Xiaomi has launched its Redmi 3 smartphone in China, which is the latest budget-friendly phone that drops plastic for beautiful metal.
The privately owned Chinese electronics company continues to make budget devices with features and materials that avoid the description of cheap. The company announced its newest low-cost Redmi 3 that looks even more like an iPhone than other Xiaomi phones thanks to an all-metal body and an impressive battery bump.
Xiaomi has ditched plastic for the new phone. The Xiaomi Redmi 3 comes in a metal body with a textured rear panel, according to Tech Crunch. Colours variants include Gold, Grey and Silver.
It is not a surprise that the latest Redmi phone is getting the metal treatment since Xiaomi's Redmi Note 3 phablet was upgraded in the same way at the end of last year. In comparison to the Redmi 2, the 13MP rear camera on the Redmi 3 has been moved to the top left corner of the device, strengthening its cheaper iPhone identity. Other than that, the phones have similarly simple designs.
The other major change in the Redmi is a larger non-removable battery, 4100 mAh, which Xiaomi claims gives the device an additional 80 percent of power versus the previous version, CNet reported. It also support fast charging feature.
The smartphone sports a 5-inch 720p HD display and runs 1.2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. It supports microSD cards of up to 128GB. Despite this large battery and the phone's metal body, the Redmi 3 weighs only 144 g.
Running on Android-based MIUI 7, it offers a 13MP rear camera with LED flash with phase detection autofocus that allows locking onto the subject in a mere 0.1 seconds, and a 5MP front facing camera. It is a dual SIM device with support for 4G and comes with regular connectivity options.
The Redmi 3 is priced at around $105, and since it is only available in China, it is not yet clear if the phone will ever be available in the United States and other countries.
Xiaomi is known for making quality products at affordable prices, and the Redmi 3 looks to live up to this reputation.