Introduction
After getting to know Xiaomi's Redmi Note 4 with Helio X20, it's time to meet the Snapdragon 625 edition. It promises better battery efficiency and thermal control thanks to a more advanced manufacturing process. But these improvements may have cost the Note 4 some of its performance punch, and we will duly explore this possibility.
The Helio-powered Redmi Note 4 we met earlier earned nothing but high praise from us. It offered high-quality design, blazing-fast performance, and great battery life. Xiaomi has been known to use different chips for different markets and the Note 4 is no exception. Today, we are getting to know the Snapdragon edition of the Redmi Note 4, which has been released in India not long ago.
The Redmi Note 4 with Snapdragon 625 gets to keep the same all-metal exterior with the fancy 2.5D edges on the front glass. The 5.5" 1080p screen is here to stay, as is the 13MP main camera with phase-detect autofocus. The battery is one of the highlights of the Redmi series, and the Note 4 has its whopping 4,100 mAh capacity untouched.
Key Features
- Body: Aluminum unibody design, 2.5D front glass
- Screen: 5.5" IPS display of 1080p resolution; 401ppi
- Chipset: Snapdragon 625 with octa-core 2.0GHz Cortex-A53 processor; Adreno 506 GPU
- OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow with MIUI 8 (Global 8.2.7.0)
- RAM: 2, 3 or 4 GB
- Memory: 32 or 64 GB storage; microSD support, hybrid slot shared with 2nd SIM
- Camera: 13 megapixel rear camera, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, dual-LED dual-tone flash; 1080p @ 30fps video, 720p @ 120fps
- Selfies: 5 megapixel front camera, f/2.0 aperture; 1080p @ 30fps video
- Connectivity: Dual SIM, LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, IR, microUSB, FM radio
- Misc: Fingerprint sensor
- Battery: 4,100mAh battery
Main shortcomings
- Launches with Android Marshmallow, which is not the most recent version
- Non-removable battery
- Hybrid DualSIM/microSD slot limits options
- No Quick charge 2.0/3.0 support, just 5V/2A charging
We've been here quite a few times with mid-range Xiaomi phones and none of these omissions come as a surprise. The sealed battery has been an essential part of the Mi and Redmi series since their third generation, while the hybrid SIM slot is a middle-of-the-road solution that still works for the majority of users.
The lack of fast charging is what could be a deal breaker for some, as this large battery does take a while to recharge. But more on that later. For now, let's just focus on the familiar exterior, and see if anything has changed since last October's Helio X20-featuring Redmi Note 4.
Special thanks to HonorBuy for providing the review unit.
Retail package
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 comes in a relatively small retail box which contains the phone itself, a microUSB cable, and a 2A charger plug. That's all.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4's retail box and contents
Redmi Note 4 360-degree view
While the Snapdragon-powered Redmi Note 4 may look like the Helio version, and even measures the same at 151 x 76 x 8.5 mm, it is 10g lighter at 165g.
When Xiaomi replaced the Redmi Note 3 with the Helio version of the Note 4, they claimed the added weight was actually due to their pursuit of better sturdiness. Now that the Snapdragon versions has 10g lower weight, we wonder whether that might signal changes in build quality.
Design
Xiaomi did a good job with the Redmi Note 4 Helio's design and succeeded in making the elegant metal chassis more premium than the Note 3. It was a substantial improvement, with an all-metal rear cover, diamond-cut antenna strips and sides, and a luxurious polished shell.
All of this is gone now.
For whatever reason, Xiaomi went with the old Redmi Note 3's build and design, leaving us feeling cheated. Visually, the Snapdragon edition can only be described as a downgrade compared to the Helio edition.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 with Snapdragon 625
In spite of Xiaomi's decision to change the build, the Redmi Note 4 with Snapdragon is still one of the better mid-rangers out there and we can still acknowledge it for its overall nice design. Though the plastic strips and uneven paintjob make a comeback, the metal on the back is as good as it can get with grippy chamfers and stylish bevels.
