Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 32GB/3GB Review - Sponsored by Everbuying.net

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I was recently approached by Everbuying to do a review of this device. Excitedly I accepted, as I had enjoyed my previous shot at a phone review. This time will be more in depth, and include more information.

The product was shipped with DHL Express from the Everbuying warehouse in Hong Kong, taking 5 days to arrive, no complaints about that time frame!

Packaging was good, the phone box was inside a plastic bag, with a bubble-wrapped bag surrounding that, and a standard DHL Express bag around that. As shown below:

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Inside the box is quite simple, a small 2amp charger (US Socket), a USB cable, a small number of paper instructions, and the phone. Construction is quite sturdy, but there was damage on one of the corners, didn't damage the phone though, but has potential to if in the centre of the box.

Picking up the phone for the first time, it feels great, very sturdy and well built. My previous phone, a Nexus 5, had nothing on the feel of this. The micro sim slots are located on the side, in a 2-in-1 configuration, which can be ejected using the included tool. There is no SD card slot in this phone, which could be a turn off for some. The phone is a little difficult to handle however, with the metal casing being very smooth and quite slippery, so it pays to take extra care initially, until the sheen wears off.

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I personally do not like MIUI at all, compared to vanilla Android, it is extremely unintuitive and difficult to use, so won't be delving too deep into that.

The phone specs are nice for a <$300 NZD device, with:

Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53
PowerVR G6200
GSM / HSPA / LTE
16 GB, 2 GB RAM OR 32 GB, 3 GB RAM
13MP Primary camera
5MP Secondary camera
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
1080 x 1920 pixels 5.5in screen
Fingerprint scanner
4000 mAh battery
MIUI 7 (Lollipop)
Click here to view the full list.

Unfortunately, during initial testing, malware was discovered in one of the preinstalled apps. This was unable to be removed without rooting the device, so that is a negative point, but not something the retailer, Everbuying, has any control over.

Running the AnTuTu benchmark resulted in a score of 49239, which isn't too bad, and the device didn't seem to heat up too much during these tests.

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Following the discovery of Malware, I decided to hunt down a custom rom to flash as a replacement for the stock MIUI, and to remove all of the bloat. This rom from nguyentankiet was the only available at the time, but flashed successfully and thankfully scans reveal no malware! The AnTuTu benchmark has also increased to 55470. I have added the same image set from above, using the newly flashed rom, below.

I'm really holding out for a stock/Cyanogen rom for this phone, it would be a real great phone running vanilla (Or close to) Android.

PLEASE NOTE: Flashing of custom roms or firmware will void your (Extremely limited, pay your own shipping) warranty, and you do so at your own risk. I have discussed with the store rep, and unfortunately they are unwilling to budge on this. However, how many of us buy cheap Chinese phones because of their top class warranties?

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I have been using this phone daily, and the battery life is impressive. Below usage includes about 3 hours of screen on gaming, so without that, the screen on time would likely be double over 24 hours. Others have reported upwards of 13 hours screen on time.

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Having taken the camera for a test run, I can safely say there are no issues, quality is fine for the price, and HDR is very fast compared to my old Nexus 5 (Click on the images to open full size):

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Overall, I don't have any real complaints about this phone, other than the malware included in the stock rom (Easily removed by flashing an alternative), MIUI (horrible), and also the slipperiness of the metal case, which makes the device difficult to grip at times. The lack of a MicroSD slot is a semi-negative, it doesn't bother me, but it would some people. If I do happen to come across any other issues, I will update this space accordingly.

Everbuying currently have the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 available for $202.27 USD but I am discussing a bargain price with them related to this review, and will have it posted up as a deal shortly.

Thanks for taking the time to read this review, and thanks to Everbuying for sending out this awesome device.

If you have any suggestions for further information I could add to this review, or any future reviews, don't hesitate to comment below.