Xiaomi Note 4 Review: Stunning specs at just Rs 12,999

New Delhi: Riding on the success of its flagship device Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 that offered high-end specifications, the Chinese electronics major has launched Redmi Note 4 -- its first device this year.

Bullish over its over $1 billion India revenue last year, Xiaomi is set to launch some eye-popping devices this year and the Note 4 is just the beginning.

Let us see what works for the Rs 12,999 Note 4 (4GB RAM and 64GB on-board memory).

Similar to its predecessor, Note 4 has an all-metal body. The premium-looking device fits well in the hands with slim borders and 2.5D curved-edge glass on front.

The device has a hybrid SIM tray on the left bumper and volume toggles and power button on the right. The speaker grills have been moved below (Note 3 had those in the back).

The 5.5-inch device with full-HD IPS display returned sharp text, images and videos. There was no eye strain while watching movies (with highest brightness) for a longer period of time.

Xiaomi Note 4 is powered by the 2Ghz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor that makes gaming (Asphalt 8) and multitasking a charm.

At the back panel (with fine antenna bands running across top and bottom), a centrally-aligned, 13MP camera is placed above the fingerprint scanner and a dual-tone LED flash is sandwiched between them.

The photos taken by the rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and PDAF (phase detection autofocus) in bright-light conditions were impressive. The 5MP selfie camera also worked just fine.

Note 4 has a non-removable, 4,100mAh battery -- bigger than Redmi Note 3`s 4,050mAh. The battery charge went 0-100 in an hour.

Average daily use (light surfing and chatting) gave us a 20-hour back-up on a full charge.

Note 4 runs on MIUI 8 that is based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The "Gallery" app automatically syncs stored photos on the device with Mi Cloud. Users can turn off the sync if they don`t want the photos to be synched.

Like some of the previous devices, Note 4 offers "Dual Apps" and "Second Space". While "Dual Apps" feature allows users to create a second copy of an app, "Second Space" lets people separate business and personal data on the same device.

The performance, however, could vary for different variants (2GB RAM + 32GB storage variant comes for Rs 9,999 and 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage device is for Rs 10,999).

What doesn`t work?

The camera is still the problem when it comes to low-light conditions as photos get too grainy. Also, the focus is slow when clicking a photo in low-light conditions.

Conclusion: Overall, the Redmi Note 4 is a good deal, especially at a time when no other device in the same bracket has been launched till date this year. Try to spend a little more to buy the Rs 12,999 Note 4 (4GB RAM and 64GB on-board memory).