The Redmi Note 4's front is covered by a 2.5D glass, but the effect is almost invisible and the promo materials may fool a few users in bevel size.
Handling the phone is an enjoyable experience, there is a secure enough grip, and we could easily recommend the Note 4 to a friend for its design even though Xiaomi was not at its best game on this occasion. The Note 4 is a Xiaomi all right, but its design is just not as premium as its Helio version.
Handling the Redmi Note 4
Device overview
The earpiece and the selfie camera are above the screen as usual. A couple of sensors and a tiny notification LED light are also around, but the latter is fairly dim.
The familiar capacitive trio is below the screen, enhanced by a subtle white backlight upon touch.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 • the earpiece above the screen • the control keys
The hybrid SIM slot is on the left, with support for either a duo of SIM cards (micro+nano), or a microSIM and a microSD combo.
The volume keys and the power button are on the right.
The left side • the hybrid slot • the right side • the hardware keys
The audio jack is at the top of the Redmi Note 4, and it is not alone there. There is also an IR blaster for remote controlling your home appliances, and there is a secondary mic for in-call noise cancellation and stereo audio capturing.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is still in the microUSB era with its charging port at the bottom. Two fancy grilles flank the USB hole - one for the primary mic and another one for the loudspeaker.
The top side • the IR blaster and the audio jack • the bottom • the grilles are a nice touch
On the back are a 13MP camera lens and a dual-tone LED flash. The always-on fingerprint sensor is also on the back, and it does a great job with accuracy and recognition speed.
The back of the Redmi Note 4
Display
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 has a 5.5" IPS LCD screen of 1080p resolution (401ppi) with no color shifting at an angle. The company promises 1000:1 contrast ratio and 72 coverage of NTSC color spectrum.
The Snapdragon-powered unit of Redmi Note 4 exceeds the display scores of both Redmi Note 3 and Redmi Note 4 with Helio X20. It has improved black levels and higher maximum brightness of 484 nits. These new tweaks have led to an excellent contrast ratio of 1503:1.
There's an Increased contrast mode, but that only changes the dynamic contrast on a per-image basis. It makes the photos look punchier and doesn't affect color accuracy.
Automatic brightness is available, but it doesn't boost the screen - 484nits is the highest you get.
When you drag the brightness slider all the way down, the Redmi Note 4 screen drops to just 2 nits. This is great for using the phone comfortably in the dark, and you can enable the Reading mode to reduce the amount of blue light in the evening. This mode can be set to trigger automatically for select apps - say, Amazon Kindle or other apps that involve a lot of screen time.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.52 | 536 | 1016 | |
| 0.492 | 467 | 953 | |
| 0.42 | 403 | 953 | |
| 0.38 | 439 | 1158 | |
| 0.322 | 484 | 1503 | |
| 0.475 | 528 | 1112 | |
| 0.43 | 518 | 1205 | |
| 0.44 | 441 | 998 | |
| 0.3 | 425 | 1417 | |
| 0.51 | 660 | 1294 | |
| 0.44 | 637 | 1448 | |
| 0.614 | 463 | 754 | |
| 0.52 | 425 | 816 | |
| 0.52 | 459 | 883 | |
| 0.46 | 449 | 976 | |
| 0.426 | 407 | 955 | |
Sunlight legibility is okay on the Redmi Note 4 Snapdragon Edition, and surprisingly much better than the Helio X20 model. It suffers from washed-out colors in the sun, but other than that you will be able to see what's happening on the screen quite well.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - HTC One A9
4.274 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Meizu Pro 6 Plus
3.935 - Lenovo Moto Z
3.931 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3.804 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Sony Xperia X Compact
3.694 - Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
3.688 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Huawei Mate 9
3.68 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - nubia Z11
3.466 - HTC U Ultra
3.453 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Huawei P10
3.379 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Lenovo P2
3.316 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Huawei Mate 9 Pro
