Redmi – Tech Raman

Redmi Note 6 Pro Review – A Safe Buy

Lakshmi Rajan — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 14:26:02 +0000

Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro design In terms of size and design, the Note 6 Pro is almost similar to its predecessor when kept side by side face down. On a closer observation, you will find a few minute changes in details – the Note 6 Pro in spite of a bigger display is slightly shorter by a fraction. The metal backplate merges with the plastic frame around the phone slightly differently in both the phones. While the back plate has straight cut on top and bottom in the Note 5 Pro, it has curved smooth edges on the Note 6 Pro. Otherwise, the camera module, fingerprint sensor all find similar positioning. The camera module slightly protrudes out in both the phones. The front has some refreshing update to the Note 6 Pro – it has a bigger display with a notch at the top. The notch is prominent and wider. This is the first Xiaomi phone with a notch in India. The bezels are thinner too compared to its predecessor which helps in larger display real estate. The power and volume buttons are on the right. Both are easy to reach even for small palms I have. The top has 3.5mm headphone jack, a secondary mic and IR blaster to act as a remote to control other compatible devices. The bottom has micro-USB port flanked by grilles, though only the right houses a loudspeaker. The left side has the hybrid dual-SIM which means there is no dedicated microSD card slot. Weighing 182 grams, the phone offers good ergonomics and the metal back gives a solid build quality feel when holding the phone.

Redmi Note 6 Pro Display

Like it or not, 2018 has accepted notched display and Redmi Note 6 Pro embraces it with wider arms literally. The notch is wider and it also houses the dual front camera. It also has notification light which some of the notched displays skips. The full-screen display settings offer an option to hide the notch. The Note 6 Pro has a 6.26″ IPS LCD FHD+ display of 1,080 x 2,280 pixels. While the display is backed by Corning Gorilla Glass, the company was shy of mentioning the version and I suspect it to be Gorilla 3. The display packs 403ppi which is good. The display is a strong point of the Redmi note 6 pro and can be safely put as the best in the segment. It pans out 480 nits of brightness. The blacks are deep thanks to 1500:1 contrast ratio. It has a maximum brightness level of 1.3nits. The sunlight legibility was decent. Colours are punch, the images are vivid. The display setting has an adaptive brightness (which I disabled since it tends to mess with while playing PUBG when there are darker areas), contrasts and colours setting let you choose between default, warm and cool colours. There is also automatic contrast, increased contrast and standard contrast setting to choose from. The display setting also has a reading mode which is Xiaomi’s take on eye comfort mode. Double tap to wake option is also there.

Redmi Note 6 Pro Software Features

The MIUI of Mi phones has many backers since it offers a lot of features. The Redmi Note 6 Pro runs on MIUI 10 based on Android 8.1 Oreo. There are pre-installed apps like Mi Drop, Mi Store, Mi Remote, Amazon app, Facebook, NewsPoint, Dailyhunt and UC browser and few others along with Google’s suite of apps. I quickly uninstalled Dailyhunt which was spamming with notifications, any case I don’t use that app either. A swipe to the right from the main home screen gives you a page a search bar, app shortcuts section which can be edited to include your favourite apps, you can also quickly check train PNR status from a bar there and the page also has app recommendations, stock ticker and a notes tab. The MIUI offers full-screen gesture navigation. It can be enabled in the full-screen display settings. There is a new Enterprise mode which I assume would allow creating a separate enterprise profile as of now it is not activated. The usual MIUI features that include button and gesture shortcuts, one-handed mode, quick ball, dual apps, second space are all included. These are some of the features many of the end consumers like about MIUI.

Performance of Redmi Note 6 Pro

The internals of the Redmi note 6 pro shares the same Snapdragon 636 processor from its predecessor. The phone comes with 4GB/6GB RAM options. While the processor is a workhorse for daily tasks and also offers good battery optimizations, it shows signs of age in terms of gaming. It is still capable of running most apps and games. PUBG is played on low graphics settings by default, while the game is extremely well playable, the graphics show weakness especially when you compare it with Smartphones like Mi A2 that runs on Snapdragon 660. I didn’t have any issue with multitasking. Call quality is good.

Battery life of Redmi Note 6 Pro

The strong forte of the Redmi Note series has always been the battery life. Like the earlier generations, the Note 6 Pro also packs in a 4000mAh battery. It has QuickCharge 3.0 support but the box comes with only 10 watts charger. You could buy a QC 3.0 charger if you want to speed up the charging time which is around 2 hours 15 minutes now with the box charger. Even for a heavy user, the phone should last a day and last longer to the next day on normal use.

