Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi was the first to disrupt the budget smartphones segment in India when it launched the Redmi 1s in 2014. After almost 4 years of dominance of the budget and mid-range segment, Xiaomi has come out with yet another budget handset winner, the Redmi 4A. There are three important aspects in which the latest smartphone excels. Complete attention to detail, focus on user experience, and disruptive pricing make the Redmi 4A superior in comparison to other smartphones in its range.
Priced at Rs 5999, the Xiaomi Redmi 4A is available through flash sales from Amazon India and Mi.com. By the way, you can get extra cashback offers on Redmi mobiles at these sites through CashKaro. Redmi 4A is targeted towards first-time buyers and casual users. A combination of good looks and robust performance makes this newest Xiaomi phone set the bar pretty high for budget smartphones in India.
Solid Design and Build Quality
The Redmi 4A deviates from the recent trend of metal-clad phones by sporting a plastic unibody exterior. The smartphone, though it looks chubby, weighs only 131 grams and is easy to hold in one hand. It comes in three attractive colors – dark grey, gold, and rose gold. The build quality is impressive considering the fact that it is a plastic-bodied phone. There is a hybrid SIM tray which allows inserting two SIM cards or one SIM card and one microSD card at a time.
Good-looking Display
Xiaomi has put a good display on the Redmi 4A. The 5-inch IPS touchscreen has a resolution of 720p and renders close to natural colors on the screen. The text is crisp and easy to read with no visibility issues when viewing from odd angles. There are a few value-added options that enable control of the screen display on Redmi 4A. The contrast option can be used to adjust color temperature, while Reading mode can be switched on when going through articles and eBooks on the phone.
Old-fashioned OS with a Twist
The Redmi 4A runs on the old Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS. But with the customizable MIUI 8, the device has added functionalities. Though MIUI takes a little time to get used to, the custom ROM is slick and reliable with colorful themes and useful apps. The Lite mode on the Redmi 4A lends it a Windows Phone look with bigger icons and easier navigation.
Reliable Camera
The rear camera on the Redmi 4A captures natural colors in good daylight.
Image Credits: GSMArc.com
The front and back facing cameras on the Redmi 4A offer instant access to quick and easy photo snaps. The 13MP rear camera provides good color reproduction during daytime, but the performance dips a little at night when images appear blurry and distorted. The 5MP front camera is ideal for decent selfie shots and video calling.
Powerful Performance
For an entry-level phone, the Redmi 4A performs brilliantly. It runs on a quad-core Snapdragon 425 processor with clock speeds of 1.4GHz. There is 2GB of RAM onboard and Adreno 308 for running graphics-intensive applications and games. The phone shows no lags on moderate levels of multitasking and playing games. There is 16GB of inbuilt memory which can be expanded to a massive 256GB using a microSD card. Also, the 3120mAh battery has enough juice in the tank to last a whole day on heavy usage.
Final Say
At a price tag of around Rs 6000, the Redmi 4A is truly an awesome pick. Not only is the phone a good blend of aesthetics and functionality, it delivers on the much-needed storage and battery life aspects. As mentioned above, the Xiaomi Redmi 4A is a perfect choice for first-time smartphone users looking for a versatile and affordable device to launch them into the digital world.