3.206 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - HTC One S
2.901 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Lenovo Moto M
2.813 - Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
2.714 - Meizu M5
2.71 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.582 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
2.582 - Meizu M5s
2.58 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c
2.506 - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503 - Oppo F1s
2.481 - Motorola Moto G
2.477 - Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473 - Huawei G8
2.471 - Huawei nova
2.467 - Sony Xperia Z
2.462 - Lenovo Vibe K5
2.459 - Meizu m3 max
2.447 - HTC 10 evo
2.407 - Huawei Honor 7
2.406 - Sony Xperia E5
2.386 - ZUK Z1 by Lenovo
2.382 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
2.378 - HTC 10
2.378 - vivo V5 Plus
2.371 - Meizu m1 note
2.362 - Huawei nova plus
2.329 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Xiaomi Mi Note
2.234 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - Huawei P8
2.196 - Meizu M5 Note
2.189 - Huawei Honor 6
2.169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158 - LG Aka
2.145 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20)
2.145 - Archos 50 Diamond
2.134 - Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119 - Acer Liquid X2
2.084 - Huawei P8lite
2.078 - vivo V5
2.059 - Moto G 3rd gen max manual
2.026 - Xiaomi Mi Max
1.996 - Sony Xperia E4g
1.972 - OnePlus One
1.961 - Meizu m3 note
1.923 - BlackBerry Leap
1.892 - Meizu m2 note
1.892 - ZTE Nubia Z9 mini
1.759 - Sony Xperia U
1.758 - Asus Zenfone Selfie
1.68 - Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)
1.675 - ZTE Nubia Z9
1.659 - Jolla Jolla
1.605 - Motorola Moto E
1.545 - Sony Xperia M
1.473 - Sony Xperia L
1.351 - HTC Desire C
1.3 - Sony Xperia C
1.283 - Meizu MX
1.221 - Sony Xperia E
1.215
The colors themselves are fairly accurate by default with an average deltaE of 5.2 and a maximum of 9.8. The the whites and grays have a bluish tint, but other than that, the default Auto mode offers a good color presentation.
We tried setting the white balance slider and found that the Standard screen mode is the most accurate. The average deltaE drops to a very good 3.6 and the maximum to 6.8. This mode introduces a slight yellow tint, though, and shifts the white point towards warmer tones.
Battery life
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 has a 4,100mAh battery, the same as the Helio model, but the energy efficient Snapdragon 625 should help it achieve a better battery endurance. The Note 4 supports regular 5V/2A charging, which restores 25% of the battery in 30 minutes of charging, 95% in 2 hours, and 100% in 3h.
Indeed, the Snapdragon 625 chip lived up to our expectations. Combined with the large battery, the Redmi Note 4 easily scored one of the best results in our battery test with a 119-hour Endurance rating. It did a fabulous job in all tested scenarios - video, calls, web browsing and even stand-by performance.
The rating of 119 hours means you can rely on the Redmi Note 4 to last that long if you do an hour of 3G calls, web browsing, and video playback each day.
Our endurance rating denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Redmi Note 4 for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritty. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Connectivity
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 can be a dual-SIM phone if you'd like it to be - it really depends on whether you need extra storage.
If you do have two SIMs, a toggle in the settings selects which card will provide data over LTE. VoLTE is supported, soon it will replace 2G voice in busy city centers as it supports many more calls per cell.
Locally, you get fast Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac on 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Wi-Fi screen sharing is available too, also Bluetooth 4.1, but no NFC.
The IR blaster gives the Redmi Note 4 control over your equipment at home - including things like cameras (some DSLRs have IR remotes), fans (Xiaomi makes a smart fan, believe it or not) and others.
Finally, the Redmi Note 4 comes with FM radio, but it lacks RDS support.
MIUI 8 on top of a Marshmallow base
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 comes with Android Marshmallow and MIUI 8.0. MIUI is one of the most comprehensive customizations of Android to date.
