainly) because step by step the Chinese manufacturers are differentiating among them.
Xiaomi and Meizu have proved (or are proving yet) to be above the other Chinese companies... so if you have similar prices, ask for quality!
PS: if you like this review, just click on "Thanks"
Packaging and design
The box is “iPhone-like” in paperboard color, something I've liked since it looks a little bit more Eco-friendly, and at the same time it's simple and elegant.
In the box we find the terminal properly wrapped, a charger (with US plug, not the European one), a good quality USB cable, the warranty and instructions both in Chinese.
As usual lately, no signs of the earphones, we'll have to get used :-/
The design of this Redmi Note 2 is very simple and clean, on the front we have the secondary camera on the top, then the 5,5” FullHD screen with just the 3 touch buttons typical from Android.
On the right side we have the volume and lock buttons, both seem made in good quality
Looking at the bottom, the micro-USB plug and the microphone. We have the jack 3.5 plug for the (non included) earphones and the secondary microphone for noise cancellation on the top.
So we have a completely free left side, something very common nowadays, due to the big size of the devices, the buttons are grouped in just one of the sides.
Once we flip it, the main 13Mpx camera (we have no information about who is manufacturing it), the LED (not dual) flash and the speaker on the bottom with the XIAOMI logo.
When we remove the back cover, we found the removable battery, the slots for the 2 micro-SIM and another one for the microSD expansion card.
This model is available in 5 colors: white, blue, yellow, pink and mint green.
Hardware
The technical specifications are quite good. Just to start, it's equipped with the new X10 octa core from Mediatek, so 64-bits and 2.0Ghz speed. The 2GB of RAM memory put it on the middle of the table, since most of new phones already come with 3GB or 4GB if we talk about flagship devices.
To complete the game, we find a GPU Power VR G6200 that will put all the sauce for videos and games to play smoothly.
Model* Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
SO*MIUI 7 (Android 5.0)
Processor*X10 64bits, octa core @ 2,0Ghz
GPU Power VR G6200
RAM*2GB
Screen*5,5” IPS LCD FullHD 1920x1080,*with*403ppi and 16M colors
Storage*16GB + microSD
Cameras*Main 13Mpx with flash LED; front 5Mpx; video 1080p @ 30 fps
Connectivity*Wi-Fi 2.4GHz b/g/n with Wi-Fi Direct support // BT 4.0*// MicroUSB (High Speed USB)
Dual SIM*GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 Mhz ; 3G WCDMA: 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 Mhz; 4G FDD-LTE: B1(2100MHz) / B3(1800MHz) / B7(2600MHz)
Other*G-sensor, P-Sensor, L-Sensor, Wifi, GPS, OTG< Multi-touch, Dual SIM, Schedule Power on/off, E-compass, Hall IC, Gravity Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Light Sensor, Magnetic Sensor, Gyroscope Sensor
Battery*3060mAh removable
Dimensions*152 x 76 x 8.25 mm
Weight*160gr with the battery
Colors White, blue, yellow, pink, mint green
Price*From $169.99 with current promos
Software and Multimedia
The Redmi Note 2 comes with the almost last version of Android 5.0 (Lollipop), however we won't appreciate it since the customization layer is very “intrusive”. We are talking about the very well known MIUI, which brings a iOS flavor that either you love or you hate normally.
MIUI is probably one of most known Android ROMs and doubtless one of the strengths that helped Xiaomi growth as much and sell their handhelds outside of China.
In this case, the Redmi Note has the v7 of MIUI and as expected it runs very well, fluid and smooth even when playing 2K videos. However, in my opinion is a little bit silly to play 2K videos in a 5,5” screen, even a very good one like this case. It will be very interesting if we are using a remote screen, and we are broadcasting to a big screen, but (and again is just my opinion) with a smartphone, I guess FullHD is already a great resolution.
On the same way, games (like Asphalt 8) run perfectly thanks to both the powerful chip X10 and the GPU Power VR G6200.
Camera
Nowadays it's very common to find 13 Mpx cameras on almost every smartphone. If we compare this one to other Chinese phones, we can say the results are very good.
It's not the main point in this phone, although as said before it achieves quite good results, specially with daylight (very good pictures!). But when the light is reduced, for example taking night pictures there is a lot of noise on the images.
When we move to video recording, FullHD at 30fps offer very good quality.
Battery
The trend is now to go around 3000mAh, and Xiaomi hits that mark in this case.
Of course the duration will depend on how much we use the smartphone and for what. Taking into consideration that on the first days we will be trying everything and the use will be much more exhaustive that the normal one.
However we will reach the end of the day without any difficulty, using data, camera,...
Conclusions
We have on our hands a very good terminal. We can notice it on the finishing and the overall user experience, thanks also to the good integration and performance of MIUI 7.
I don't like to open the box and don't find the earphones, but it becomes the rule now, so I will finally have to get used to that. I know manufacturers try to cut cost wherever they can, and they guess we all have good earphones already... but if you're presenting a device with an impressive screen and powerful enough to play and enjoy the multimedia part, why don't you complete it with a good earphones?
I'm sure this is a problem that we don't have when buying an iPhone or last Galaxy S or LG or any other first brand smartphone, since they have margin enough to pay quality extras.
This model (Redmi Note 2) is on the medium range so we have to consider it like that. If we are looking for a top class (Chinese) device we will have to choose the Xiaomi Mi5 (when available) or Xiaomi Note Pro and there the price will be already above 500€.
Are you looking a good smartphone for less than 200€? don't think more, you have to look and consider this one. It's not only because of the specifications on the paper, it's also (or mainly) because step by step the Chinese manufacturers are differentiating among them.
Xiaomi and Meizu have proved (or are proving yet) to be above the other Chinese companies... so if you have similar prices, ask for quality!
PS: if you like this review, just click on "Thanks"
