LeEco Le 1s "Raising the bar higher"

As the mid-range price bracket is being getting too crowded, and emergence of India as one of the leading markets for smartphones, today we have another name in the Indian soils, LeTV. The former though is not a new name in the home market, China, and is one of the largest online video companies in the home.

Paving it's way into the Indian market, LeEco (previously known as LeTV) launched two phones- Le Max and Le 1s.
Le 1s is the budget phone which finds competition with the likes of the Moto G, Asus Zenfone Max, Coolpad Note 3 and the Lenovo Vibe K4 Note in India, while the other is the flagship model for the market.

It has been a known fact that there is no scarcity of budget phones in India, but the recent introduction of  Le 1s has raised the bar in the budget segment by a bit. And we will see whether the 1s would be able to create an upper edge over it's rivals or not!

The budget smartphone market may be flooded with a plenty of good-looking phones, but there are barely any with a full-metal unibody design. Not only the metal body gives the Le 1s a premium touch, but it also makes the phone stand out against the competition. I am quite impressed by the way the company has put together different elements on the phone - which makes the phone aesthetically pleasing.

Given that the phone features a large 5.5-inch screen, many may assume it to be a little bulky, but the phone actually didn’t feel heavy in hands. It, in fact, was comfortable to hold and operate which is a credit to the craftmanship.

Another highlight of the phone is a fingerprint sensor which sits at the back of the phone, for increased security and easy unlocking. Though there are a couple of phones in this price segment (including the Coolpad Note 3 and Note 3 Lite) to have come with a fingerprint sensor, but it is still not a common thing to find on budget phones. And the inclusion of the same in the Le 1s increases its chances of earning some extra scores.

Also, the company claims to have the world's first mirror-surfaced fingerprint scanner which not only adds to the looks, but is also claimed to be scratch-proof.

Large screens are common now, which can be found even on phones less than Rs 7K. But what makes the Le 1s’s display stand out in the budget market is an ultra-thin bezel around it, which keeps the dimensions in control. And it also makes the phone look elegant and beautiful.

Currently, there are not many companies paying heed to having a narrow bezel on their low-cost or budget devices. Also, the 5.5-inch display on the Le 1s is quite good - in terms of both colour reproduction and details.

Another highlight of the phone is the USB Type-C connector with fast charging facility. If the company’s claim is to be believed, the phone can give 3.5 hours of talk time on a charge of 5 minutes.

Also, the USB Type-C, which is the new USB standard, lets users plug the cable in either orientation. We have USB Type-C in OnePlus 2, Nexus 5X, and 6P, but how many budget phones have you seen with USB Type-C?

We briefly tested the cameras - both front and rear - on the Le 1s, and found the results to be bright and rich in colours. Talking about their video capabilities, the rear camera can shoot in 4K, which is again a rarity in this price segment, and the front in 1080p.

Nevertheless, we are are holding on to our verdict on its cameras as the demo zone was brightly lit up and we are yet to test them in different lighting conditions.

At its heart is an octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 processor coupled with 3 GB of RAM. While the specs on paper suggest a powerful performance, but that can only be verified after using the phone for a longer duration. While our hands-on we never felt the phone to be sluggish or lagging. Also, the phone includes 32 GB of internal storage (of which around 29 GB is user accessible). The speaker grill at the bottom is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also emits great sound which is acceptable.

This phone has raised the bar higher for the budget phones, but does it deliver the promise that is shows, only time will tell. Wait for the full review and do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Samsung Galaxy S7 appears on Antutu

The Samsung Galaxy S7, a usual flagship of 2016 and the successor of the brother Galaxy S6 series is almost here. It has been in the news and rumours for quite a bit of time and it seems like this time Samsung has taken the competition seriously. Samsung this time, is heading up for an much faster launch as compared to their usual schedule. And by now the S7 is almost completely leaked, all left to be done is the official launch. But as of now the Galaxy S7 is a bit more interesting, because it remains unclear in what shapes and screen sizes it will be available, but that aside, we now have another confirmation on key specs.