Camera Performance of Redmi Note 6 Pro

Xiaomi has stuck to the same dual-camera setup of the Redmi Note 5 Pro, so you have the 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel at the rear. The later for depth sensing when taking portrait shots. The sensor though has been updated to 1.4-micron pixel size and dual autofocus. It has a f/1.9 aperture which theoretically translates to better low light compared to the f/2.2 on the Redmi Note 5 Pro. The selfie camera sees a dual camera this time with a 20-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel for depth sensing. AI has been the key talking point of the camera in 2018 and Xiaomi has covered it on Note 6 Pro as well. There is AI scene recognition that Xiaomi claims is adept at recognizing 32 scenes. The selfie camera too can see through 12 scenes using AI. Both the front and back have an AI toggle. The Redmi Note 6 Pro improves upon its predecessor which already had an impressive camera. Day light pictures offer decent details and the right amount of exposure levels. There is an auto HDR mode to balances out for evenly good-looking pictures. AI also was capable of screen recognition to get the right levels for what the camera sees. Edge detection was good in portraits. There is an option to adjust the level of blur, add light trails, and adjust studio lighting. [gallery link="file" columns="5" ids="14388,14389,14390,14391,14392"] Selfies come out good, the portrait mode also works well for the front camera. There is also auto HDR here. Redmi Note 6 Pro can take videos up to 1080p. EIS option is available. Here is a sample with and without portrait mode on the selfie camera.

Verdict:

Redmi Note 6 Pro is a minor update to its illustrious predecessor – it brings in the notch, bigger display and slightly improved camera with AI onboard. Throughout this year, Redmi Note 5 Pro has been my most recommended phone under ₹15K. With a larger vivid display, solid battery life, impressive camera, the Redmi Note 6 Pro is yet again a dependable buy. Yes, there is tight competition from Honor 8X but if you put your hard earned money on this phone, you won’t be disappointed. It’s a safe buy. . ]]>

9 Reasons why Honor 9N scores over Redmi Note 5 Pro

Lakshmi Rajan — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 06:27:41 +0000

The plain fact is there is no one best Smartphone, had it been there no one would be buying any other mobiles, right? Every phone has its own plus and minus points that people weigh over when buying their new Smartphone, when their needs matches more with the positives a phone offer, they buy it. Simple. If you are looking for an affordable mid-range Smartphone, the choices narrow between the newly launched Honor 9N and the Redmi Note 5 Pro, while both the phones have their own goodie bags, I list 9 reasons why Honor 9N beats over Redmi Note 5 Pro and if you value these points as priority, you get your right pick too.

Design

Smartphone has become almost an extension of us, most of us can’t live without it and is our integral part. For a device that we carry almost always with us, the ergonomics matter a lot. The phone has to be lighter and get its dimension right for ease of use in our daily life, this is where Honor 9N has a vital advantage. The Honor 9N measures 149.2 x 71.8 x 7.7 mm as compared to 158.6 x 75.4 x 8.1 mm reading of Redmi Note 5 Pro, a few mm does make a huge difference and anything less than 8mm definitely is better. More importantly, the Honor 9N at 152 grams is much lighter than the 181 grams the Redmi Note 5 Pro weighs. Clad in glass body as compared to the more common in the category metal body the Redmi note 5 pro comes and available in exquisite one of the kind robin egg blue color and Lavender purple along side the traditional black and Honor’s special blue shade, the Honor 9N could easily win hands down the most stylish Smartphone in this price category.

Notch Ahead

Smartphone industry keeps evolving when it comes to aesthetics and design, last season it was about the new found love for 18:9 aspect ration which helped the OEMs to bring more real estate to the screen while still managing to keep the phone narrower for grip. Redmi Note 5 Pro embraced the 18:9 aspect ratio and it was well received but there was a quick shift again from the 18:9 aspect ratio to 19:9 aspect ratio with the arrival of notch design. Undoubtedly the ‘notch’ on the top divided the tech community with many of them deriding it but ultimately what matters is the end consumers and when I interacted with many consumers, I found there are lot many people who liked to be one notch ahead. The notch was embraced again, people did like it. So Honor moved in swiftly and the Honor 9N comes with notch. You don’t find any other device in this price range with notch, atleast yet. For those who don’t like notch, the EMUI also offers a display setting to hide notch.

Display

Honor 9N has a 5.84 inches IPS LCD display with a 1080 x 2280 pixels resolution translating to 432 ppi density. On the other hand, the Redmi Note 5 Pro comes with a 5.99 inches IPS LCD display offering a 1080 x 2160 pixels working out a 403 ppi density. 9N is packed with more pixel density and also when kept side by side, the display panel looks slightly more vibrant than the Note 5 Pro giving it a slight advantage.

Game Suite

If you are a hard core gamer like me, you would like the Game suite feature in Honor 9N. Game suite offers three modes: Performance mode: to improve game performance Smart mode: to balance performance and power consumption Power saver mode: saves battery life but reduces game performance. It also offers a DND mode while you are at gaming for an uninterrupted game session. When enabled, all onscreen notification will be muted or hidden except for calls, alarms and low battery alerts. The device will not ring or vibrate for calls and alarms so you can have unhindered gaming.

GPU Turbo – The future proofing

Talking about gaming, we all know the Smartphones performance can deteriorate over a time or atleast when you buy a Smartphone, you are limited to its hardware capability. What works as advantage for Honor Smartphones is the tight integration of software and hardware since they use their own HiSiliconne Kirin chipsets, very few countable OEMs have their own chipset running on their phones. Huawei, the parent company of Honor has their own R&D centers across the world including one in Bangalore. With a talented workforce of engineers and tightly integrated ecosystem, they are pushing a GPU Turbo update to some of their Hauwei/Honor Smartphones and Honor 9N is poised to receive the update in few months, the update promises to increase the gaming performance by 30% and battery life by 20%.

