After getting to know Xiaomi's Redmi Note 4 with Helio X20, it's time
to meet the Snapdragon 625 edition. It promises better battery
efficiency and thermal control thanks to a more advanced manufacturing
process. But these improvements may have cost the Note 4 some of its
performance punch, and we will duly explore this possibility.
The Helio-powered Redmi Note 4 we met earlier earned nothing but high
praise from us. It offered high-quality design, blazing-fast
performance, and great battery life. Xiaomi has been known to use
different chips for different markets and the Note 4 is no exception.
Today, we are getting to know the Snapdragon edition of the Redmi Note
4, which has been released in India not long ago.
The Redmi Note 4 with Snapdragon 625 gets to keep the same all-metal
exterior with the fancy 2.5D edges on the front glass. The 5.5" 1080p
screen is here to stay, as is the 13MP main camera with phase-detect
autofocus. The battery is one of the highlights of the Redmi series, and
the Note 4 has its whopping 4,100 mAh capacity untouched.
We've been here quite a few times with mid-range Xiaomi phones and
none of these omissions come as a surprise. The sealed battery has been
an essential part of the Mi and Redmi series since their third
generation, while the hybrid SIM slot is a middle-of-the-road solution
that still works for the majority of users.
The lack of fast charging is what could be a deal breaker for some,
as this large battery does take a while to recharge. But more on that
later. For now, let's just focus on the familiar exterior, and see if
anything has changed since last October's Helio X20-featuring Redmi Note
4.
Introduction
After getting to know Xiaomi's Redmi Note 4 with Helio X20, it's time
to meet the Snapdragon 625 edition. It promises better battery
efficiency and thermal control thanks to a more advanced manufacturing
process. But these improvements may have cost the Note 4 some of its
performance punch, and we will duly explore this possibility.
The Helio-powered Redmi Note 4 we met earlier earned nothing but high
praise from us. It offered high-quality design, blazing-fast
performance, and great battery life. Xiaomi has been known to use
different chips for different markets and the Note 4 is no exception.
Today, we are getting to know the Snapdragon edition of the Redmi Note
4, which has been released in India not long ago.
The Redmi Note 4 with Snapdragon 625 gets to keep the same all-metal
exterior with the fancy 2.5D edges on the front glass. The 5.5" 1080p
screen is here to stay, as is the 13MP main camera with phase-detect
autofocus. The battery is one of the highlights of the Redmi series, and
the Note 4 has its whopping 4,100 mAh capacity untouched.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Key Features
- Body: Aluminum unibody design, 2.5D front glass
- Screen: 5.5" IPS display of 1080p resolution; 401ppi
- Chipset: Snapdragon 625 with octa-core 2.0GHz Cortex-A53 processor; Adreno 506 GPU
- OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow with MIUI 8 (Global 8.2.7.0)
- RAM: 2, 3 or 4 GB
- Memory: 32 or 64 GB storage; microSD support, hybrid slot shared with 2nd SIM
- Camera: 13 megapixel rear camera, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, dual-LED dual-tone flash; 1080p @ 30fps video, 720p @ 120fps
- Selfies: 5 megapixel front camera, f/2.0 aperture; 1080p @ 30fps video
- Connectivity: Dual SIM, LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, IR, microUSB, FM radio
- Misc: Fingerprint sensor
- Battery: 4,100mAh battery
Main shortcomings
- Launches with Android Marshmallow, which is not the most recent version
- Non-removable battery
- Hybrid DualSIM/microSD slot limits options
- No Quick charge 2.0/3.0 support, just 5V/2A charging
We've been here quite a few times with mid-range Xiaomi phones and
none of these omissions come as a surprise. The sealed battery has been
an essential part of the Mi and Redmi series since their third
generation, while the hybrid SIM slot is a middle-of-the-road solution
that still works for the majority of users.
The lack of fast charging is what could be a deal breaker for some,
as this large battery does take a while to recharge. But more on that
later. For now, let's just focus on the familiar exterior, and see if
anything has changed since last October's Helio X20-featuring Redmi Note
4.
Special thanks to HonorBuy for providing the review unit.
Retail package
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 comes in a relatively small retail box which
contains the phone itself, a microUSB cable, and a 2A charger plug.
That's all.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4's retail box and contents
Redmi Note 4 360-degree view
While the Snapdragon-powered Redmi Note 4 may look like the Helio
version, and even measures the same at 151 x 76 x 8.5 mm, it is 10g
lighter at 165g.
When Xiaomi replaced the Redmi Note 3 with the Helio version of the
Note 4, they claimed the added weight was actually due to their pursuit
of better sturdiness. Now that the Snapdragon version has 10g lower
weight, we wonder whether that might signal changes in build quality.
Design
Xiaomi did a good job with the Redmi Note 4 Helio's design and
succeeded in making the elegant metal chassis more premium than the Note
3. It was a substantial improvement, with an all-metal rear cover,
diamond-cut antenna strips and sides, and a luxurious polished shell.
All of this is gone now.
For whatever reason, Xiaomi went with the old Redmi Note 3's build
and design, leaving us feeling cheated. Visually, the Snapdragon edition
can only be described as a downgrade compared to the Helio edition.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 with Snapdragon 625
In spite of Xiaomi's decision to change the build, the Redmi Note 4
with Snapdragon is still one of the better mid-rangers out there and we
can still acknowledge it for its overall nice design. Though the plastic
strips and uneven paintjob make a comeback, the metal on the back is as
good as it can get with grippy chamfers and stylish bevels.
The Redmi Note 4's front is covered by a 2.5D glass, but the effect
is almost invisible and the promo materials may fool a few users in
bevel size.
Handling the phone is an enjoyable experience, there is a secure
enough grip, and we could easily recommend the Note 4 to a friend for
its design even though Xiaomi was not at its best game on this occasion.
The Note 4 is a Xiaomi all right, but its design is just not as premium
as its Helio version.
Handling the Redmi Note 4
Device overview
The earpiece and the selfie camera are above the screen as usual. A
couple of sensors and a tiny notification LED light are also around, but
the latter is fairly dim.
The familiar capacitive trio is below the screen, enhanced by a subtle white backlight upon touch.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 • the earpiece above the screen • the control keys
The hybrid SIM slot is on the left, with support for either a duo of SIM cards (micro+nano), or a microSIM and a microSD combo.
The volume keys and the power button are on the right.
The left side • the hybrid slot • the right side • the hardware keys
The audio jack is at the top of the Redmi Note 4, and it is not alone
there. There is also an IR blaster for remote controlling your home
appliances, and there is a secondary mic for in-call noise cancellation
and stereo audio capturing.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is still in the microUSB era with its charging
port at the bottom. Two fancy grilles flank the USB hole - one for the
primary mic and another one for the loudspeaker.
The top side • the IR blaster and the audio jack • the bottom • the grilles are a nice touch
On the back are a 13MP camera lens and a dual-tone LED flash. The
always-on fingerprint sensor is also on the back, and it does a great
job with accuracy and recognition speed.
The back of the Redmi Note 4
Display
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 has a 5.5" IPS LCD screen of 1080p resolution
(401ppi) with no color shifting at an angle. The company promises 1000:1
contrast ratio and 72% coverage of NTSC color spectrum.
The Snapdragon-powered unit of Redmi Note 4 exceeds the display
scores of both Redmi Note 3 and Redmi Note 4 with Helio X20. It has
improved black levels and higher maximum brightness of 484 nits. These
new tweaks have led to an excellent contrast ratio of 1503:1.
There's an Increased contrast mode, but that only changes the dynamic
contrast on a per-image basis. It makes the photos look punchier and
doesn't affect color accuracy.
Automatic brightness is available, but it doesn't boost the screen - 484nits is the highest you get.
When you drag the brightness slider all the way down, the Redmi Note 4
screen drops to just 2 nits. This is great for using the phone
comfortably in the dark, and you can enable the Reading mode to reduce
the amount of blue light in the evening. This mode can be set to trigger
automatically for select apps - say, Amazon Kindle or other apps that
involve a lot of screen time.
