At first we would like to thank XiaomiShop.com for offering a sample of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G for testing and reviewing. At the moment of the review, the smartphone is available online for about $179.99 .

 

 

 

About XiaomiShop.com:

 

“Welcome to Xiaomishop.com, we are professional supplier for original Xiaomi smartphones. We supply high quality products, fast shipping and good after-sale service for our clients. You will enjoy shopping on our website. Should you have any questions please feel free to email us at support@xiaomishop.com

 

Xiaomi Culture

 

Xiaomi Tech Company was founded in April,2010 in Beijing. It’s a mobile internet company focused on researching and developing high-end smartphones independently and owns three core businesses - Xiaomi phones, MIUI and MiChat. It’s also the pioneer company for developing mobile Phone OS(operation system).

 

Xiaomi Team

 

Xiaomi Tech company was created by the famous investor Mr Lei Jun and other 6 partners: they are Ling Bing, Li Wanqiang ,Zhou Guangping ,Huang Jiangji, Liu De, Hong Feng.

 

Xiaomi Team is composed of many senior staffs from Microsoft, Google, Jinshan, MOTO and other domestic and foreign IT companies. It’s a powerful and hardworking team. They prefer innovation, fast developing Internet culture and refuse mediocrity.

 

Xiaomi’s LOGO is a “MI” shape, MI is the abbreviation of Mobile Internet, and it shows us Xiaomi tech is a mobile internet company and innovator.

 

To all of you, from all of us at our online store: thank you and enjoy shopping!”

 

Speed up with the latest 4G LTE networks

 

Surf, stream and game in the fast lane. With a maximum download speed of 150Mbps and upload of to 50Mbps, Redmi Note 4G is fast enough for almost any conceivable wireless application.

 

Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8928 - Quad-core 1.6GHz processor

 

Multitasking in a snap. Enjoy a smoother, more fluid experience with Snapdragon's battery efficient Cortex-A7.

Playing games and watching HD videos has never been more vivid with its Adreno 305 graphics processor. Game on!

 

Stunning 5.5” HD IPS display - Go big. Wherever you are

 

Games, ebooks, and videos are vibrant, clearer and bigger than ever.

 

178° in-plane switching (IPS) technology delivers stunning colour consistency from almost any angle.

With Glass-film-film (GFF) architecture, pixels sit closer to the glass, which allows colours to pop off the screen.

Images are not only brighter, but are also less affected by glare.

 

Take amazing photos

 

13MP rear facing camera | 5MP front facing camera

 

Redmi Note 4G's f/2.2, 28 mm wide-angle lens lets you capture more with each shot.

More scenery, more friends, more of the moments that matter to you.

It focuses in on objects in the foreground of your shot while softly blurring objects in the background.

 

3100mAh Li-ion Polymer battery - Longer standby times

 

Your Redmi Note 4G includes a 3100 mAh high-capacity battery that ensures you have the best experience when using your phone. The battery efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor coupled with the battery saving features of MIUI, has enabled us to achieve our most impressive battery performance yet.

14 hours of internet browsing / 38 hours of talk time/60 hours of music playback / 775 hours on standby

 

Dual-band Wi-Fi / Bluetooth 4.0 LE

 

Surf faster on Wi-Fi networks with the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard.

 

Achieve energy efficiency with Bluetooth 4.0 LE.

 

MIUI V5 has support for 24 languages.

 

70 million users.

 

MIUI’s deep customization ensures that native applications and games run flawlessly.

 

We constantly look for new ways to improve and upgrade MIUI on a weekly basis based on feedback from over 70 million users. After 197 iterative upgrades, users can now experience the latest full version, MIUI V5.

 

 

 

 

Thanks to the XiaomiShop.com, we were able to check out one of the latest Xiaomi smartphones, placed in the mainstream segment, which is named Redmi Note 4G (with LTE capabilities); the company has diversified products which fit in most price segments like the most affordable Redmi Red Rice, then the Redmi 1S, Redmi Note which identifies itself with the larger screen and LTE capabilities which we are reviewing today, the MI2, the second variant of the Redmi Note but this time featuring a Chinese MTK processor and more.