While there are already plenty of phones running on Android Nougat, Xiaomi has been known to take its time with the major Android updates. So, Nougat will eventually come to most of the MIUI phones out there, but it will take a while.
MIUI 8 is a familiar launcher already with lots of new features and UI tweaks. Its looks are just a minor part of the way MIUI is different from stock Android, though.
MIUI 8
The highlights of the MIUI 8 features are Dual Apps and dual spaces. Dual Apps means you can have two instances of the same app on your device. This allows you to do things like have two WhatsApp accounts on the same phone, one for each SIM.
Dual apps settings • Dual apps - the second instance is market with a special icon
Dual spaces lets you have two different workspaces on your device, each with its own set of apps, customizations, and image gallery, and you can enter a custom passcode or a different fingerprint to enter either space.
Space 1 • Space 1 • Space 2 • Space 2
The lockscreen is fairly standard (time, notifications, a couple of shortcuts), but once you set up the fingerprint reader, you'll rarely see it anyway. Still, the Wallpaper Carousel can put beautiful images on the lockscreen every 15 minutes.
The always-on fingerprint sensor is accurate and can take the phone from sleep to the homescreen pretty quickly (the lockscreen is bypassed). It's as fast as some of the latest flagship implementations, which is quite a treat.
The lockscreen
MIUI has a simple philosophy - every shortcut, plus widgets of your choosing, are dropped on the homescreen. You get a docked menu for the most commonly used apps, of course. The homescreen also supports a wallpaper carousel, so you can enjoy different beautiful wallpapers all the time.
The Homescreen
The notification drawer has a consolidated list of quick toggles, notifications, and a weather panel at the top that changes color and animation according to the weather.
The notification drawer
The app switcher feels like it came out of iOS - apps are either represented by their icons, in a single horizontal row, or by appropriate thumbnails in the same manner.
The Task Switcher
Themes are fully supported, and several are available out of the box. You can download more and change your wallpapers, lockscreen style, system icons, font, and sounds.
Theme store • new themes
Finally, if you have difficulties controlling MIUI 8 on the Note 4's 5.5" big screen, you may want to turn on the Quick Ball UI helper. It can store up to 5 shortcuts and you can put pretty much anything here - from Android actions to app shortcuts. The Ball can also hide automatically on chosen apps, and move aside when you are running a fullscreen app.
Quick Ball
Performance
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4's hardware is market-dependent - you can either get it with MediaTek Helio X20 or Qualcomm's Snapdragon 625 chipset. We already reviewed the Helio model and we acknowledged its great performance and battery life.
Today we are turning our attention towards the Snapdragon version, which will probably make it to more markets than the Helio X20 variant. Unfortunately, Snapdragon 625 is not as powerful - it has an octa-core Cortex-A53 processor clocked at 2.0GHz and Adreno 506 GPU. So far, so good. But it lacks the Helio X20's powerful A72 cores, which made Android operations buttery smooth.
The Note 4 may come with 2, 3, or even 4 gigabytes of RAM, depending on which storage option you get. We'd strongly suggest a model with at least 3GB of RAM if you will be relying heavily on Dual Spaces.
Let's look at the processor performance starting with a single core. The Redmi Note 4 (S625) has one of the most powerful Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.0GHz and it will do great for system tasks. However, it is a no match for the A72 processor within the Helio X20 version, or the one inside the Snapdragon 650-powered Redmi Note 3.
GeekBench 4 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Pro
1551 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
1546 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
832 - Lenovo Moto M
771 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
764 - Meizu M5 Note
683 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
669 - Lenovo K6 Note
635
GeekBench 3 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
1596 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
1543 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
924 - Lenovo Moto M
841 - Meizu M5 Note
798 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
745 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
722 - Lenovo K6 Note
672
Moving on to the multi-core performance the things do get better. The deca-core Helio X20 squashes the competition with the huge help of its A72 cores, but the Snapdragon 625-powered Redmi Note 4 handled Geekbench pretty well, too.