| Display test |
100% brightness |
| Black, cd/m2 |
White, cd/m2 |
Contrast ratio |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note | 0.52 | 536 | 1016 |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 | 0.492 | 467 | 953 |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek) | 0.42 | 403 | 953 |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20) | 0.38 | 439 | 1158 |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625) | 0.322 | 484 | 1503 |
| Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime | 0.475 | 528 | 1112 |
| Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime | 0.43 | 518 | 1205 |
| Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus | 0.44 | 441 | 998 |
| Lenovo Moto M | 0.3 | 425 | 1417 |
| Xiaomi Mi 5s | 0.51 | 660 | 1294 |
| Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus | 0.44 | 637 | 1448 |
| Meizu M5 Note | 0.614 | 463 | 754 |
| Meizu m3 note | 0.52 | 425 | 816 |
| Meizu m3 note (int) | 0.52 | 459 | 883 |
| Meizu m3 max | 0.46 | 449 | 976 |
| Meizu M5s | 0.426 | 407 | 955 |
Sunlight legibility is okay on the Redmi Note 4 Snapdragon Edition,
and surprisingly much better than the Helio X20 model. It suffers from
washed-out colors in the sun, but other than that you will be able to
see what's happening on the screen quite well.
Sunlight contrast ratio
-
Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276
-
Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893
-
Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884
-
Lenovo Moto M
2.813
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
2.714
-
Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679
-
Meizu M5s
2.58
-
Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473
-
Meizu m3 max
2.447
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249
-
Meizu M5 Note
2.189
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20)
2.145
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119
-
Meizu m3 note
1.923
The colors themselves are fairly accurate by default with an average
deltaE of 5.2 and a maximum of 9.8. The whites and grays have a bluish
tint, but other than that, the default Auto mode offers a good color
presentation.
We tried setting the white balance slider and found that the Standard
screen mode is the most accurate. The average deltaE drops to a very
good 3.6 and the maximum to 6.8. This mode introduces a slight yellow
tint, though, and shifts the white point towards warmer tones.
Battery life
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 has a 4,100mAh battery, the same as the Helio
model, but the energy efficient Snapdragon 625 should help it achieve a
better battery endurance. The Note 4 supports regular 5V/2A charging,
which restores 25% of the battery in 30 minutes of charging, 95% in 2
hours, and 100% in 3h.
Indeed, the Snapdragon 625 chip lived up to our expectations.
Combined with the large battery, the Redmi Note 4 easily scored one of
the best results in our battery test with a 119-hour Endurance rating.
It did a fabulous job in all tested scenarios - video, calls, web
browsing and even stand-by performance.
The rating of 119 hours means you can rely on the Redmi Note 4 to
last that long if you do an hour of 3G calls, web browsing, and video
playback each day.
Our endurance rating denotes how long a single battery charge will last
you if you use the Redmi Note 4 for an hour each of telephony, web
browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern
so our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common
day-to-day tasks. The
battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete
battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Connectivity
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 can be a dual-SIM phone if you'd like it to be - it really depends on whether you need extra storage.
If you do have two SIMs, a toggle in the settings selects which card
will provide data over LTE. VoLTE is supported, soon it will replace 2G
voice in busy city centers as it supports many more calls per cell.
Locally, you get fast Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac on 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Wi-Fi
screen sharing is available too, also Bluetooth 4.1, but no NFC.
The IR blaster gives the Redmi Note 4 control over your equipment at
home - including things like cameras (some DSLRs have IR remotes), fans
(Xiaomi makes a smart fan, believe it or not) and others.
Finally, the Redmi Note 4 comes with FM radio, but it lacks RDS support.
MIUI 8 on top of a Marshmallow base
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 comes with Android Marshmallow and MIUI 8.0.
MIUI is one of the most comprehensive customizations of Android to date.
While there are already plenty of phones running on Android Nougat,
Xiaomi has been known to take its time with the major Android updates.
So, Nougat will eventually come to most of the MIUI phones out there,
but it will take a while.
MIUI 8 is a familiar launcher already with lots of new features and
UI tweaks. Its looks are just a minor part of the way MIUI is different
from stock Android, though.
The highlights of the MIUI 8 features are Dual Apps and dual spaces.
Dual Apps means you can have two instances of the same app on your
device. This allows you to do things like have two WhatsApp accounts on
the same phone, one for each SIM.
Dual apps settings • Dual apps - the second instance is market with a special icon
Dual spaces lets you have two different workspaces on your device,
each with its own set of apps, customizations, and image gallery, and
you can enter a custom passcode or a different fingerprint to enter
either space.
Space 1 • Space 1 • Space 2 • Space 2
The lockscreen is fairly standard (time, notifications, a couple of
shortcuts), but once you set up the fingerprint reader, you'll rarely
see it anyway. Still, the Wallpaper Carousel can put beautiful images on
the lockscreen every 15 minutes.