Riding Mode

A recent report states that in India the use of mobile phones while driving claimed 2,138 lives last year. It’s a serious concern which made Honor introduce a Riding mode in their Smartphones including Honor 9N. It can be easily enabled from the quick settings before you start your ride. When you enable the ride mode, the bluetooth and headset will be disabled in case you have paired them, and calls will be automatically answered with voice or sms messages based on your ride mode settings. You can choose to answer by voice message, answer by text or decline calls automatically. The app also features an optional ride tracking which gives you insights on your riding pattern, distance covered and time spend on wheels.

Better Camera Controls

EMUI has probably one of the better camera app offering good number of presets or modes which helps normal users take amazing pictures, something which the MIUI on Redmi Note 5 Pro lacks. Honor 9N offers an extensive array of modes including pro photo, pro video, AR lens, night shot, light painting, and my favorite good food mode. For those who are not comfortable or unsure of handling manual modes, the light painting mode enables them to become ace photographers in capturing the city at dark with trailing lights, shoot silky water like pro. Another area in the camera app where Honor 9N scores over Redmi Note 5 Pro is the rich manual controls the EMUI offers. If you are a pro, you definitely have a better control on the camera with a Honor 9N smartphone. So either way, amateur or pro, the Honor 9N camera offers a better usability and controls.

Fingeprint Sensor – A little more

There is no denying both the phones offer accurate and quick fingerprint sensor and also has app lock feature. But Honor has few more tricks to the fingerprint sensor implementation. You can use touch and hold or slide gestures on the sensor area to do certain tasks like to answer incoming calls, stop alarm, quick access notification panel or browse photos.

Battery modes – last minute survival methods

We all scramble to prolong the battery when it is reaching the fag end, we turn off the connectivity, dim the screen and what not to make sure the battery can last a little longer. The Honor 9N offers a better power saver mode than Redmi Note 5 Pro there is a power saver mode and when you are really left with last few percentage of battery, you can turn to the Ultra power saving mode which turns the screen black, shuts down everything else except to use dialer, messages, contacts, SOS and an option to add two more apps to the home screen. So if you value any of these points above, the Honor 9N definitely should be your pick. What you think of these features, do share your thoughts. https://youtu.be/Ip6zypPW8cg ]]>

Redmi Note 5 FAQ – Specifications, Features and Everything You Need to Know

Lakshmi Rajan — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 07:09:29 +0000

Question: What are the different colors Redmi Note 5 is available? Answer: Redmi Note 5 will be available in four colors – gold, black, blue and Rose gold.

Question: What is the display size and resolution?

Answer: Redmi Note 5 has a 5.99-inch fullview IPS display with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels and 18:9 aspect ratio.

Question: What display settings available?

Answer: The display setting has auto brightness, reading mode which is the blue filter mode, contrast and colors settings, text size, double tap to wake.

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 support double tap to wake?

Answer: Yes, there is double tap to wake option in display settings.

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 has Blue light filter settings ?

Answer: Yes, there is blue filter in the display settings and is called eye comfort. The settings also allows you to schedule a particular start and end time for blue filter.

Question: What is the price of Redmi Note 5? Where can I buy?

Answer:

Question: What size SIM cards Redmi Note 5 accepts? Can I add a microSD card?

Answer: Redmi Note 5 has hybrid SIM slot. Yes, you can add a microSD card in place of one SIM.

Question: Does it have Corning Gorilla Glass protection?

Answer: Yes it does have a protective layer.

Question: What is the processor used in this smartphone?

Answer: Redmi Note 5 runs on Snapdragon 625 chipset with Adreno 506 GPU with a choice of 3GB/4GB RAM.

Question: What is the internal storage of Redmi Note 5?

Answer: Redmi Note 5 comes with a 32GB and 64GB internal storage option. It has a dedicated memory card for storage expansion up to 128GB.

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 has Gyroscope sensor?

Answer: Yes, it does not have Gyroscope sensor.

Question: Does it support VR?

Answer: Yes, Redmi Note 5 does support virtual reality (VR) apps.

Question: Is the buttons back lit?

Answer: Redmi Note 5 has on-screen navigation buttons , the navigation settings allows to change the position of menu and back buttons.

Question: What USB type does Redmi Note 5 use?

Answer: It uses microUSB port

Question: Does it have notification light?

Answer: Yes, Redmi Note 5 has pulse notification light.

Question: What are the camera specifications of Redmi Note 5 Pro ?

Answer: Redmi Note 5 has a single 12MP rear camera with a f/2.2 aperture and a 5MP selfie camera that comes with a LED selfie light at the front.

Question: Does the camera has OIS?

Answer: No.

Question: Can we take 4K videos in Redmi Note 5?

Answer: Yes, it can take 4K videos.

Question: What are the connectivity options? Does it support VoLTE?

Answer: Yes, Redmi Note 5 supports VoLTE. Other options include Bluetooth, A-GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 have FM app?