GeekBench 4 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
4456 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3958 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3885 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
3011 - Lenovo Moto M
2921 - Meizu M5 Note
2690 - Lenovo K6 Note
2027 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
1822
GeekBench 3 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
5166 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
4617 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
4537 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
4140 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
3695 - Lenovo Moto M
3300 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
3085 - Lenovo K6 Note
3044 - Meizu M5 Note
2802
The Adreno 506 GPU is perfectly capable to handle 1080p resolution. The Helio-powered model has a Mali-T880MP4 GPU, which is a solid midrange performer.
The GPU tests confirmed that while the Adreno 506 GPU in our Redmi Note 4 does well, the Mali unit inside the Helio model easily outperforms it though you probably won't be able to spot a sizeable difference in real life use.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Pro
9.5 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
9.4 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
9 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
9 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
6.2 - Lenovo Moto M
5.2 - Lenovo K6 Note
4.4 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
4.4 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
3.9 - Meizu M5 Note
3.6 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.2
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
5.5 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
5.4 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
5.4 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
5.2 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
3.4 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.8 - Lenovo Moto M
2.7 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.4 - Meizu M5 Note
1.9
Basemark X
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
14717 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
13666 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
12190 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
10446 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
8540 - Lenovo K6 Note
7480 - Lenovo Moto M
6732 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
6380 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
5383 - Meizu M5 Note
5276
We have already established that the Helio X20 is the better chipset. Compound benchmarks such as AnTuTu and BaseMark can help us describe the actual performance gap. Indeed, the Helio model came on top of the competition, but our Snapdragon version is on par with competing phones and demonstrates adequate performance for the class.
AnTuTu 6
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
85162 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
77442 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
76186 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
61616 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
61020 - Lenovo Moto M
51831 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
49094 - Meizu M5 Note
47806 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
45474 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
45190 - Lenovo K6 Note
44972
Basemark OS 2.0
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
1728 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
1696 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
1426 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
1417 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
1050 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
1018 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
1007 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
799 - Lenovo K6 Note
288
Here is the thing - while the Redmi Note 4 with Helio X20 is better, its availability is rather scarce and you may end up with a Chinese model cram-full with bloatware. If you are not a dedicated mobile gamer, there should be no difference for you which model you'll get. And if you are, you should be jumping to a higher tier anyway.
The Snapdragon model is intended for international markets and it does a very good job at delivering mid-range performance, while scoring an excellent mark for thermal control and battery efficiency courtesy of its 14nm manufacturing process.
Telephony
The dialer and the phonebook share a single app, but two shortcuts bring you straight to the tab you need. The app has a pleasant flat look which feels somewhat fresh. It uses a tabbed interface - recents and dialer on the first and the contact list on the second.
Call recording is available - the files can be saved either on your device or on your MiCloud.
The Phonebook
The dialer may look rather familiar, but it's quite capable. Unfortunately, most of the new smart features are only available in a few markets such as China and India.
It can automatically recognize business numbers, as well as scan contacts thanks to the Xiaomi's Caller ID database. You can also search in both Hindi and English from the T9 numpad, which is helpful. And if you live in those countries, you can use the integrated Yellow Pages option.
The Dialer
The Snapdragon edition of Redmi Note 4 scored Very Good in our speaker loudness test, up from the Good mark achieved by the Helio-powered Note 4. Its sound is rich and crisp, with good bass and high notes.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 62.0 | 62.1 | 66.6 | Below Average | |
| 63.1 | 67.3 | 71.3 | Average | |
| 66.5 | 64.6 | 71.7 | Average | |
| 66.1 | 66.0 | 76.0 | Good | |
| 64.2 | 67.2 | 76.9 | Good | |
| 66.5 | 66.6 | 75.8 | Good | |
| 64.5 | 72.9 | 72.0 | Good | |
| 67.3 | 70.3 | 81.5 | Very Good | |
| 64.2 | 70.0 | 84.9 | Very Good | |
| 65.1 | 70.7 | 86.8 | Very Good | |
| 72.8 | 71.3 | 81.9 | Very Good | |
| 75.7 | 73.5 | 79.5 | Excellent |
Other apps
The Redmi Note 4 offers an excellent file managing app called Explorer, which lets you browse the files in its internal storage and groups them by type.