The always-on fingerprint sensor is accurate and can take the phone
from sleep to the homescreen pretty quickly (the lockscreen is
bypassed). It's as fast as some of the latest flagship implementations,
which is quite a treat.
MIUI has a simple philosophy - every shortcut, plus widgets of your
choosing, are dropped on the homescreen. You get a docked menu for the
most commonly used apps, of course. The homescreen also supports a
wallpaper carousel, so you can enjoy different beautiful wallpapers all
the time.
The notification drawer has a consolidated list of quick toggles,
notifications, and a weather panel at the top that changes color and
animation according to the weather.
The app switcher feels like it came out of iOS - apps are either
represented by their icons, in a single horizontal row, or by
appropriate thumbnails in the same manner.
Themes are fully supported, and several are available out of the box.
You can download more and change your wallpapers, lockscreen style,
system icons, font, and sounds.
Finally, if you have difficulties controlling MIUI 8 on the Note 4's
5.5" big screen, you may want to turn on the Quick Ball UI helper. It
can store up to 5 shortcuts and you can put pretty much anything here -
from Android actions to app shortcuts. The Ball can also hide
automatically on chosen apps, and move aside when you are running a
fullscreen app.
Quick Ball
Performance
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4's hardware is market-dependent - you can either
get it with MediaTek Helio X20 or Qualcomm's Snapdragon 625 chipset. We
already reviewed the Helio model and we acknowledged its great
performance and battery life.
Today we are turning our attention towards the Snapdragon version,
which will probably make it to more markets than the Helio X20 variant.
Unfortunately, Snapdragon 625 is not as powerful - it has an octa-core
Cortex-A53 processor clocked at 2.0GHz and Adreno 506 GPU. So far, so
good. But it lacks the Helio X20's powerful A72 cores, which made
Android operations buttery smooth.
The Note 4 may come with 2, 3, or even 4 gigabytes of RAM, depending
on which storage option you get. We'd strongly suggest a model with at
least 3GB of RAM if you will be relying heavily on Dual Spaces.
Let's look at the processor performance starting with a single core.
The Redmi Note 4 (S625) has one of the most powerful Cortex-A53 cores
clocked at 2.0GHz and it will do great for system tasks. However, it is a
no match for the A72 processor within the Helio X20 version, or the one
inside the Snapdragon 650-powered Redmi Note 3.
GeekBench 4 (single-core)
Higher is better
-
Xiaomi Redmi Pro
1551
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
1546
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
832
-
Lenovo Moto M
771
-
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
764
-
Meizu M5 Note
683
-
Motorola Moto G4 Plus
669
-
Lenovo K6 Note
635
GeekBench 3 (single-core)
Higher is better
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
1596
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
1543
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
924
-
Lenovo Moto M
841
-
Meizu M5 Note
798
-
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
745
-
Motorola Moto G4 Plus
722
-
Lenovo K6 Note
672
Moving on to the multi-core performance the things do get better. The
deca-core Helio X20 squashes the competition with the huge help of its
A72 cores, but the Snapdragon 625-powered Redmi Note 4 handled Geekbench
pretty well, too.
GeekBench 4 (multi-core)
Higher is better
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
4456
-
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3958
-
Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3885
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
3011
-
Lenovo Moto M
2921
-
Meizu M5 Note
2690
-
Lenovo K6 Note
2027
-
Motorola Moto G4 Plus
1822
GeekBench 3 (multi-core)
Higher is better
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
5166
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
4617
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
4537
-
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
4140
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
3695
-
Lenovo Moto M
3300
-
Motorola Moto G4 Plus
3085
-
Lenovo K6 Note
3044
-
Meizu M5 Note
2802
The Adreno 506 GPU is perfectly capable to handle 1080p resolution.
The Helio-powered model has a Mali-T880MP4 GPU, which is a solid
midrange performer.
