SpecEagle review · Xiaomi

Redmi Note 3 review: The metal-bodied 2016 budget legend that sold by the tens of millions.

SpecEagle Editorial·Mar 2016·$170
Overall
52/100
Class rank
#25 of 57
Tier
Budget
Buy?
Look elsewhere
The verdict, up front

The budget phone that defined a category.

Redmi Note 3 was a phenomenon — a metal-bodied, big-battery phone with a surprisingly fast Snapdragon 650 at a rock-bottom price. It sold in staggering numbers and cemented the Redmi Note as the default value pick worldwide.

01Display

64/100

64/100 — right at the average for budget phones of 2016.

TypeIPS LCD, 60 Hz
Size5.5 inches
Resolution1,920 × 1,080 px (FHD)

02Camera

58/100

58/100 puts it above the 56-point average for budget phones of 2016.

Main16 MP, f/2.0, PDAF
Selfie5 MP

03Performance

58/100

At 58/100 this is one of the strongest performance showings among budget phones of 2016 — 9 points above the cohort average.

ChipsetSnapdragon 650 (28 nm)
RAM2 / 3 GB
Storage16 / 32 GB · microSD

04Battery

76/100

At 76/100 this is one of the strongest battery showings among budget phones of 2016 — 8 points above the cohort average.

Capacity4,050 mAh
Wired10 W

05Build

66/100

At 66/100 this is one of the strongest build showings among budget phones of 2016 — 7 points above the cohort average.

06Value

78/100

At 78/100 this is one of the strongest value showings among budget phones of 2016 — 14 points above the cohort average.

What works
  • Metal unibody at a budget price.
  • Snapdragon 650 was unusually fast.
  • Big 4,050 mAh battery.
  • Fingerprint sensor + microSD.
What doesn't
  • Mono speaker.
  • MIUI ads.
  • 60 Hz LCD.
  • Ended at Android 6.0.
Cross-shop it against
LeEco Le 2
$180 · score 67/100

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 57-phone cohort of budget devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .