Review Xiaomi Redmi 4A: TOP quality at LOW price
In the past we have reviewed for you the Xiaomi Redmi 4 Pro which we literally fell in love with but the Chinese company how to offer products for all types of users satisfying the most varied market bands. And so today we will try for you the younger brother, the Redmi 4A, with distinctly different features than the Redmi 4 Pro but that does not disappoint while guaranteeing a 'satisfying everyday experience. Before starting, however, I want to thank Honorbuy.it for giving us the sample and remembering everyone to store it ship directly from Italy with 24 months warranty and full Italian assistance. You can therefore use our discount code XT5OFF by clicking on the box below if you are interested in purchasing Xiaomi Redmi 4A.
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CONFEZIONE
The sales box, albeit simple, with embossed 4A characters, looks cautious and elegant. Inside it we will find the classic Xiaomi equipment that includes in addition to the device also the micro USB cable, a quick instruction manual, the brooch for SIM carriage extraction ed il battery charger with 5V / 1A output with a European grip, so ready for use without the need for adapters or anything else.
DESIGN AND MATERIALS
The Xiaomi Redmi 4A differs from its older brother as well as for the technical characteristics also for the choice of design and materials. In fact, the body is made of satin plastic with a metal effect that makes the smartphone a feather weight with its 130,7 grams of weight. All the edges are rounded and on the back we notice immediately the 'absence of fingerprint sensor, while the rear camera is placed on the left top accompanied by the single flash led. Always on the back we find the system speaker grid thanks to the small plastic steps offers a sound that is always appreciable and never tapped by the surface on which the device is mounted, while the logo of the company is lightly embossed with a glossy finish. The design is inherited basically from Xiaomi Redmi 3S, and as the same, on the right profile we find the on / off button and the volume bar, while on the left we find the slot for the carriage of the two SIMs, one in micro format and one in dwarf format, or you can extend the internal memory with a micro SD card up to 128 GB, but giving up the dual SIM function.
At the top of Redmi 4A we find the jack input from 3.5 mm, the infrared transmitter to control TVs and other electronic devices, and the second noise reduction microphone. In the lower part, in addition to the main microphone there is the input for recharging in standard micro USB with OTG support. On the front, above the display, the selfie camera, the capsule headset grille and the brightness and proximity sensors are located, while the soft touch keys on the body are back and not backlit but with a good feed for the vibration. In addition, Home key is hosted by RGB notification led so we could customize it with a color depending on the notification received. The only defect, easily readable, is the delicacy of the back of plastic that could sprout in small spots, even by paying attention. So I advise you to buy a few extra cash in case of purchasing the terminal to give it a small cover, perhaps of a transparent color, to protect it from small scratches without distorting the nice design that Redma 4A gives us.
DISPLAY
The display is a drive from 5 inches of type IPS with resolution HD 295 PPI. The colors are very real as the blacks are remarkable despite the technology used on this panel. The visibility under the sunlight is more than satisfactory and there is the possibility to calibrate the colors and the respective saturation through software. The touch is multi-type until 10 touches it and it is always reactive and precise. Even the oleophobic treatment is of fair consistency, in fact we should not always clean the screen of our smartphone. Also for this XMUMXA Redmi software level is present reading function useful for the night as the view tends to less fatigue. Unfortunately I have to report a ROM bug since the brightness sensor at nighttime hours after about ten minutes of on-screen shake goes into confusion by shooting the maximum brightness that can be brought to optimal conditions by working on the control bar in the notifications panel . All in all the sensor was always responsive and therefore the bug is nothing compromising and will be solved with the release of the next update.
HARDWARE
The task of animating Xiaomi Redmi 4A is entrusted to the processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 a quadcore with architecture a 64 bit Cortex A-53 and clock frequency a 1.4GHz. All is accompanied by 2 GB of LPDDR3-667 RAM e 16 GB of internal memory fortunately expandable via micro SD card up to 128 GB. The GPU is one Adreno 308 to 400 MHz that perfectly accompanies the rest of the hardware ensuring even for heavy games such as Real Racing 3, fluid and satisfactory gaming sessions even if the graphic details are not at the maximum which makes the device free from particular overheating. As already mentioned, the fingerprint sensor is not present, but it could be a point in favor of those looking for simplicity but reliability in a terminal. The Wi-Fi è monobander at 2.4 GHz but the signal coverage was very good and the coupling very fast as it was perfect and always reliable GPS navigation with quick fixes and never signal loss. The module Bluetooth 4.1 finally let me connect the XMUMXA Redmi to any kind of peripheral such as speaker, fitband, selfie stick and more. Surprisingly because of the low price that the RedMix 4A is sold, the presence of the IR transmitter and the ability to leverage the OTG function to connect keys and peripherals is definitely a plus that should not be underestimated.
