A trend that has really emerged in the last couple of years is that great smartphones no longer have to be prohibitively expensive. While the highest end flagships like the new Samsung Galaxy S7 edge are certainly appealing, it may be difficult to justify how much they cost when compared to more budget-friendly alternatives. Is the S7 edge really four times better than a $200 phone?
It was once the case that cheap phones were functional, but they weren’t terribly attractive and they were nowhere near as powerful as their more expensive counterparts. That trend is really starting to change and several Chinese companies look to be leading the charge. Huawei is one such example. ZTE is another. One company that has yet to make a splash in the North American market is really expanding elsewhere and that company is Xiaomi.
Xiaomi accessories and other products can be purchased in the United States, but not their smartphones. Hopefully, that will change soon and Americans will be able to officially get their hands on phones like the highly attractive Xiaomi Redmi Note 3. It’s not quite as high end as a Galaxy Note smartphone, but it’s also a fraction of the price. It’s also one of the very few phones in this price range that comes with a full metal build, a feature that is typically reserved for phones that are many times more expensive.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has a full metal back, complete with a 16-megapixel camera and a fingerprint sensor. It doesn’t have the highest end Snapdragon 820 processor from Qualcomm, but it does have a mid-range Snapdragon 650. There’s 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, microSD expansion, and a gigantic 4,050 mAh battery. Battery life is a big concern for most smartphone users and this should be able to address that head on. The 5.5-inch 1080p display looks good too.
It’s expected that this sub-$200 smartphone will launch in India this month, possibly along with other emerging markets. A great hands-on video has been published by The Verge that further showcases the great value proposition of the Redmi Note 3. If nothing else, devices like this once again prove that inexpensive phones don’t have to be “cheap” in quality.