The GPU tests confirmed that while the Adreno 506 GPU in our Redmi
Note 4 does well, the Mali unit inside the Helio model easily
outperforms it though you probably won't be able to spot a sizeable
difference in real life use.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
-
Xiaomi Redmi Pro
9.5
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
9.4
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
9
-
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
9
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
6.2
-
Lenovo Moto M
5.2
-
Lenovo K6 Note
4.4
-
Motorola Moto G4 Plus
4.4
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
3.9
-
Meizu M5 Note
3.6
-
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.2
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
5.5
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
5.4
-
Xiaomi Redmi Pro
5.4
-
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
5.2
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
3.4
-
Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.8
-
Lenovo Moto M
2.7
-
Lenovo K6 Note
2.4
-
Meizu M5 Note
1.9
Basemark X
Higher is better
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
14717
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
13666
-
Xiaomi Redmi Pro
12190
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
10446
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
8540
-
Lenovo K6 Note
7480
-
Lenovo Moto M
6732
-
Motorola Moto G4 Plus
6380
-
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
5383
-
Meizu M5 Note
5276
We have already established that the Helio X20 is the better chipset.
Compound benchmarks such as AnTuTu and BaseMark can help us describe
the actual performance gap. Indeed, the Helio model came on top of the
competition, but our Snapdragon version is on par with competing phones
and demonstrates adequate performance for the class.
AnTuTu 6
Higher is better
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
85162
-
Xiaomi Redmi Pro
77442
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
76186
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
61616
-
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
61020
-
Lenovo Moto M
51831
-
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
49094
-
Meizu M5 Note
47806
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
45474
-
Motorola Moto G4 Plus
45190
-
Lenovo K6 Note
44972
Basemark OS 2.0
Higher is better
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
1728
-
Xiaomi Redmi Pro
1696
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
1426
-
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
1417
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
1050
-
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
1018
-
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
1007
-
Motorola Moto G4 Plus
799
-
Lenovo K6 Note
288
Here is the thing - while the Redmi Note 4 with Helio X20 is better,
its availability is rather scarce and you may end up with a Chinese
model cram-full with bloatware. If you are not a dedicated mobile gamer,
there should be no difference for you which model you'll get. And if
you are, you should be jumping to a higher tier anyway.
The Snapdragon model is intended for international markets and it
does a very good job at delivering mid-range performance, while scoring
an excellent mark for thermal control and battery efficiency courtesy of
its 14nm manufacturing process.
Telephony
The dialer and the phonebook share a single app, but two shortcuts
bring you straight to the tab you need. The app has a pleasant flat look
which feels somewhat fresh. It uses a tabbed interface - recents and
dialer on the first and the contact list on the second.
Call recording is available - the files can be saved either on your device or on your MiCloud.
The dialer may look rather familiar, but it's quite capable.
Unfortunately, most of the new smart features are only available in a
few markets such as China and India.
It can automatically recognize business numbers, as well as scan
contacts thanks to the Xiaomi's Caller ID database. You can also search
in both Hindi and English from the T9 numpad, which is helpful. And if
you live in those countries, you can use the integrated Yellow Pages
option.
The Snapdragon edition of Redmi Note 4 scored Very Good in our
speaker loudness test, up from the Good mark achieved by the
Helio-powered Note 4. Its sound is rich and crisp, with good bass and
high notes.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Pink noise/ Music, dB | Ringing phone, dB | Overall score |
| Xiaomi Mi 4 | 62.0 | 62.1 | 66.6 | Below Average |
| Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime | 63.1 | 67.3 | 71.3 | Average |
| Meizu m3 note | 66.5 | 64.6 | 71.7 | Average |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 | 66.1 | 66.0 | 76.0 | Good |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20) | 64.2 | 67.2 | 76.9 | Good |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 | 66.5 | 66.6 | 75.8 | Good |
| Moto M | 64.5 | 72.9 | 72.0 | Good |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625) | 67.3 | 70.3 | 81.5 | Very Good |
| Xiaomi Mi 5s | 64.2 | 70.0 | 84.9 | Very Good |
| Meizu M5 Note | 65.1 | 70.7 | 86.8 | Very Good |
| Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus | 72.8 | 71.3 | 81.9 | Very Good |
| Meizu MX5 | 75.7 | 73.5 | 79.5 | Excellent |
Other apps
The Redmi Note 4 offers an excellent file managing app called
Explorer, which lets you browse the files in its internal storage and
groups them by type.
The MIUI v8 also offers a Security app. It can scan your phone for
malware, manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage,
configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the
permissions of your installed apps.
The Security app also allows you to define the battery behavior of
selected apps and applies restrictions only to the apps you choose.