Answer: Yes

Question: How to take screnshots in Redmi Note 5?

Answer: Redmi Note 5 has a triple finger gesture screenshot feature apart from the basic power button and volume down together option.

Question: Can we take long screenshot in Redmi Note 5?

Answer: Yes, we can take long screenshot.

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 support USB OTG?

Answer: Yes, it supports OTG and you can connect the USB drive to it.

Question: What is the battery capacity of Redmi Note 5?

Answer: Redmi Note 5 has a 4000mAh battery

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 support fast charging?

Answer: No, it does not support fast charging. It comes with 5V 2A power adapter.

Question: Does it have power saver modes?

Answer: Yes it has a battery saver mode.

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 have IR blaster?

Answer: Yes, there is IR port / sensor in Redmi Note 5.

Question: Is Redmi Note 5 Waterproof?

Answer: No, Redmi Note 5 is not waterproof.

Question: How is the call quality?

Answer: Call quality of Redmi Note 5 is good.

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 support one hand UI?

Answer: Yes

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 has fingerprint scanner?

Answer: Yes, it does have a fingerprint sensor

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 support App lock?

Answer: Yes, the Redmi Note 5 supports app lock.

Question: What OS does Redmi Note 5 run?

Answer: Redmi Note 5 runs on Android Nougat with their MIUI 9 layered on top of it.

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 support two Whatsapp in the same phone?

Answer: Yes, Redmi Note 5 support dual apps (App twin) feature.

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 support call recording?

Answer: Yes, Redmi 5A support call recording feature.

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 have video call feature in dialer?

Answer: No, there is no video call feature in the Note 5 dialer. Question: Does Redmi Note 5 support NFC? Answer: No, NFC is not supported.

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 has split screen feature?

Answer: Yes it supports multi windows.

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 have Dolby Atmos support?

Answer: No, Redmi Note 5 Pro does not have Dolby Atmos but the audio quality is pretty good.

Question: Does Redmi Note 5 have heating issue?

Answer: No, heating is within the limits.]]>

Xiaomi Redmi 5A FAQ : Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Lakshmi Rajan — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 17:54:18 +0000

Question: What are the different colors Redmi 5A is available? Answer: It is available in dark grey, gold and rose gold color choices.

Question: What is the display size and resolution?

Answer: Redmi 5A has a 5-inch IPS LCD display with a 720 x 1280 pixels resolution.

Question : What is the weight and thickness of Redmi 5A?

Answer: Redmi 5A weighs 137 grams and measures 8.1 mm in thickness. It has a polycarbonate body with metallic finish.

Question: What display settings available?

Answer: The display setting has auto brightness, reading mode which is the blue filter mode, contrast and colors settings, text size, double tap to wake.

Question: Does Redmi 5A support double tap to wake?

Answer: Yes, there is double tap to wake option in display settings.

Question: Does Redmi 5A has Blue filter ?

Answer: Yes, there is blue filter in the display settings and is called Reading mode. The settings also allows you to schedule a particular start and end time for blue filter.

Question: What is the price of Redmi 5A? Where can I buy?

Answer: Redmi 5A is priced at Rs 4,999 in India and Jio has a special offer of Rs 3,999 tied up to their SIM.

Question: What size SIM cards Redmi 5A accepts? Can I add a microSD card?

Answer: Redmi 5A has a dedicated memory card and so a user can use two SIMs and a memory card upto 128GB.

Question: Does it have Corning Gorilla Glass protection?

Answer: No it does not have a protective layer.

Question: What is the processor used in this smartphone?

Answer: Redmi 5A is powered by Snapdragon 425, Adreno 308 GPU with a 2GB of RAM and 16GB storage.

Question: What is the internal storage of Redmi 5A?

Answer: Redmi 5A comes with a 16GB internal storage with around 9GB user available. It has a dedicated memory card for storage expansion up to 128GB.

Question: Does Redmi 5A has Gyroscope sensor?

Answer: Yes, it has Gyroscope sensor.

Question: Does it support VR?

Answer: Yes Redmi 5A supports virtual reality (VR) apps.

Question: Is the buttons back lit?

Answer: Redmi 5A does not have a back lit buttons.

Question: What USB type does it use?

Answer: It uses microUSB port

Question: Does it have notification light?

Answer: Yes, Redmi 5A has pulse notification light.

Question: What are the camera specifications of Redmi 5A ?

Answer: Redmi 5A has a 13-megapixel rear camera with a LED flash with a f/2.2 aperture , PDAF and a 5-megapixel front camera with f/2.- aperture.

Question: Does the camera has OIS?

Answer: No.

Question: Can we take 4K videos in Redmi 5A?

Answer: No.

Question: What are the connectivity options? Does it support VoLTE?

Answer: Yes, Redmi 5A supports VoLTE. Other options include Bluetooth, A-GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/

Question: Does Redmi 5A has FM app?

Answer: Yes

Question: How to take screnshots in Redmi 5A?

Answer: Redmi 5A has a triple finger gesture screenshot feature apart from the basic power button and volume down together option.