Antutu reports that the SM-G930F has been spotted running the benchmark, and it's the vanilla 5.1-inch version with QHD display resolution (Samsung will reportedly stick to that for 2016 flagships). More importantly, the smartphone is powered by the in-house Exynos 8890 chipset, in this (historically speaking) international F version. That obviously doesn't mean there won't be a Snapdragon 820 version, on the contrary.

RAM is quoted to be 4GB and internal storage is 64GB, but that second number seems too generous for a base model. Additionally, the benchmark states that the smartphone does indeed pack a 12MP primary camera, so the move to fewer but larger pixels is happening and possibly it could be the newer BRITCELL sensor behind that which meant for better low light photography. On the front, Samsung is sticking with 5MP for another generation.

And we know you were hoping for a score, but alas, there isn't such a number in Antutu's Weibo post. However, with the smartphone being in a pre-production testing phase, the figures wouldn't have been indicative of final devices anyway. So let's just patiently wait it out until MWC, when the Galaxy S7 is set to become official.

Lenovo K4 Note "Worth a shot"

Lenovo's recently announced K4 Note smartphone was  available for purchase on Amazon India via flash sale yesterday. The sale, which is for the INR 12,499 ($185) priced Vibe K4 Note VR Bundle that also includes an ANT VR headset, will begin at 2pm IST.

The phone will separately be available for purchase 2pm IST tomorrow on Amazon - that'll also be a flash sale. The Chinese company has revealed that it has received a total of 480,566 registrations for today's flash sale, and those who have successfully registered for it will also be eligible for tomorrow's sale. Lenovo, however, didn't reveal the number of units that'll be up for grabs both today and tomorrow.

It would be better if Lenovo puts a banner along with it's flash sale that reads "catch me if you can", because on it's first ever bundled flash sale ,the smartphone got sold out in a whooping 0.9 seconds. According to Lenovo, they sold a massive number of 10,000 units of bundled sets in the 0.9 second run. Let's take a deeper look at the K4 Note to find out what makes or gives it the edge currently in the market over other smartphones. http://amzn.to/1S6BFDZ We give the straight way for you to  head to the Lenovo Vibe K4 Note exclusively sold by Amazon.Don't waste time, hurry up.

The Lenovo K4 Note packs a 13.97cm (5.5') Full HD display which produces rich colours and sharp resolution specially crafted for multimedia. The display pumps out 450 Nits of brightness at max level which is not much farther away from the mighty OnePlus 2. The contrast ratio on the screen panel is 1000:1 which is another leap towards making colours pop out of the screen without making it oversaturated and ensuring more vivid and clear experience. Added, with in-plane switching (IPS) technology, offering nearly 180° of wide-angle viewing. On the front K4 Note boasts a 5MP snapper sharp selfies. And the rear one is a 13MP auto-focus lad which has a f2.2 ISOCELL sensor with PDAF(phase detection auto focus) fast focus. To give you some extra knowledge, ISOCELL's are developed by Samsung and not so far ago they also found their way into the Samsung's Flagship smartphones, and OnePlus X is another brother which houses a ISOCELL sensor.Other enhancements on the K4 Note come with their own developed VIBE UI. K4 Note packs a MediaTek's 64-bit MT6753 Octa Core processor which is seemingly fast and having power saving features to boost battery life.While the manpower for handling multitasking, gaming and multimedia without any lag is given by 3GB of DDR3 RAM.

TheaterMax It is the widescreen cinematic experience which is powered by Lenovo VR technology and it is built into the VIBE K4 Note. K4 Note is partnered with the ANTVR glasses, for viewing movies and games on a super-size virtual screen.On turning up the volume on the K4 Note's surround-sound audio system gives a unrealistic VR experience.
Dolby Atmos
Lenovo K4 Note is equipped with the twin front-facing speakers with dolby atmos which deliver a rich immersive sound experience.This a plus for music lovers as the dolby atmos enhances the audio flowing around you allowing you to enjoy wider,elevated sound field with greater details and high and crisp loudness without distortion.