AUDIO AND RECEPTION
The Redmi 4A also offers the 4G LTE connectivity on both SIM slots with the presence of the 20 band to 800 MHz allowing the 4G signal to accompany you everywhere even for those like me who have Wind as a telephone operator. The audio in call through the ear capsule is of excellent quality and the speakerphone, even in the telephone phase, returns a slightly flattened sound, it is promoted with full enough. Even our interlocutor does not complain of any problems thanks to the presence of the function Volta. The volume while listening to music is very high and despite the presence of the system speaker at the back, placing the smartphone on the various surfaces the sound does not mute. Furthermore the sound can be further improved with the use of headphones thanks to the function Mi Sound embedded in the software that allows you to customize the sound equalization based on the type of headset you are using. To complete the endowment, we think about the presence of FM radio often forgotten even in the top of the range by the overpriced cost.
SOFTWARE
The Xiaomi Redmi 4A from us in the test is the international version, and the operating system on which it is based is Android 6.0.1 with proprietary interface MIUI 8. As soon as I received the terminal it present version was the Stable 8.1.1.0, but not even time to turn it on I received an OTA notification to update it to the 8.1.4.0 Stable version (MIUI 8.2 upgrade is scheduled for early March). Strong system customizations, such as graphics via i downloadable themes from the MIUI store, make this smartphone even more appealing. But most of all, the myth that Xiaomi phones are only for conscious users, ridiculous, nerd, etc .. This XMUMXA Redmi is for everyone, ready to use, without having to do any kind of thing. You will turn on the phone and you are already ready to use it as it is present the Google Play Store and all services that gravitate around the Google ecosystem. Even for notifications, I did not have to set any special arrangements or permissions. I have always received every notification from every single application without delays or various ibernations.
However, I have encountered a bug regarding the rotation of the screen, ie after a certain time of use of the device, the automatic rotation function stops functioning, and while trying to act on the manual commands, you must restart the terminal to overcome the problem. The bug does not always show up even if I do not understand what the conditions are for the bug to manifest that will still be solved with the next update. Finally, there are all the features that the latest models that fit the same version have used to us, such as the Second Space, Dual App, Quick Ball, baby mode and the possibility of turn on the display with a double tap. Unfortunately, MKV formats, or UHD and 4K encoding files are not supported. The general fluency is high and daily use comes outgoing. In fact, surfing the internet with both system browser and Chrome has been pleasant and without lag, as well as various applications such as Facebook or Twitter despite the very fast launch.
BENCHMARK
CAMERA
The Redmi 4A rear camera is a drive from 13 Megapixel f / 2.2 with sensor Omnivision OV13850 which offers various shooting modes including the manual mode, panorama function, face beauty mode etc .. Also present there'HDR which works very well, while the image format is available both in 4: 3 than in 16: 9 but the various resolutions cannot be chosen except through the final image quality which can be set in High, Normal and Low. The single LED flash in low light conditions does a good job even from medium distances, but in particularly dark conditions the background noise becomes quite evident. Overall the camera achieves shots of good quality also considering the price range in which the device is placed. The shutter speed is not really high and the focus automatic although it is not lightning it is not a mistake. The front camera is instead entrusted to the sensor Omnivision OV5675 to 5 megapixel f / 2.2 which returns above average photos compared to phones defined as top of the range with the possibility of using the voice shutter function. Also noteworthy presence of multiple filters which allow original shots as well as the presence of photo retouch tool to give them more originality.
Videos are shot at maximum resolution FHD 1080p without the presence of any stabilization but is present the autofocus CAF very responsive and function Time Lapse. Finally, the camera can be activated by double-taping the volume button - so you can make quick points and jump to share on the various social issues.
BATTERY
The battery is a unit not removable with capacity of 3120 mAh which may seem like a few but they are optimally optimized by making Redmi 4A a autonomy champion. On a day when GPS was used, you continue to switch between WiFi and 3G / 4G networks, Bluetooth connectivity, Web browsing, various social and chat, 3 accounts in active push mode, etc. I managed to sum up an autonomy of 1 day, 7 hours, 25 minutes and 41 seconds with a residual charge of the 7% and recording well 5 Hours and 57 Minute Screen On all without taking advantage of any energy savings provided by the software. In short, you will forget about your charger and you will not have the anxiety to stay uncharged during your days and just when you can not do without charging it in about 2 hours and a half charging will be complete at 100%.
PRICE AND CONCLUSIONS
We have to consider that the Redmi 4A has a price equal to 123 euro by using ours discount code XT5OFF but that all the things analyzed in our review make it a real TOP. It convinces the camera, the record autonomy, the hardware and the software as well as the presence of the 20 band to 800 MHz, creating a remarkable detachment from many models that are placed in the same price range if not superior. The next update to the MIUI 8.2 will bring new features further enriching the daily experience. The Redmi 4A is definitely a quality smartphone at an ultra competitive price, which will make even the most suspicious user fall in love. I am really satisfied with this terminal that I can recommend you as a purchase through the store Honorbuy.it which Ship directly from Italy within max 72 hours and without any customs cost. Always from Italy you can receive assistance as well as one of 2 years warranty.
Apart from the camera, is it a kind of 1 Moto G (2013 generation), or is it wrong?