Question: Can we take long screenshot in Redmi 5A?

Answer: Yes, we can take long screenshot.

Question: Does Redmi 5A support USB OTG?

Answer: Yes, it supports OTG and you can connect the USB drive to it.

Question: What is the battery capacity of Redmi 5A?

Answer: Redmi 5Ahas a 3000mAh battery

Question: Does Redmi 5A support fast charging?

Answer: No, it has normal fast charging. 5V 2A.

Question: Does it have power saver modes?

Answer: Yes it has a battery saver mode.

Question: Does Redmi 5A have IR blaster?

Answer: Yes, Redmi 5A has IR blaster and it comes with Mi Remote App.

Question: Is Redmi 5A Waterproof?

Answer: No, Redmi 5A is not waterproof.

Question: How is the call quality?

Answer: Call quality of Redmi 5A is good.

Question: Does Redmi 5A support one hand UI?

Answer: Yes it supports.

Question: Does Redmi 5A has fingerprint scanner?

Answer: No, it does not have a fingerprint scanner

Question: Does Redmi 5A support App lock?

Answer: Yes, it supports app lock but with PIN or Pattern method.

Question: What OS does Redmi 5A run?

Answer: Redmi 5A runs on stock Android Nougat 7.1. with MIUI 9 layered on top.

Question: Does it support two Whatsapp in the same phone?

Answer: Yes it has a dual apps feature that can duplicate any apps.

Question: Does Redmi 5A support call recording?

Answer: Yes, Redmi 5A support call recording feature. Question: Does Redmi 5A support NFC? Answer: No, NFC is not supported.

Question: Does Redmi 5A has split screen feature?

Answer: Yes it supports multi windows.

Question: Does Redmi 5A have Dolby Atmos support?

Answer: No, Redmi 5A does not have Dolby Atmos but the audio quality is pretty good.

Question: Does Redmi 5A have heating issue?

Answer: In our tests, the Redmi 5A did not show any considerable heating issue.]]>

Redmi Y1 Gaming Review plus Heating Test – Is this a better budget gaming device?

Lakshmi Rajan — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 07:23:33 +0000

Redmi Y1 FAQ : Everything You Need To Know | Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Lakshmi Rajan — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 05:18:27 +0000

You can also watch our unboxing and first impression video below.

https://youtu.be/NtTu0ENvv4M

Question: What are the different colors Redmi Y1 is available?

Answer: It is available in gold and dark grey colors.

Question: What is the display size and resolution?

Answer: Redmi Y1 has a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with 1280×720 pixels HD resolution translating to a 236 pixels per inch.

Question: Does Redmi Y1 has a metal body or plastic body?

Answer: Redmi Y1 has a polycarbonate body in short yes, a plastic body.

Question : What is the weight and thickness of Redmi Y1?

Answer: Redmi Y1 weighs 153 grams and measures 153 x 76.2 x 7.7 mm.

Question: What display settings are available in Redmi Y1?

Answer: The display setting has brightness level, reading mode, contrast and colors adjustments, text size control and options to double tap screen to wake and auto screen rotation.

Question: Does Redmi Y1 has Blue filter ?

Answer: Yes, there is blue filter in the display settings which reads as reading mode. Users can schedule the time to automatically kickstart the reading mode at particular time and also auto-enable reading mode for certain apps.

Question: What is the price of Redmi Y1? Where can I buy?

Answer: The price of Redmi Y1 in India is Rs 8,999 for the 3GB variant with 32GB storage and Rs 10,999 for the 4GB variant with 64GB storage.

Question: What size SIM cards Redmi Y1 accepts? Can I add a microSD card?

Answer: Redmi Y1 has two SIM slots and a dedicated slot for microSD card.

Question: Does it have Corning Gorilla Glass protection?

Answer: Yes, the display comes with Corning Gorilla glass 3 protection

Question: What is the processor used in this smartphone?

Answer: Redmi Y1 is powered by Snapdragon 435 SoC with Adreno 505 GPU. There is a 3GB/4GB RAM variants.

Question: What is the internal storage of Redmi Y1?

Answer: 32GB/ 64GB internal storage depends on the variant you buy with an option to expand via microSD card.

Question: Does Redmi Y1has Gyroscope sensor?

Answer: Yes, it has Gyroscope sensor.

Question: Does Redmi Y1 support VR?

Answer: Yes, Redmi Y1 supports virtual reality.

Question: Is the buttons back lit?

Answer: The Redmi Y1 buttons are not backlit

Question: What USB type does it use?

Answer: It uses microUSB port.

Question: Does it have pulse notification light?

Answer: Yes, Redmi Y1 has notification light.

Question: What are the camera specifications of Redmi Y1 ?

Answer: Redmi Y1 has for primary rear camera a 13 MP lens, f/2.2, phase detection autofocus, LED flash. capable of fullHD 1080p videos The selfie camera has 16-megapixels , f/2.0 aperture with soft LED flash.

Also watch : Redmi Y1 Camera Review with Samples

https://youtu.be/0iLLSWH8auY

Question: Is there beauty mode in Redmi Y1?

