Xiaomi Redmi Note review: Warning note

Introduction

The Redmi Note is Xiaomi's first phablet based on the solid Redmi 1S, which learnt from the Moto X and tried to repeat its success. We cannot think of a better example to follow in terms of sales potential and, with the right touches, the phablet can hope of a similarly warm reception.

Xiaomi Redmi Note official pictures

The Xiaomi Redmi Note is undeniably related to the Redmi 1S and one fringe benefit of the bigger screen is the phablet doesn't feel as thick as the phone. The flipside is lower ppi and lack of screen protection. The whole thing is powered by MediaTek's MT6592 chipset with an octa-core processor, capable of running as many cores as needed instead of handling them in fours. A 5.5" IPS display of 720p resolution goes with a 13MP rear and a 5MP selfie camera.

Now, let's take a closer look at the Redmi Note key specs.

Key features

• 5.5" IPS 720p capacitive touchscreen with 267pi pixel density
• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with MIUI v.5
• 1.7GHz octa-core Cortex-A7 CPU; 2 GB of RAM; Mali-450MP4 GPU; MediaTek MT6592 chipset
• 13MP camera with LED flash, 1080p video capture
• 5MP front-facing camera; 720p video recording
• 8GB of built-in memory, expandable via a microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
• Dual-SIM
• Active noise cancellation with a dedicated microphone
• 3,200mAh battery

Main disadvantages

• No KitKat yet
• Thick and heavy
• Sub-300ppi pixel density
• No hardened glass for screen protection
• No LTE (single-SIM 4G version available)

The Redmi Note phablet is a first for the up-and-coming maker but so was the Mi Pad tablet. For that, Xiaomi went squarely after the iPad mini while this time they're more willing to play it safe. That said, the Note in Redmi Note can certainly be taken the wrong way.

The truth is, the Redmi Note is a midrange phablet with a 5.5" display, decent processing power and a capable camera. An upscaled version of the Redmi 1S, with a few changes to the hardware package and a due resize of the highly customizable MIUI launcher. The Xiaomi Redmi Note is a dual-SIM device just like the smartphone it's based on. You can trade the dual-SIM support for LTE connectivity in the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G.

Xiaomi Redmi Note live pictures

We are losing no more time with introductions. The shrink wrap's about to be torn to get a closer look at Xiaomi's first phablet, the Redmi Note.