Xiaomi unveiled the Note 4g phablet in Mumbai on November 26, 2014.The sale was usual handed over to flipkart. It was priced at Rs.9,999(162$). Which I feel is better price when compared to the specifications you get with it. This is rather similar to the Xiaomi Note 3g except for the single SIM Capability and support for 4G Networks and a Snapdragon processor. Its rather a disappointment that instead of the name “Note”, it doesn’t come with a stylus and what adds to is that there are no headsets coming inside the box.
GENERAL FEATURES
Design
The Xiaomi Note 4G is well built with round edges and its higher size makes it difficult to operate with a single hand. The back is a covered with a glossy plastic and you will find the 13MP camera with LED flash and MI branding with the speaker grill.
The volume rocker and power button are placed on the right side with 3.5mm Audio Jack on top of the phone and Micro-USB at the bottom. The Note 4G has capacitive touch buttons below the dsiplay but doesnt have backlight that makes is tougher to handle in dark. This is not that type of device that impresses you by its looks.
Display
The Xiaomi Note 4G features a 5.5 inch IPS Display Multi touch HD screen with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels .The size is a tempting factor for people longing for a big smartphone. Also I found that the screen is a bit warmer which makes colours to pop out and give a rich experience. It has got a decent viewing angles considering its size.
Performance
The Note 4G is powered by a 1.6GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor with 2 GB ram and Adreno 305 GPU. Though the Note 4G has impressive specs it is outplayed by Yureka in almost allthe tests. For day to day use you will be not disappointed with Note 4G's performance.
Camera
Redmi note 4g sports a 13MP high speed camera and it takes a second to focus. There is no time lag while taking a picture and we can say that the camera is very fast. It can shoot pictures of 1080p quality which is good. Also the front camera is a 5MP one which is a treat to the selfie lovers.When it comes to the picture quality, The pictures taken in normal mode are of a decent quality.The HDR mode is adding a bit more of colors into the picture and we find it to be a bit artificial.Overall, The camera gives us a decent impression but the rear one doesn’t really go to the mark of a 13MP one.
Software
This phone is based on MIUI v5, based on Android kitkat 4.4.2. The UI is mostly similar to ios. Also MIUIv6 coming up, I find it to be very similar to ios7.This OS is a very flexible and feature rich one.(with quite a few shortcuts). There are also many custom modes available to suit our usage. It also supports many toggles.
Battery
The battery of a phone is the most important aspect as how long does the battery last.This phone is powered by a Li-polymer battery of 3100 mAh, a cool one. It offers a talk time upto 38 hrs and a Standby time of 775hrs. The Xiaomi Note 4G last for long time considering it has only 1 SIM to handle compared to Yureka which is Dual SIM. But, also it doesn't charge up quickly.
The Verdict
The Xiaomi Note 4G with a Big Display, 4G support, decent camera and performance is worth the Rs. 10k price tag. But, it may not be the winner when compared to the Micromax Yureka. But buying these devices is also a bit tricky you need to be active on the sale day and go for it if you are good at it.
Review by VamshiKrishnasai Nagabandi