Answer: Yes, there are beauty modes in Redmi Y1 camera app. There is a Smart and Pro feature for beautify.

Question: Can we take bokeh images with Redmi Y1?

Answers: There is no separate bokeh mode for Redmi Y1

Question: Does the camera has OIS?

Answer: No.

Question: Can we take 4K videos in Redmi Y1?

Answer: No.

Question: What are the connectivity options? Does it support VoLTE?

Answer: Yes, Redmi Y1 supports VoLTE. Other options include Bluetooth, A-GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/

Question: Does Redmi Y1 has FM app?

Answer: Yes

Question: How to take screnshots in Redmi Y1?

Answer: Press and hold the power and volume button together to take a screenshot. There is also an option to take a screen shot with swiping down three fingers gesture.

Question: Can we take long screenshot in Redmi Y1?

Answer: Yes, we can take long screenshot.

Question: Does it support USB OTG?

Answer: Yes, Redmi Y1 supports OTG and you can connect the USB drive to it.

Question: What is the battery capacity of Redmi Y1?

Answer: Redmi Y1 has a 3080mAh battery

Question: Does Redmi Y1 support fast charging?

Answer: No it has normal fast charging. 5V 2A.

Question: Does it have power saver modes?

Answer: Yes it has a battery saver mode in the battery settings.

Question: Does it have IR blaster?

Answer: Yes, there is a IR blaster in Redmi Y1

Question: Is Redmi Y1 Waterproof?

Answer: No, Redmi Y1 is not waterproof.

Question: How is the call quality?

Answer: Call quality of Redmi Y1 is good.

Question: Does it support one hand UI?

Answer: Yes it supports.

Question: Does Redmi Y1 have fingerprint scanner?

Answer: Yes it has fingerprint scanner at the rear.

Question: Does Redmi Y1 support App lock?

Answer: Yes, it supports app lock.

Question: What OS does it run?

Answer: Redmi Y1 runs on stock Android Nougat 7.1.2 with MIUI 8.5 out of the box. MIUI 9 is scheduled to arrive second week of November.

Question: Does Redmi Y1 support two Whatsapp in the same phone?

Answer: Yes it has a Dual Apps feature that duplicates Whatsapp into two instances and also practically any apps to two instances.

Question: Does Redmi Y1 support call recording?

Answer: Yes, it supports call recording.

Question: Does Redmi Y1 support NFC?

Answer: No, NFC is not supported.

Question: Does Redmi Y1 has split screen feature?

Answer: MIUI 9 will bring split screen or multi screen feature to Redmi Y1 and other Xiaomi Smartphones running on MIUI.

Question: Does Redmi Y1 have Dolby Atmos support?

Answer: No, Redmi Y1 does not have Dolby Atmos but the audio quality is pretty good and loud.

Question: Does Redmi Y1 have heating issue?

Answer: There is no noticeable heating issue in Redmi Y1 ]]>

Redmi 4 FAQ : Everything You Need To Know

Lakshmi Rajan — Fri, 19 May 2017 18:12:27 +0000

Question: What are the different colors Redmi 4 is available? Answer: Redmi 4 is available in two color options – Matte black and gold.

Question: What is the display size and resolution?

Answer: The Redmi 4 has a 5-inch IPS LCD display offering a 1280 x 720 pixels HD resolution with a 296 pixels per inch (PPI)

Question: What display settings available?

Answer: The display settings has brightness control, Reding mode, Colors and contrasts which offer three settings – automatic contrast, increased contrast and standard, Text size adjustments that can go from XS to XXL.

Question: What is Reading Mode in Redmi 4?

Answer: Yes, there is bluefilter option and Xiaomi calls it Reading mode. It can be set manually and a start and end time can also be set. Interestingly, it can be applied to all apps or you can choose particular set of apps. Whenever you open those selected apps, the display automatically goes to reading mode and reverts back to normal when you close the app.

Question: What is the price of Redmi 4? Where can I buy?

Answer: Redmi 4 price starts at Rs 6999 for the 2GB variant and then there is a 3GB variant for Rs 8,999 and 4GB variant for Rs 10,999. It is available on Amazon.in, Flipkart and Xiaomi’s own store in India , Mi.com/in.

Question: What size sim cards, Redmi 4 accepts? Does it has dedicated microSD card support?

Answer: It supports hybrid dual-nano SIM (Nano SIM / MicroSIM). So you can use either two SIM’s or can use one SIM and the second SIM slot can be used to house a microSD card up to 128GB.

Question: Does it have Corning Gorilla Glass protection?

Answer: No Redmi 4 does not have Corning Gorilla Glass protection but it does have an unnamed strengthened glass.

Question: What is the processor used in this smartphone?

Answer: Redmi 4 is powered by Qualcomm MSM8917 Snapdragon 435 SoC mated to an Adreno 505 GPU, 2GB /3GB / 4GB of RAM and 16GB/32GB/64GB of internal storage with an option to expand via microSD card.

Question: Does Redmi 4 has Gyroscope sensor?

Answer: Yes, it has Gyro sensor.

Question: Is the buttons back lit?

Answer: No, the buttons are not backlit.

Question: What USB type does it use?