K4 Note features a handful of 16GB inbuilt storage which can be further expanded by microSD card upto 128GB.
Another highlight feature of this smartphone is the fingerprint sensor that it packs on it's back below the rear camera. Lenovo claimed the sensor to be super responsive. Apart from just unlocking the phone, Lenovo has added useful features like taking a picture, Multitasking menu and back button to the fingerprint sensor. And the added bonus is the NFC(Near Field Communication) which giants like OnePlus 2 failed to pack despite housing a fingerprint sensor. NFC enables the K4 Note to be eligible for the Android Pay,which is a feature in it's early days, making the K4 Note future proof.
K4 Note houses dual sim slots supporting high-speed LTE(4G) networks. And a 3300 mAh battery is also onboard making the K4 Note to stretch easily through the day under heavy use. It runs on Android 5.1 version of Lollipop with some Lenovo's own added apps on board. All these features make the Lenovo K4 Note worth a shot in the rising competitive smartphone market.

Tech Specs

Processor	64-bit MediaTek® MT6753 Octa-core processor
Operating System	Andriod™ 5.1 and 10 point multi-touch
GPU	Mali T720-MP3 (up to 450MHz 3D graphics accelerator)
Memory	RAM: 3GB LP DDR3 Internal storage: 16GB eMMC built-in storage Expandable: Up to 128GB microSD
Display	Size: 5.5" Full HD (1920X1080) at >403ppi, IPS 178° wide-view display Type: Capacitive 10-point multi-touch
Dimensions (mm)	3.8 - 9.15 (curved back panel for enhanced ergonomics)
Dimensions (inches)	3.01" x 0.36" x 6.05"
Weight	Starting at 0.34lbs (158g)
Materials	Rear Cover: Polycarbonate Display: Scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 display
Audio	Dolby Atmos virtual surround sound Front ported 2X1.5W stereo speakers WM8281 audio codec
Security	Fingerprint reader with gesture support
SAR Value	Head - 0.844 W/kg Body - 0.711 W/kg
Battery	Type: 3300mAh (Li-polymer), embedded Standby time: 265hrs Talktime: 22hrs
Color	Tuxedo Black
SIM	Type: Dual micro SIM
Camera	Rear: 13MP PDAF w/ Dual-color LED flash Front: 5MP fixed-focus
Sensors	Gravitation, Proximity, Light, E-Compass
Connectivity/Radios	Data: GPRS, EDGE, HSPA+, LTE Speed: LTE TDD Band 40/41 NW (2555MHz--2655MHz); FDD Band 1/3/5/7 /8/20 3G Network: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz 2G Network: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz Speed: LTE (4G) 150Mbps (DL) / 50Mbps (UL) CAT4 WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi hotspot Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 4.0 LE A-GPS Support: Yes Radio: FM radio NFC

Specifications may vary

Social Networking	Skype™, Twitter™ , Facebook®
Tools, Productivity & Daily Life	Guvera Music, Shazam, Route 66 Navi + Maps, Evernote®, UC Browser
Google	Play, Store, Chrome, Drive, Gmail, Hangouts, Maps, Play Music, Photos, Google Search, Play Movies & TV, YouTube, Google+, Google Calendar, Google Settings
Games	Gamestore, Tap the Frog
Lenovo Apps	SHAREit with CLONEit, SYNCit, SNAPit Camera
Security	McAfee Security

Ultrasonic fingerprint scanners: how do they work?

Besides the recent announcement of the world’s first QualcommSnapdragon 820 powered smartphone, the Le Max Pro smartphone also packs in a rather interesting sounding Qualcomm Sense ID ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. Let’s take a closer look at how this technology works and what sort of advantages it has to offer over current fingerprint scanning technologies on the market.