Security app • Cleaner • Battery management • Managing a single app • Battery Saver
The Mi Remote uses the IR blaster to control anything from TVs
(including the Mi TV, of course) to digital cameras. The setup process
is relatively straightforward, and a handy option shares the remotes
you've set up with others on the same Wi-Fi network. You'd have to go
through the setup only once per home, assuming everybody else uses a
Xiaomi phone as well.
The custom and now flat Calendar looks good, syncs with your accounts including Google, and offers Day and Month views.
Calendar
There is also the standard sound recorder, flashlight, clock, and
weather apps, among others, that are offered with any self-respecting
Android package nowadays.
Voice recorder • Alarms • Clock • Weather
We liked the Compass app. It has clean interface, shows the magnetic
directions and doubles as a level meter. If you lift the phone up, then
you'll get a nice augmented reality view with real-time
East/West/North/South overlay.
Compass • level • VR directions
The Calculator app has been updated - it now supports advanced calculations and conversions.
Finally, there is a brand-new Notes app. It has been given new templates, a new look, and support for checklists.
Notes • Notes • Calculator • Conversions Menu • Conversions
Gallery
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 comes with a custom Gallery app that shows
the camera row by default, but the second tab includes all images and
videos on the phone. You can set up a photo backup with your Mi Cloud
account.
The Gallery app remains unchanged
The integrated editor offers various effects, filters, and enhancements, plus fun stuff like stickers and doodling.
Music player
The MIUI music player is a custom app with a well laid out, easy to
navigate interface. The player has cool effects, transitions, and
transparent elements, especially on the expandable Now Playing section.
Lyrics are supported, too.
The music player cares about streaming as much as your offline library
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 offers customizable equalizers within the phone's
Settings menu - there are a few default presets already available for
use. You can also try Xiaomi's MiSound enhancer, which comes into play
when you use headphones, and especially, a Xiaomi-branded headset.
FM radio
The FM radio requires a headset to be connected and can play sound
either through it or through the loudspeaker. The app can record audio
and there's a sleep timer.
Video player
Videos are launched from the gallery. There's no subtitle support here, but DLNA is on board.
A surprisingly powerful video editor hides here - it can trim videos
and add filters, text labels, or even a soundtrack (from a predefined
library of tracks or your music library).
The advanced video editor
Audio output is excellently clean, not very loud
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 aced the active external amplifier part of
our test. The smartphone posted perfect scores for clarity, and its
volume was well above average.
Unfortunately loudness dropped to below average when headphones came
into play. The good news is that was the only damage that applying
resistance to the line-out caused with the clarity readings remained
just as good. Stereo crosstalk did increase, but it’s not nearly as
pronounced as with most of the Redmi Note 4 peers.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 | +0.05, -0.04 | -90.6 | 91.9 | 0.0018 | 0.0086 | -91.6 |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (headphones attached) | +0.05, -0.03 | -96.3 | 90.5 | 0.0047 | 0.023 | -68.2 |
| vvo V5 | +0.02, -0.12 | -91.8 | 92.9 | 0.0055 | 0.0097 | -89.8 |
| vivo V5 (headphones attached) | +0.38, -0.10 | -91.3 | 92.3 | 0.0073 | 0.256 | -55.1 |
| Motorola Moto Z Play | +0.04, -0.02 | -93.0 | 93.1 | 0.0018 | 0.0085 | -93.8 |
| Motorola Moto Z Play (headphones attached) | +0.05, -0.02 | -92.7 | 92.8 | 0.0023 | 0.054 | -52.4 |
| Meizu MX6 | +0.10, -0.03 | -94.2 | 94.0 | 0.0019 | 0.0064 | -89.3 |
| Meizu MX6 (headphones attached) | +0.30, -0.07 | -92.5 | 93.0 | 0.810 | 0.271 | -31.3 |
| Asus Zenfone 3 | +0.03, -0.30 | -86.6 | 83.6 | 0.0017 | 0.049 | -91.1 |
| Asus Zenfone 3 (headphones attached) | +0.06, -0.03 | -92.4 | 92.4 | 0.0018 | 0.021 | -88.2 |
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process
here.
Camera
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 has a 13MP main camera with an f/2.0
aperture, which seems like a downgrade from the 16MP, f/2.0 camera of
the Redmi Note 3. Both models have phase detection autofocus and
dual-LED, dual-tone flash and top out at 1080p video.