Explorer
The MIUI v8 also offers a Security app. It can scan your phone for malware, manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the permissions of your installed apps.
The Security app also allows you to define the battery behavior of selected apps and applies restrictions only to the apps you choose.
Security app • Cleaner • Battery management • Managing a single app • Battery Saver
The Mi Remote uses the IR blaster to control anything from TVs (including the Mi TV, of course) to digital cameras. The setup process is relatively straightforward, and a handy option shares the remotes you've set up with others on the same Wi-Fi network. You'd have to go through the setup only once per home, assuming everybody else uses a Xiaomi phone as well.
MiRemote app
The custom and now flat Calendar looks good, syncs with your accounts including Google, and offers Day and Month views.
Calendar
There is also the standard sound recorder, flashlight, clock, and weather apps, among others, that are offered with any self-respecting Android package nowadays.
Voice recorder • Alarms • Clock • Weather
We liked the Compass app. It has clean interface, shows the magnetic directions and doubles as a level meter. If you lift the phone up, then you'll get a nice augmented reality view with real-time East/West/North/South overlay.
Compass • level • VR directions
The Calculator app has been updated - it now supports advanced calculations and conversions.
Finally, there is a brand-new Notes app. It has been given new templates, a new look, and support for checklists.
Notes • Notes • Calculator • Conversions Menu • Conversions
Gallery
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 comes with a custom Gallery app that shows the camera row by default, but the second tab includes all images and videos on the phone. You can set up a photo backup with your Mi Cloud account.
The Gallery app remains unchanged
The integrated editor offers various effects, filters, and enhancements, plus fun stuff like stickers and doodling.
Editing an image
Music player
The music player is like a MIUI version of Google Play Music. It can stream music online with added features like music videos and radio stations. It can also recognize songs, thanks to ACRCloud.
Naturally, it plays locally stored music just fine too. It should be noted that the player doesn't miss an opportunity to advertise things you may like. Before you decide to switch to a different player, you should know this one is fairly capable.
The music player cares about streaming as much as your offline library
It supports DLNA, can show lyrics and search for similar songs. The player lacks an equalizer but comes with presets for multiple headsets - from general in-ear plugs to specific Xiaomi-made models.
FM radio
The FM radio requires a headset to be connected and can play sound either through it or through the loudspeaker. The app can record audio and there's a sleep timer.
FM Radio
Video player
Videos are launched from the gallery. There's no subtitle support here, but DLNA is on board.
The simple video player
A surprisingly powerful video editor hides here - it can trim videos and add filters, text labels, or even a soundtrack (from a predefined library of tracks or your music library).
The advanced video editor
Audio output is excellently clean, not very loud
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 aced the active external amplifier part of our test. The smartphone posted perfect scores for clarity, and its volume was well above average.