Rather than existing photographic or capacitive based fingerprint scanners, Qualcomm’s Sense ID makes use of ultrasonic sound, as the name implies, in order to map out the details of the user’s fingerprint. Fortunately, there’s no need to swipe, just touch the finger to the sensor like the top of the line capacitive fingerprint scanners.

To actually capture the details of a fingerprint, the hardware consists of both a transmitter and a receiver. An ultrasonic pulse is transmitted against the finger that is placed over the scanner. Some of this pulse is absorbed and some of it is bounced back to the sensor, depending upon the ridges, pores and other details that are unique to each fingerprint.

There isn’t a microphone listening out for these returning signals, instead a sensor that can detect mechanical stress is used to calculate the intensity of the returning ultrasonic pulse at different points on the scanner. Scanning for longer periods of time allows for additional depth data to be captured, resulting in a highly detailed 3D reproduction of the scanned fingerprint.

This is considerably different to even the best capacitive fingerprint scanners on the market at the moment, which are only able to reproduce 2D images. 3D details are much more difficult to forge or fool than 2D versions of the technology, potentially making the ultrasonic system much more secure.

Another added perk of this ultrasonic fingerprint scanner technology is that it allows the fingerprint scanner to still operate through thin materials, such as a smartphone case built from glass, aluminium or plastic. Therefore, the scanner can be embedded under the case, allowing for a more discrete look. Additionally, there’s less chance of damaging the sensor or exposing it to external tampering, and sweat or moisture on the finger won’t interfere with the scanning process either.

Of course, there’s still plenty to be done with this fingerprint data and keeping it secure is an equally important part of the system. Qualcomm’s Sense ID technology is built on the Qualcomm Biometric Integrated Circuit (QBIC). This unit communicates with the sensor hardware and houses the algorithms necessary to make sense of the data on chip. This IC can then communicate with the main Snapdragon SoC that powers your smartphone, where the fingerprint data can be used by software.

Qualcomm’s Secure MSM architecture in its Snapdragon processors provides additional protection via a separate execution environment that is kept away from the rest of the high level operating system. Secure MSM is traditionally used to handle cryptographic and other sensitive bits of data. This way, important user security information is kept secure on its own piece of hardware and in a separate software bubble away from potential malicious bits of code.

Qualcomm’s Sense ID setup also supports the Fast Identity Online (FIDO) Alliance protocols, which can be used for online password-less authentication, without transferring any of the confidential fingerprint information to the cloud or through networks that could be compromised.

Ultrasonic fingerprint scanners certainly have a number of advantages of existing capacitive implementations and given the prevalence of Qualcomm processors in mobile products, we can probably expect to see the technology in a number of smartphones this year. Qualcomm’s Sense ID is likely to be only one of the first ultrasonic systems to make its way to the mobile space.

OnePlus 3 "Everything we know till now"

OnePlus 3 release date, specifications: Can it kill Samsung Galaxy S7, iPhone 7 and others?

OnePlus 2 was dubbed to be  "2016 flagship-killer" when it was released in 2015, but it was no match for high-end devices like Samsung Galaxy S6, iPhone 6s and LG G4 which were the flagship devices of 2015.Overly hyped OnePlus 2 lacking NFC and many other musts failed to live to the people's expectations.It was good phone but no match for the bigger names. Now, all eyes are on OnePlus 3, which is expected to come with the latest technology.

The Chinese company is yet to reveal the release date of its flagship device, OnePlus 3, but if one were to go by past trends, it should arrive in the third quarter of this year. OnePlus One was released in June 2014, while OnePlus 2 was unveiled in July and released in August 2015, so the upcoming smartphone may also come during this time of the year in 2016.

But to see the latest trend, Samsung is launching it's devices prior to the usual time it used to be and the same is expected for the Samsung S7.Can OnePlus amaze us with a faster launch only time will tell.

According to renders leaked by Mobile-Dad (via GizChina), OnePlus 3 is similar to OnePlus 2 in design and no speakers on the rear of the device. It went on to claim the device could sport a 1920x1080pixel screen and be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor.