Let’s get in a little more detail with packaging, included accessories by the manufacture and also from XiaomiShop and so on; the product is shipped inside a pretty plain recyclable cardboard box, with the MI logo on the top cover; a sticker was also placed here by the shop in order to identify the products easier when sorting for shipping purposes:

 

 

 

On the bottom side we will be able to spot a larger sticker which identifies the current Note model as the 4G variant, supported bands, some of the technical specifications in Chinese but also an authenticity logo:

 

 

 

After removing the top cover, we will end up with the main product along with one warning leaflet which instructs us not to use a card adapter in order to convert the SIM from a smaller version (nano, micro) to mini because damages to the reader my occur, which are not covered by the supplied product warranty:

 

 

 

The front of the Redmi Note 4G comes with a good quality 5.5’’ screen which should be better than smaller smartphones for reading a lot of text, browsing websites and the 178 degree IPS technology is able to deliver optimal viewing angles:

 

 

 

On the upper part of the screen we have the proximity sensor, the light sensor, the 5MP camera for selfies and video conferences but also the central speaker:

 

 

 

On the lower area we have the Menu button, the Home button but also the Back button, very discrete with small red pictograms:

 

 

 

On the right side of the terminal we have the volume rocker along with the power button:

 

 

 

The left side of the unit does not contain additional interfaces:

 

 

 

On the bottom side of the Note 4G we have the USB port and the first microphone port:

 

 

 

The top side houses the 3.5mm headphone jack along with the second microphone port:

 

 

 

Let’s check the back plastic housing, which is of white color and has a shiny and smooth texture; at times, this area of the phone can become slippery so we would recommend using a protective cover (which would also keep our newly acquired product in top shape at all times):

 

 

 

On the lower are we have the MI logo along with the speaker grill:

 

 

 

 

The top has the 13MP camera lens along with the flash LED:

 

 

 

With the phone sitting on this side we were able to take a closer shot at the chromed plastic buttons of the volume rocker and the sleep/power button:

 

 

 

The Redmi Note 4G does not have any visible designated area for removing the back cover, so we have to carefully use the spacing for the USB port in order to get this operation done:

 

 

 

In several areas, the screws are covered by the MI logo, for warranty purposes:

 

 

 

 

Near the microSDHC slot which expands the memory of the terminal we have one miniSIM slot; we are clearly questioning Xiaomi regarding this one since they did not use the later, microSIM standard; positioning a microSIM into the slot is possible, but we need to find a way in order to properly align the contacts and this while not using an adapter:

 

 

 

The included battery can be easily removed and has a pretty large footprint:

 

 

 

On it, we will be able to read its 3100mAh capacity along with the 4.35 voltage:

 

 

 

In order to eliminate any confusion, Xiaomi has marked the interfaces accordingly:

 

 

 

After starting up the terminal, we will be able to see that the lower capacitive buttons have LEDs underneath them, for better access during low light conditions:

 

 

 

Let’s go on with the rest of the box; we will be able to see that it is multi-layered and uses the remaining space optimally:

 

 

 

Here we will get the power adapter along with the USB data transfer/charging cable:

 

 

 

The adapter has the US design, but no worries, XiaomiShop has us covered with an EU adapter to match! The product is rated on the output as 5V at 2A:

 

 

 

On the opposite side we have the USB port:

 

 

 

We will also get a small envelope with the rest of the documents:

 

 

 

These leaflets are written in Chinese, one being the product manual and the other giving us further instructions on the provided warranty:

 

 

 

XiaomiShop.com has multiple cases available for the Note 4G so we will take a look at each one of them more closely:

 

 

 

First, we have a flip leatherette case; this one comes in multiple color variants and opens up like a book:

 

 

 

The case also features a silicone internal layer; usually, this type of cases do not hold the top cover properly fixed onto the screen of the terminal, so the manufacturer has included a small suction cup in order to achieve proper fit:

 

 

 

 

The silicone layer is semi-transparent on the sides:

 

 

 

On the back side of the case we will be able to see the cut-outs for both camera and also the speaker:

 

 

 

Thanks to the soft silicone material, the Note 4G fits like a glove:

 

 

 

Here is a closer look at the interfaces; we will observe that the ports are covered themselves with silicone material in order to avoid dust accumulation:

 

 

 

 

 

On the back we can see again the speaker cuttings along with the camera and flash:

 

 

 

 

 

The case also features dock properties, so we will be able to watch our favorite multimedia content much easier:

 

 

 

Next, we are going to present a similar black leatherette case, but with a different locking design:

 

 

 

By looking on the side, we will discover the clip, which is magnetic:

 

 

 

On the back side we will reveal the interface cuttings, along with a central channel, which tells us that this case also features docking properties:

 

 

 

Unlike the previous case, this one features a hard plastic internal layer, but also a small pocket on the left for fitting credit cards:

 

 

The Note 4G fits really well in this case too and thanks to the magnetic component, the top cover stays properly fixed onto the screen; here are some shots from the laterals in order to see how the interfaces are protected:

 

 

 

 

 

With the smartphone installed into the case, we can also see the accuracy of the cuttings for the camera and back speaker:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last case we are going to look at is the simplest, but also features an interesting external design; unfortunately there is no locking mechanism on this one:

 

 

 

The back side of the case comes with a similar design, but here we also have the camera and speaker cuttings:

 

 

 

As the previous two cases, this one is also a combo product, with a soft internal layer which is accompanied by a hard case in which we will install the Note 4G:

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a closer look at the back cut-outs and lateral sides:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides one protective case, XiaomiShop.com also offers as bonus for the customers one adapter for EU plugs, one car charger, but also one touch screen pen:

 

 

 

The USB car charger has the model numbe rJJS008 and on the output we have 5V at 1A:

 

 

 

After booting up our Note 4G, we were welcomed by the stock MIUI launcher, which really looks great and has similarities to iOS from Apple; unlike iOS, the MIUI can be fully customized with the Themes application, without the need of installing any other 3rd party utility. There is no drawer on the MIUI, so all installed apps will show right onto the desktop; of course, we have the possibility of creating folders, for an easier organization:

 

 

The Play Store can be found easily by browsing to the second desktop page (this one is available on Global ROMs of MIUI):

 

 

The stock camera application is easy to use but also comes with multiple advanced settings if we need some extra adjustments:

 

 

 

 

The Gallery application will first index our photos and display the thumbnails accordingly for easy browsing:

 

 

The Music application will search the existing multimedia content and let us playback, but is also linked to online services:

 

 

Coming back to the previously mentioned Theme application, we have a wide area of selection, but not all themes are free, some of them requiring MI Credits to purchase; however, if we look onto enthusiast Xiaomi forums, we will be able to find very nice themes, free of charge:

 

 

Xiaomi has pre-built a folder with some of the usual applications like MiCloud, Email, Updater and so on:

 

 

MiCloud is similar to iCloud from Apple and we need to create an account in order to use its services:

 

 

For using the Email application, we will also need to enter up our credentials:

 

 

Next, we have the Updater, which will point us to the respective page which shows the current version; we can clearly see that our sample has arrived with a MIUI V5 version:

 

 

The Clock application is nicely skinned and features capabilities we have also seen with regular Android releases:

 

 

The Recorder application is disguised as a cassette player and if we enable call recording, the files will also appear here for browsing purposes:

 

 

The Radio application is also skinned as a veritable radio player which will give us the regular warning to connect the headset in order to have a good reception:

 

 

Next, we have the Torch application:

 

 

Calculator is also another stock application which is skinned:

 

 

Also, Xiaomi has included a Compass application, which will require an initial calibration:

 

 

Next, we have the application for changing the IMSI:

 

 

The Calendar application is pretty self-explanatory:

 

 

With the Notes application, we can take short annotations:

 

 

Linked to the Chinese Weather Network, we have the specific Weather application:

 

 

The Explorer (File Manager) application has a tab where it indexes different types of data, but we can also browse and perform file operations from the next tab or access cloud data:

 

 

Video is another application like the ones we find with stock Android releases, but adds Online services:

 

 

Next, we can find the usual MIUI dialer, contacts list and so on:

 

 

The default browser comes with some preset bookmarks:

 

 

We can also write messages from the stock Messaging application:

 

 

Security is a fully-fledged application, similar to CCleaner for PCs and with it we can perform overall system cleanups, check the data usage, modify the block list, power management and so on:

 

 

The Settings application is divided in two separate tabs: Quick Settings and All Settings; we will go straight to All Settings:

 

 

All Settings tab is similar to what we have seen with Stock Android; here we have sub-menus like Mobile Networks, Wi-Fi Settings, Bluetooth and so on:

 

 

The Mobile Network Settings menu allows us to enable data services, data roaming, define APNs, select network type and so on:

 

 

The Wi-Fi settings menu allows connecting to our favorite networks and also comes with an option to show if a Xiaomi router has been found nearby:

 

 

The Bluetooth menu is pretty self-explanatory:

 

 

The Wireless & Networks menu allows working with VPNs, enable Wi-Fi or USB tethering but also connect to a larger display via WiFi

 

 

Inside the Display menu, we have Brightness customization, Color Temperature & Saturation options, an option to prevent pocket dials and also the usual:

 

 

The Cloud Temperature & Saturation menu is divided in two separate tabs for customization:

 

 

The Wallpaper sub-section allows changing the background for the Desktop, Lock Screen, select a Live Wallpaper or a MIUI Wallpaper:

 

 

The Wallpaper section is also online-enabled for choosing more without the need of installing 3rd party applications:

 

 

The Sound tab comes with the usual options, but again, it is connected with online services and we can always choose from the huge library which is available to all:

 

 

The Volumes tab has more sliders than we have seen on the regular MTK Chinese smartphones:

 

 

We also get options for modifying the Notification Shade and Status Bar options:

 

 

The Security & Privacy menu contains the regular options:

 

 

Next, we have Location Services from which we can see which applications require GPS localization:

 

 

DND mode is also available:

 

 

The Battery menu includes the usage graph, multiple choices between battery indicators and power settings:

 

 

The SoC operation mode can be selected as “balanced” or “high performance”, which implies a higher battery usage:

 

 