Unfortunately loudness dropped to below average when headphones came into play. The good news is that was the only damage that applying resistance to the line-out caused with the clarity readings remained just as good. Stereo crosstalk did increase, but it’s not nearly as pronounced as with most of the Redmi Note 4 peers.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.05, -0.04 | -90.6 | 91.9 | 0.0018 | 0.0086 | -91.6 | |
| +0.05, -0.03 | -96.3 | 90.5 | 0.0047 | 0.023 | -68.2 | |
| +0.02, -0.12 | -91.8 | 92.9 | 0.0055 | 0.0097 | -89.8 | |
| +0.38, -0.10 | -91.3 | 92.3 | 0.0073 | 0.256 | -55.1 | |
| +0.04, -0.02 | -93.0 | 93.1 | 0.0018 | 0.0085 | -93.8 | |
| +0.05, -0.02 | -92.7 | 92.8 | 0.0023 | 0.054 | -52.4 | |
| +0.10, -0.03 | -94.2 | 94.0 | 0.0019 | 0.0064 | -89.3 | |
| +0.30, -0.07 | -92.5 | 93.0 | 0.810 | 0.271 | -31.3 | |
| +0.03, -0.30 | -86.6 | 83.6 | 0.0017 | 0.049 | -91.1 | |
| +0.06, -0.03 | -92.4 | 92.4 | 0.0018 | 0.021 | -88.2 |
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Camera
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 has a 13MP main camera with an f/2.0 aperture, which seems like a downgrade from the 16MP, f/2.0 camera of the Redmi Note 3. Both models have phase detection autofocus and dual-LED, dual-tone flash and top out at 1080p video.
The selfie camera has a 5MP sensor and f/2.0 aperture, and now the top video resolution it supports is 1080p (the Helio model supported up to 720p).
The camera interface is clean and easy to use. It offers a live color effect preview, scenes and a mode that automatically levels photos (by cropping them - keep the camera as straight as you can to get the highest resolution).
MIUI camera interface: Viewfinder • Shooting modes • Color effects • Settings
When Beautify mode is on, you can have the phone guess your age and gender (this can be flattering or it could be the first feature you turn off - it tends to guess high).
There's a Manual mode that only gives you control over ISO and White balance, you can't change shutter speed or control focus manually.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 photos come out soft - there's detail in there, but some of it is destroyed by noise. The dynamic range is fine, the foliage presentation is even better, while the colors are accurate and sometimes pleasantly saturated.
The closeup shots are great, but if you are shooting buildings or landscapes don't expect much - the resolved detail is modest at best and the high noise levels become an issue even for the downscaled images intended for social networks.
Unlike some previous Redmi models, we didn't have any focus issues with the Redmi Note 4 with Snapdragon. Its phase-detection autofocus hit the right target every single time.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 13MP camera samples
We tested out the HDR mode and found it too conservative. It boosts the contrast of dark areas of the photo, which makes some parts brighter but also some parts are pushed to pure black. The HDR mode doesn't do much for highlights, either. If anything, it causes more blowout.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 photos: Normal • Normal • HDR
The low-light samples are nothing special, but the Night mode may surprise you. It reduces the noise to a very tolerable levels and you may want to turn it on when shooting in the dark.
Low-light sample: Regular • Night mode
The Panorama mode failed to impress. The resolution is good (images are ~1,800px tall) and stitching shows no major issues, but the panorama itself is too soft.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 panorama
The selfie camera is fine - it captures enough detail in its 5MP resolution and has good color rendering. There is a good amount of noise present in the selfies, too, and if you try snapping photos in low-light, well, good luck with that.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 selfies
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625) vs. Redmi Note 4 (X20) vs Redmi Note 3 (S650) in our photo compare tool
Video camera
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 shoots 1080p video at 30fps and can do 120fps slow-motion videos at 720p. The interface is a bit wonky here - the slow motion mode isn't available until you manually switch to 720p resolution.
Anyway, the 1080p videos are shot at the standard 20Mbps total bitrate, and the audio is captured at 96Kbps/48kHz.
The videos offer more detail and less noise than the still images, but they lack in dynamic range and contrast. Sound quality is okay at best, with minor compression artifacts (sorry for the windy weather), and the stereo separation isn't as good as we would have liked.
Here is a short 10s, 24MB clip from the Redmi Note 4 camera for direct download.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625) vs. Redmi Note 4 (X20) vs Redmi Note 3 (S650) in our video compare tool
Final words
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, when judged as a stand-alone device, is an excellent smartphone. It probably has more bang for your buck than most of its competitors, making the Note 4 a worthy purchase.