And interestingly, designer Hasan Kaymak's render of the device, published by ConceptPhones, claimed it would sport a 5.2-inch Quad-HD display, powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor, and come with a 4,000mAh battery. There were also reports that it may run Cyanogen OS, based on Android Marshmallow, and have 64GB internal storage and 4GB RAM. However, one has to take the specifications of the device with a pinch of salt as OnePlus is yet to announce it.

Interestingly, rumours have been doing the rounds that OnePlus 3 might boast of best technology available in the industry and could even turn out to be a killer of upcoming flagship devices. However, truth can be harsh, as it won't be easy to beat upcoming devices like Samsung Galaxy S7, iPhone 7 and other flagship devices from the likes of HTC, Blackberry, LG and Sony.

Lenovo Lemon 3 vs Xiaomi Redmi 3: Eye for an Eye

Earlier this week, Xiaomi turned heads around the world when they put out the Redmi 3, an impressively spec’ed and priced handset with a full metal body, a 5-inch HD display, octa-core Snapdragon 616 SoC, and a monstrous 4,100 mAh battery. The device is so competitively priced at $105 that some are expecting it to have a drastic effect on the Chinese mid-range smartphone market, seeing as many phones with these specs are selling for three times the price. Now Lenovo is stepping up to the plate with their own insanely priced handset: the Lemon 3.

Spec-wise, the Lemon 3 is nearly identical to the Xiaomi Redmi 3. Both have 5-inch HD displays, both are running the same Snapdragon chip, both have 2 gigs of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. Both also have a 13 MP main camera and a 5 MP selfie-snapper. Price tag on the Lemon 3? Same as the Redmi 3: 699 RMB ($105 US).

More on Xiaomi Redmi 3

The Xiaomi Redmi 3, is a ridiculously cheap phone with a massive 4,100 mAh battery that extends the talk-time of its predecessor by 80%.

Xiaomi Redmi 3 holds a 5-inch HD display, octa-core Snapdragon 616 SoC, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage backed up with microSD expansion, all housed in a full metal chassis.

The Redmi 3 is also equipped with dual-SIM (although one slot doubles as the SD card tray). On the camera front side, the Redmi 3 comes with a 13 MP primary camera with f/2.0 aperture and 0.1 second Phase Detection Auto-Focus (PDAF). On the front, there’s a 5 MP selfie camera with f/2.2 aperture. The Redmi 3 is available in three colors: black, silver and gold.

The Redmi 3 release date for China is January 12 via Tmalland Mi.com (there are no details around a global launch). The Redmi 3 price in China is 699 RMB, the equivalent of $105. The Redmi 3 may not be available outside China just yet, but for a full metal phone with a battery that big, you can bet the world is taking notice.

Things are clear that noone is going to back down, it's just the start of the year and things have gotten rough.Other companies are also going to step up and join the battle, and only time will what they are going to bring for us.

Redmi Note 3 Pro "Xiaomi taking the game seriously"

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro unveiled; sports 5.5-Inch display, 16MP rear camera and Snapdragon 650

After launching the Redmi Note 3, Xiaomi raised the bar higher in the mid-range budget segment, and recently Xiaomi has unveiled the upgraded Redmi Note Pro with minor improvisations. It seems Xiaomi has taken the competition seriously and currently they are leaving no way of exploiting the market.
The device will go on sale in China starting January 17 via the official website, at a price of CNY 999 (approximately Rs 10,000) for the 2GB RAM/16GB internal storage variant. Pricing for the 3GB RAM/32GB internal storage variant has not been revealed. It will be available in Dark grey, Champagne gold and silver color variants.



Redmi Note 3 uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor clocked at 1.8 GHz  (2x ARM® Cortex™ A72, 4x ARM Cortex A53) and it supports 4G+ network which is significantly faster than the 4G network. It also features the latest Sunlight Display, which uses hardware-level algorithms to adjust contrast for each pixel in real time, dramatically improving readability in sunlight.