Answer: It supports microUSB port not USB-Type C

Question: Does it have notification light?

Answer: Yes, it has notification light.

Question: What are the camera specifications of Redmi 4?

Answer: Redmi 4 has a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/2.2 aperture, autofocus and LED flash and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. The rear camera can take 1080p videos.

Question: What are the connectivity options? Does it support VoLTE?

Answer: Yes, Redmi 4 supports VoLTE. Other options include Bluetooth, A-GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi direct, FM etc.

Question: How to take screnshots in Redmi 4?

Answer: Press and hold the power and volume button together or go to quick shortcuts and there is a screenshot option that can be tapped to take a screenshot.

Question: Does it support fast charging?

Answer: No, it does not support fast charging.

Question: Does it support USB OTG?

Answer: Yes, it supports OTG and you can connect the USB drive to it.

Question: Does it have power saver modes?

Answer: Redmi 4 has a battery saver mode.

Question: Does it have IR blaster?

Answer: Yes, it does have an IR blaster and you can use the Redmi 4 as a remote to control your TV and other compatible home appliances.

Question: How is the call quality?

Answer: Call quality of Redmi 4 is very good.

Question: Does it support one hand UI?

Answer: Yes it supports one hand UI. The display can be reduced to 4-inch or 3.5-inch

Question: Does Redmi 4 has fingerprint scanner?

Answer: No, it does not have a fingerprint sensor.

Question: Does Redmi 4 support App lock?

Answer: Yes, it supports app lock and you can use password or pattern lock to secure apps.

Question: What OS does it run?

Answer: Redmi 4 runs on Android Marshmallow based MIUI 8.1 and is expected to get the Nougat update soon.

Question: Does it have Second Space MIUI 8 Feature?

Answer: Yes, it does have Second space feature that allows to have two phones within a phone.

Question: Does it support two whatsapp in the same phone?

Answer: Yes it supports two Whatsapp app. You can enable it via Dual apps settings or Second space settings.

Question: What is Dual apps in Redmi 4?

Answer: Dual App features allows to have two accounts or instances of the same app running at the same time.

Question: Does Redmi 4 support call recording?

Answer: Yes Redmi 4 supports call recording. The setting can be accessed in the call settings. You can record all calls automatically or from selective numbers. Q) What are the full specifications of the Redmi 4? Answer: Here is the full specification list of the Redmi 4.

Dimensions: 139.2 x 70 x 8.7 mm
Weight: 150g
Display: 5-inch 720p IPS LCD, Reading mode
Chipset: Quad-core Snapdragon 435 chipset ,Octa-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU: Adreno 505
RAM: 2GB / 3GB / 4GB
Storage: 2GB / 16GB, 3GB / 32GB, 4GB/64GB , expandable by microSD card slot
Rear camera: 13MP, f/2.2 aperture, LED flash, Full HD video recording
Front camera: 5MP, f/2.2 aperture
Sensors: Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Proximity, Ambient light sensor, Infrared
Connectivity: LTE, (Hybrid) Dual-SIM, GPS, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, microUSB
Battery: 4100mAh non-removable
Others: MIUI8

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At $107, Redmi 3 looks like a sure shot winner for Xiaomi

Tech Raman — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 14:41:57 +0000

Redmi 2 Review – Check out our Puppet style Video!

Lakshmi Rajan — Sun, 22 Mar 2015 09:36:53 +0000

So we thought, why should tech reviews me a standard affair? Why not add a bit of creativity to it? Oh by the way, who said techies are boring, we too can put the right-side of brain to a good use. Here is a review of the Redmi 2, the follow up to the hugely popular Redmi 1S which did a houdini act at every flash sales Xiaomi did at almost all the markets it was present. The Redmi 2 is a budget LTE smartphone and can it match the success of its predecessor? We introduce Tiger Raman, our new intern. He will talk you through the Redmi 2 review. Check it out. Enjoy the video! https://youtu.be/3zhzPdnWFRI]]>

Xiaomi Redmi Note Review – A smartphone with a big heart at compact price

Lakshmi Rajan — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 00:58:12 +0000

To be honest when Xiaomi made their plans known to launch their device in India, I barely expected a modest sale. After all back then the Chinese mobile makers were yet to establish their big presence here and Xiaomi, forget the tongue twister name, was unheard at this part of the world back then. When the first flash sales of Mi3 happened, a new chapter began in Indian mobile market. The disruptive pricing of Xiaomi or Mi as it is called now and their aggressive social media engagement made every 2’o PM of Tuesdays a Mi Day frenzy and the success of Mi3 was carried forward to remarkable heights by Redmi 1S and now Redmi Note is all set to continue the magical run. Priced at Rs 8,999 this is a phone that gives no reason to complain and read on to know why. May be I am a foodie by nature or sheer bored in doing the standard unboxing, so I did the unboxing at the favourite place at my home, the kitchen. So go ahead take a look at my Redmi Note uncovered in my kitchen.