The Storage menu tells the story regarding the internal and external storage; the MIUI release we have received with our Note 4G does not permit saving applications straight to the SD card, camera photos or call recordings, so the 8GB of internal memory would fill rather quickly; the latest Global MIUI ROM can save photos directly on the microSDHC card, but we still need to have some options to install large applications directly onto the SD card:

 

 

The Buttons & Keys menu allows customizing the function of the capacitive keys, but also additional features for the volume rocker:

 

 

Here we also have the option to turn off the backlight of the keys or set the LED timeout:

 

 

Next we have the Headset Settings menu:

 

 

Date & Time menu is pretty self-explanatory:

 

 

Same can be said regarding the Language & Input menu:

 

 

The Apps menu shows us the currently running applications, the installed applications and also works as a task manager:

 

 

A factory data reset can be performed from the Backup & Reset menu:

 

 

The Accessibility menu is pretty standard:

 

 

The Developer options menu is handy before flashing a ROM or when we want to permit installation of 3rd party applications:

 

 

The About Phone menu shows the smartphone full name, MIUI version, CPU type and so on:

 

 

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8928 SoC with four cores at 1.6 GHz; the 3D component in charge is the Adreno 305 @ 500MHz, which offers half of the performance of the Adreno 320 and is very little ahead of the Mali-400 MP4. These are paired with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage:

 

 

The System tab of CPU-Z shows the base Android version along with the current Kernel version and so on:

 

 

The Battery tab informs us of the current status of the battery like temperature and current voltage:

 

 

If we look in the Sensors tab, we will discover that this smartphone is packed with sensors, which make tracking applications like Runtastic, Runkeeper draw pretty accurate graphs:

 

 

 

To test out the performances of the Redmi Note 4G smartphone, we have installed some freeware benchmark apps from the Google Play Store in the internal memory (did not transfer them to a 3rd party microSDHC card, in order not to influence the test results). Afterwards, the applications were ran one-by-one, and we recorded the final scores; the obtained results were also compared with the previously tested systems, in order to spot the performance differences.

 

AnTuTu

 

 

Basemark GUI

 

 

Passmark PerformanceTest

 

 

GFXBench

 

 

Quadrant

 

 

Vellamo

 

 

3DMark

 

 

Real Pi

 

 

Of course, you can always check out the full-resolution, unaltered versions at this LINK.

The 5.5 inch, HD IPS display is of very good quality and does not have issues when viewed from different angles

 

 

 

The Redmi Note 4G smartphone has impressed us positively because if offers a lot for its value; the incorporated Snapdragon 400 MSM8928 SoC from Qualcomm may not have a very powerful 3D component but it compensates with good CPU performance, quite decent power consumption and thanks to that we did not have the feeling that the smartphone discharges pretty fast right in front of our eyes as we have seen with some MTK6592 units which have reviewed in the past.

 

Despite the lower scores inside the synthetic benchmarks, we have also tried games like Angry Birds Go, Asphalt 8, Dead Trigger 2, Asphalt Overdrive or Carmageddon and they have performed quite well and paired with the responsive touch screen, the gaming experience is quite interesting.

 

Another interesting aspect is the GPS accuracy, which is incomparable better when looking at the MTK-based phones we have reviewed in the past; the tracking graph looks like it should inside applications like Runtastic, Runkeeper and this also traduces in a more accurate average speed, maximum speed speed and total recorded distance; while working with MTK6582 and MTK6592, Runkeeper and also Runtastic were recording a snake-like graph when walking on a straight line on the street while with the Redmi Note 4G the tracking accuracy is much, much lower. Also, with the MTK-based smartphones we were getting abnormal maximum speeds recorded like 35Km/s for walking; this time we have recorded a maximum speed of 10Km/s values which is closer to reality.

The locking procedure is also quite fast and sometimes in only takes 2-3 seconds in order to be able to start navigating.

 

The camera Xiaomi has integrated into the Redmi Note 4G is decent, not over the top and we can see that it struggles a bit in low light conditions and provides good shots when the weather is good; we have also tried to take shots during the evening, but we did not really like the results since the photos appeared unfocused with quite a bit of blur.

 

The battery life is good with this terminal and should last more than a day with normal usage which incorporates gaming, browsing, telephone calls, short Skype conferences and so on. We have also benched the battery with the usual Antutu application:

 

 

 

We have the possibility to go with the latest available global ROM for the Redmi Note 4G and see how it goes or load the latest unofficial MIUI V6 release from the enthusiast forums, which has an updated overall appearance, but seemed pretty unstable to us. With MIUI, we really need to have an easy option to switch between the internal storage and SD card, in order to have the call recordings, video and photos but also applications saved of the more spacious SD card, since those 6GB left of internal memory can fill up pretty quickly.

 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G is Recommended For:

 

 

We would like to thank again to XiaomiShop.com for making this review possible!