Great photos are taken anytime, anywhere and that is the reason why Redmi Note 3 has a 16 MP rear camera with Dual Image Sensor Processor (ISP), 0.1s ultra-fast PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus) which guarantee you to take a high quality images. Selfie lovers will loves this device too as the 5 MP front camera features beautify in MIUI and other modes certainly suits your needs.

Adreno 510 GPU supports DirectX 12 and OpenGL ES 3.1 which certainly gives you a better gaming experience ! Guess what? The Redmi Note 3 scored a 77592 in AnTuTu Benchmark 6.0 !

It will run MIUI 7 based on Android Lollipop. On the connectivity front, the device supports 4G LTE, 3G, Bluetooth, GPRS/EDGE, GPS, Glonass, WiFi and microUSB. The smartphone packs in a 4000mAh battery and the company claims that the device can be charged up to 50 percent in one hour.

For now, Xiaomi is all set to bring the Redmi Note 3 to India. We came across the announcement on its official Facebook page, wherein the company confirms the ‘exciting news’ of Redmi Note 3 launch. Xiaomi India Chief Manu Jain has also tweeted about the opportunity of being the first 100 Note 3 Explorers. The company has also mentioned Mi bands as giveaways. The company is seeking 100 Explorers, which means 100 users, will get to lay their hands on the device, before it is officially launched in India.

The smartphone comes with a 5.5-inch display with 1920 x 1080 pixels of resolution, that takes the pixel density all the way up to 403 ppi. It gets a 13MP rear snapper with PDAF Autofocus and a 5MP front-facing camera. We’d recently got to spend some time with the Redmi Note 3 and in our very limited time, we found it to be a worthy upgrade over its predecessor. It has got some nifty improvements and quite capable of taking the lineage forward. 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 aka "Bang for the buck"

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is a significant evolution for one of Xiaomi’s most important devices, particularly Redmi Note 2. It's much more elegant than previous generations of the phone, with a smooth aluminum finish, and a design philosophy that's sure to appeal to customers who want an attractive smartphone. Under the hood, however, it's more similar to its predecessor that appearances suggest.But one can simply quote "Midrange going Premium".

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 release date and price

The Redmi Note 3 is on sale now in some online stores. In China, its price starts at about US$150 or US$180, depending on whether you go for the 16 GB or 32 GB version. US availability is currently quite low, although you should be able to get your hands on one through an importer, albeit for a slightly higher price.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 design and build quality

The big change in the Redmi Note 3 design is its aluminum unibody. This change in material has also had a profound effect on the device’s overall appearance; it reminds me a little of some Meizu smartphones.

The length of the device has been reduced by two millimeters, while battery capacity has massively increased in comparison with the Redmi Note 2. The battery is no longer removable.

Even with more features, its weight has only risen by 4 g. This is quite minimal, considering the increase in battery capacity and the new metal finish. Better ergonomics, the smooth metallic texture and an overall sense of ruggedness have given the Redmi range an overall feeling of quality. Redmi Note 3 is a smartphone standing for top grade engineering.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 design and build quality

The big change in the Redmi Note 3 design is its aluminum unibody. This change in material has also had a profound effect on the device’s overall appearance; it reminds me a little of some Meizu smartphones.

The length of the device has been reduced by two millimeters, while battery capacity has increased in comparison with the Redmi Note 2. The battery is no longer removable.

Even with more features, its weight has only risen by 4 g. This is quite minimal, considering the increase in battery capacity and the new metal finish. Better ergonomics, the smooth metallic texture and an overall sense of ruggedness have given the Redmi range an overall feeling of quality.

On the back of the phone, you'll find a speaker at the bottom, and a camera flash and fingerprint sensor near the top. There is a plastic element close to the speaker that prevents it from being completely muffled when the phone is placed on a flat surface.

The buttons are also metallic and help maintain the Redmi Note 3's premium feel. They are on the right-hand side of the device and make it comfortable to use with both hands.

Unfortunately, the design evolution has claimed another victim: the microSD card slot. Therefore, the Redmi Note 3 does not have expandable storage.