Watch our Redmi Note Unboxing

http://youtu.be/eBC6Vn2NevM

Design & Hardware

Hot n Sizzler? Nopes. Redmi Note wears a conventional dressing, there is nothing extra-ordinary about the design language of the phone clad in a plastic body with a glossy rear panel and smooth, rounded corners. Still, it is pleasant to hold. At 9.5 thickness it neither a slim device nor it boasts of a narrow bezels. The 3,200mAh battery accounts for the good share of the 199 grams the phone weighs, though heavy it feels confident while holding it. No complaints about it either and you will know why when I talk about the battery performance a little later. The regular set of ports and buttons placements are here too with the power and volume rocker on the right, the audio jack on the top and the microUSB port on the bottom with a microphone adjacent to it. On the first half of the rear we have the 13-megapixel camera with the LED flash neatly nested a tad below it and on the bottom we have the Mi branding and the speaker grille. In a whole, the phone is not very visually appealing but is more functional. There are three capacitive buttons and unlike in Redmi 1S they come with a red back light here. Internally, the Note is powered by a MediaTek MT6592 octa-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz. A 2GB RAM, Mali-450MP4 and comes with a 8GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. The phone supports 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 and there are host of sensors like Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass. [gallery columns="5" link="file" ids="8142,8143,8144,8145,8146"] Pluck out the rear panel and you find the dual-SIM slots with the microSD slot nested between them. A bright orange colored 3200mAh battery crams up the floor area.

Software & MIUI

This is where the real differentiators of the Xiaomi devices comes from apart. Though the Redmi Note runs on the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and the world has since moved to Kitkat and now to Lollipop, the secret sauce for the Redmi Note is the MIUI and in this case the version 5.o. Yes, there is MIUI 6 already and Hugo Barra has assured that Redmi Note will get Lollipop update with MIUI 6. That is a great news. Even now, the MIUI 5 does all the tricks for the Redmi Note. It is very intuitive to use and the cream of the UI is the wide degree of customization it offers. Almost in every menu, you can stumble upon an interesting find. The MIUI does a good job at hiding or even forgetting the fact that it runs on Jelly Bean. In case you are new to MIUI you will be surprised to see the UI different in many ways than the stock Android and most likely the first one you will notice is the drawerless home screens similar to iOS. It means all your apps sits on the home screen. There is lots to talk about MIUI but I will pick out some of the most prominent ones. Themes are a highlight of MIUI and the community generated themes are well integrated with the phone and completely transforms it. There are thousands of themes you can browse neatly listed and Mi has some India-specific themes too. Check out the Sachin theme and the Diwali theme. Xiaomi has promised more theme surprises for the Indian users. There is also a Lite Mode, which changes the UI with bigger app tiles with super sized icons especially good for visually impaired or elderly people with poor eye sight. Even moving the apps between screens is a breeze. All you need is to tap and hold the app and swipe the screen to the required one. Go to the settings and there are dozens of customization options and you can even change the capacitive buttons to suit your needs from the listed options. The UI is very user friendly, intuitive and easy to go about and surprises now and then when you realize new tricks like tapping the home button right from the lock screen to enable the flash light or double tapping the lock screen to access the music controls right there without unlocking the home screen.

Camera

An affordable, budget phone doesn’t necessarily have to compromise on the camera room. Redmi Note is a standing proof. A 13-megapixel rear camera with 28mm wide-angle lens with LED flash delivers a good result in spite of lacking a built-in Optical Image Stabilization and back-side illumination sensor. Macro shots especially came out very well. The image is rich in details. Surprisingly for all the tricks and options in the general UI, Xiaomi has kept the Camera app simple and clean. Few filters, HDR mode and Panaroma mode is what you get. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMVE8tlVsd0 The HD video recording is full of details and vibrant and crisp. You can also add couple of filters while shooting videos. There is also a fast movement video in case you need. A time lapse video option would have been nice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJtwFz5kezE

Performance

Redmi Note is a smooth operator. The MT6592 packs 8 Cortex A7 cores which can run simultaneously for the most demanding tasks like gaming or use just one core for lightweight tasks. In real world usage on Redmi Note it does work like a charm at ease. There is no trace of sluggishness I noticed even while playing heavy resource hungry games. The call quality is good with crisp and clear sound. The 5.5 inch vivid display is ideal for gaming and movie experience. The removable 3200mAh battery is yet another strong point of this phone, it easily sailed through more than a day. There are also power settings that let you configure performance to maximise your battery life. These days I have noted increasing number of people asking if the particular phone heats up. The answer for Redmi Note is it doesn’t. Even the usual heat ring around the camera area that emanates while playing intensive games is not very noticeable on Note unlike many other device that churn a heat zone. Also a Quadrant benchmark tests results around 16,500 and AnTuTu score of 32350 puts the Redmi Note in good pedigree.

Final word

In short, a standout UI, good battery life and most importantly the Redmi Note doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket and still delivers a near flagship performance at a fraction of the cost. If I have to really pull out a negative rant, it would be the slightly bulky body the Redmi Note comes with if you are used to the chiseled, svelte look many phones flaunts these days. On the other hand, Redmi Note is a performer that is worth all the bucks and easily the interesting phone in this price point this year. Then there is also a 4G variant with a different SoC, we will review it shortly.]]>