The Redmi Note 4's Snapdragon 625, which we consider to be the ultimate mid-range chipset for this generation, provides excellent performance with great power efficiency and thermal properties. The battery life of this phone is jaw-dropping, the MIUI experience is smooth, and the camera does well in all occasions. All these goodies come in a sturdy metal body, which adds to the already great value of the Redmi Note 4.
But the Redmi Note 4 with Snapdragon is not alone in its series. It is a sequel to the Redmi Note 3 Snapdragon 650 edition, which may have been plagued with modem issues, but exceeded all expectations for performance and squashed the competition. There is also the Redmi Note 4 with Helio X20, which has a more premium all-metal design and faster all-round performance. And our guest of honor is no match for the high bar set by its predecessors.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 key test findings
- Good build quality, but the plastic antenna strips, which don't even match the base color, diminish the premium punch from the metal back.
- Fairly bright screen with very good color accuracy and sunlight contrast.
- Fast, always-on fingerprint reader.
- MIUI 8.0 is built on Android 6.0 Lollipop and runs fast; theming and options for notification area, app switcher, etc. make it easy to find the look you want.
- The Snapdragon 625 chipset offers adequate performance in this price class; it's no match for the Helio X20 in performance but its power efficieny is much better.
- Loudspeaker gets a Very Good score, in loudness and audio output.
- Audio quality is excellently clear; decent loudness with an external amplifier, but below average with headphones plugged in.
- 13MP camera shoots fine photos, with average detail, but good dynamic range, contrast, and colors.
- 1080p videos came with average detail and dynamic range, poor sound, but great contrast and colors.
Our first suggestion would be the Helio-powered Redmi Note 4. It's the better-looking part of the duo, and offers double the processing and graphical performance. If you have the option to choose between the models, get this one. You'll lose a few hours of battery endurance, but the earned benefits outweigh those by a lot.
There is also the older Redmi Note 3 with Snapdragon 650. It has the same plastic-metal concoction for a design, but offers better performance and impressive battery life, too. Oh, and it's probably cheaper now.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (MediaTek) • Xiaomi Redmi Note 3
Meizu's M5 Note has a much better all-metal design, great battery life and very capable camera. It lacks in performance, but makes up for that with its buttery-smooth Flyme experience and clean interface filled with various tweaks and gestures.
Meizu M5 Note
Lenovo's K6 Note and Moto G4 are a great pair of 5.5" devices by a popular manufacturer with strong after-market support. They may be not as powerful, but they are available globally.
Lenovo K6 Note • Motorola Moto G4
The Lenovo P2 is powered by the Redmi Note 4's Snapdragon 625 chipset, but may tempt you with its 5.5" Super AMOLED screen. Its key feature is actually the large 5,100 mAh battery, which combined with the Snapdragon 625 chipset, secured it the record-breaking 149h Endurance rating in our battery life chart.
Lenovo P2
The Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime is a good alternative for the Redmi Note 4. It can't offer the same performance or the huge battery capacity, but it does better with design and selfies. It comes with a TouchWiz, too, which may tip the scales.
Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime
We nicknamed the vivo V5 Plus 'the bokeh king' and it's a selfie photography ace. It has a modern design with an all-metal body and subtle antenna bands, and the same Snapdragon 625 chip with 4GB of RAM. But, its high price might keep it it from achieving greatness.
vivo V5 Plus
There is nothing really wrong with the Redmi Note 4 Snapdragon edition. It's a very capable smartphone, with good design, superb battery life, leading mid-range chipset, and an effective camera. MIUI's popularity is growing, as is its functionality. We should have liked the Note 4 right away, but the existence of the faster and all-metal Helio model is standing in the way of our warm recommendation. Though if you reside in one of the official Xiaomi markets, your choice might be limited by the Note model Xiaomi has decided to offer there. In this case, the Redmi Note 4 is certainly worth a look.
Special thanks to HonorBuy for providing the review unit.
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