Another design change that’s less dramatic than the loss of a removable battery and microSD card slot is the color of the capacitive buttons. Those on the first two generations of this phone had a very distinctive red color. In this third generation, they have become white.

The front of the phone sees some quite simple changes. There are three capacitive buttons at the bottom, a front-facing camera at the top right and an LED for notifications, which can be configured to your liking.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 display

The Redmi Note 3 display is great for the price. It's an IPS LCD with Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) and measures 5.5 inches diagonally. This gives it a pixel density of 403 ppi, which is excellent for a phone of this price.

Brightness is quite good and colors are vivid. The biggest drawback is that there is no protection against scratches or scrapes.

I liked the automatic brightness control a lot, although I usually change this manually. Apparently the glass covering the screen is polarized, so if you wear polarized sunglasses, you can only see the screen if you put the device in landscape mode. This can be solved by putting up a protective tempered glass, which is a good idea anyway, since there is no protection.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 special features

Fingerprint Sensor

The fingerprint sensor may not be that special a feature in high-end devices, but it is for a device of this price. The Redmi Note 3's fingerprint sensor works great, but unfortunately its role is limited. It does not include the release function trackpad as seen in the Huawei Mate S, for example.

Infrared sensor

The device also has an infrared sensor at the top, but the international version does not come pre-installed with an application to control devices through this port, and the Chinese ROM only supports Chinese and English.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 software

Like other phones from this Chinese manufacturer, the Redmi Note 3 has Xiaomi's MIUI 7 interface, which is based on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop. There is an international ROM available for this terminal, which is what our test device came equipped with. It already included Google Play and several languages such as Spanish, despite the original ROM being Chinese.

Despite being very different to stock Android, the MIUI 7user experience is quite pleasant. The appearance is highly customizable, allowing you to tinker with the lock screen, icons and widgets, as well as some applications.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 performance

The Redmi Note 3 is equipped with a Mediatek MT6795 processor, called Helio X10, which has eight cores running at a maximum speed of 1.95 GHz. The model we tested had 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory. The processor is the same processor as the one in the Redmi Note 2, but the Note 3 has 1 GB more RAM.

Multi-tasking is good and supports various processes smoothly. The system has great fluidity, and games run with no notable problems. It also has an accelerometer and gyroscope to improve control in games.

Its best score in AnTuTu Benchmark was in excess of 51,000 points. The overall performance of Redmi Note 3 is a little below that of the Lenovo ZUK 1 and closely matches the Nexus 5X.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 audio

The main speaker is very powerful, although it is placed in a location that would normally be covered by the hand when you hold the device. Its quality is not the best but is quite acceptable.

During calls, the sound is very crisp thanks to the second microphone. Within the Audio Tuningmenu, there are advanced options for when you use headphones. You can configure the type of handset and enhance and equalize sound levels either manually or by using presets.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 camera

The main 13 MP camera may be the Redmi Note 3’s biggest weakness. Image quality is acceptable under good light, but under low light, noise is an issue. Compared with other 13 MP cameras, this is behind the pack.

The front camera has a 5 MP sensor. It’s good for selfies if the lighting is good, but don’t expect too much from it, just as with the rear camera.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 battery

The battery capacity has been much improved over the Redmi Note 2. The Redmi Note 3 battery is 4000 mAh, 1000 mAh more than its predecessor. The result is that it can last more than 40 hours, and that the display will run for about four.

One negative I see in this phone is its fast processing. With its huge battery, it needs to charge for around two hours and 40 minutes each time.

Final verdict

This new generation of Redmi Note loses the microSD card and the removable battery, but greatly improves on design and generously increases battery size, compared with the Note 2. It’s a nicely balanced device that makes a few sacrifices in exchange for a few great benefits.

The Note 3 is highly recommended, except for lovers of photography. It’s a smart device with a compelling feel and user experience. Performance is not incredible, but is more than enough for most users, and impressive considering the price.Let us now what you think of this Redmi in the comments below.