The selfie camera has a 5MP sensor and f/2.0 aperture, and now the
top video resolution it supports is 1080p (the Helio model supported up
to 720p).
The camera interface is clean and easy to use. It offers a live color
effect preview, scenes and a mode that automatically levels photos (by
cropping them - keep the camera as straight as you can to get the
highest resolution).
MIUI camera interface: Viewfinder • Shooting modes • Color effects • Settings
When Beautify mode is on, you can have the phone guess your age and
gender (this can be flattering or it could be the first feature you turn
off - it tends to guess high).
There's a Manual mode that only gives you control over ISO and White
balance, you can't change shutter speed or control focus manually.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 photos come out soft - there's detail in
there, but some of it is destroyed by noise. The dynamic range is fine,
the foliage presentation is even better, while the colors are accurate
and sometimes pleasantly saturated.
The closeup shots are great, but if you are shooting buildings or
landscapes don't expect much - the resolved detail is modest at best and
the high noise levels become an issue even for the downscaled images
intended for social networks.
Unlike some previous Redmi models, we didn't have any focus issues
with the Redmi Note 4 with Snapdragon. Its phase-detection autofocus hit
the right target every single time.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 13MP camera samples
We tested out the HDR mode and found it too conservative. It boosts
the contrast of dark areas of the photo, which makes some parts brighter
but also some parts are pushed to pure black. The HDR mode doesn't do
much for highlights, either. If anything, it causes more blowout.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 photos: Normal • Normal • HDR
The low-light samples are nothing special, but the Night mode may
surprise you. It reduces the noise to a very tolerable levels and you
may want to turn it on when shooting in the dark.
Low-light sample: Regular • Night mode
The Panorama mode failed to impress. The resolution is good (images
are ~1,800px tall) and stitching shows no major issues, but the panorama
itself is too soft.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 panorama
The selfie camera is fine - it captures enough detail in its 5MP
resolution and has good color rendering. There is a good amount of noise
present in the selfies, too, and if you try snapping photos in
low-light, well, good luck with that.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 selfies
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625) vs. Redmi Note 4 (X20) vs Redmi Note 3 (S650) in our photo compare tool
Final words
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, when judged as a stand-alone device, is an
excellent smartphone. It probably has more bang for your buck than most
of its competitors, making the Note 4 a worthy purchase.
The Redmi Note 4's Snapdragon 625, which we consider to be the
ultimate mid-range chipset for this generation, provides excellent
performance with great power efficiency and thermal properties. The
battery life of this phone is jaw-dropping, the MIUI experience is
smooth, and the camera does well in all occasions. All these goodies
come in a sturdy metal body, which adds to the already great value of
the Redmi Note 4.
But the Redmi Note 4 with Snapdragon is not alone in its series. It
is a sequel to the Redmi Note 3 Snapdragon 650 edition, which may have
been plagued with modem issues, but exceeded all expectations for
performance and squashed the competition. There is also the Redmi Note 4
with Helio X20, which has a more premium all-metal design and faster
all-round performance. And our guest of honor is no match for the high
bar set by its predecessors.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 key test findings
- Good build quality, but the plastic antenna strips, which don't
even match the base color, diminish the premium punch from the metal
back.
- Fairly bright screen with very good color accuracy and sunlight contrast.
- Fast, always-on fingerprint reader.
- MIUI 8.0 is built on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and runs fast;
theming and options for notification area, app switcher, etc. make it
easy to find the look you want.
- The Snapdragon 625 chipset offers adequate performance in this
price class; it's no match for the Helio X20 in performance but its
power efficiency is much better.
- Loudspeaker gets a Very Good score, in loudness and audio output.
- Audio quality is excellently clear; decent loudness with an external amplifier, but below average with headphones plugged in.
- 13MP camera shoots fine photos, with average detail, but good dynamic range, contrast, and colors.
- 1080p videos came with average detail and dynamic range, poor sound, but great contrast and colors.
Our first suggestion would be the Helio-powered Redmi Note 4. It's
the better-looking part of the duo, and offers double the processing and
graphical performance. If you have the option to choose between the
models, get this one. You'll lose a few hours of battery endurance, but
the earned benefits outweigh those by a lot.
There is also the older Redmi Note 3 with Snapdragon 650. It has the
same plastic-metal concoction for a design, but offers better
performance and impressive battery life, too. Oh, and it's probably
cheaper now.
