[REVIEW] Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 : The Snapdragon Beast

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 32GB: Detailed Review

The all-new Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 SoC is almost a game-changer in terms of what one can expect from a smartphone priced at Rs. 11,999. It is a game-changer in terms of pure performance and battery-life, two key aspects of a smartphone that almost makes or breaks it for users in this price segment. After a relatively quiet period, Xiaomi has come back into the affordable smartphone segment with an impressive device that not only outperforms all smartphones in its segment, but also edges past some of the flagship Android smartphones. We have reviewed the 3GB/32GB variant of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, and there’s also a cheaper variant with 2GB/16GB configuration priced at Rs. 9,999.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 specifications:

 
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 with hexa-core processor (2x1.8 GHz A72 + 4x1.4 GHz A53)
GPU: Adreno 510 GPU
RAM: 3GB LPDDR3
Storage: 32GB with microSD card slot for expansion via the SIM 2/Hybrid slot
Screen size and Resolution: 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display
Network Support: 4G LTE support, LTE support for Band 3,5,40 and 41 in India.
Dimensions: 150 x 76 x 8.65mm
Weight: 164g
Battery: 4050mAh
Fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera: 16MP, f/2.0 with phase detect AF and dual tone led flash
Front Camera: 5MP, f2.0 front camera
IR Blaster
Android Lollipop 5.1.1 running on MiUI 7

Performance under the Hood

The newly-launched Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is all about performance, and most of it comes from the Snapdragon 650 SoC.  Such high performance usually comes at the cost of some sort of a trade-off in battery life or thermal management capability. But, in case of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, you can have it all (more on this later). Benchmark numbers aside, we decided to tax the smartphone with some of our own back-to-back tests that are known to bring most smartphones down on their knees. We started with recording a 5-min UHD (2160p) video clip, something that isn’t supported by the default camera app on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, but we bypassed the limitation via the Google camera app that records videos in UHD on this smartphone. The UHD video capture test was immediately followed by a 30-minute gaming session (Asphalt 8 + Modern Combat 5), and we ended the test with a quick re-run of the AnTuTu benchmark. Across all the three tests, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 showed no signs of stuttering or excessive heating. Apart from the benchmark numbers, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 offers truly excellent performance in real-world scenarios, and it does that without any compromises like heating issues or rapid battery drain. Talking about heating issues, unlike the Xiaomi Mi 4i, the Redmi Note 3 doesn’t get excessively warm or uncomfortable when put under stress. 

Battery : The fuel to power the Beast

Xiaomi’s “recipe” behind the Redmi Note 3 has a lot to do with the battery inside the device. The 4050mAh battery inside the device is big in capacity, but small in volume. Xiaomi has achieved this by packing a 690Wh/L high density battery inside the Redmi Note 3. In terms of real world usage, on a full charge, we were easily able to get through a full day of heavy usage with 15% of battery life left at the end of the day. For average usage patterns, you can expect two days of battery life from the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3. The graphs below show how the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 compares to other devices in the battery life department. As far as charging is concerned, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 goes from 5% to 100% in little over 2 hours of charging time with the supplied charger.

Camera : 

The Note 3 Pro comes with an improved 16 MP, f/2.0 rear camera with phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash and is capable of recording videos at 1080p@30fps. It retains the typical 5MP, f/2.0 front-facing camera.

The rear camera takes good pictures outdoors and in well-lit conditions, capturing great detail even when zoomed in. It can also take decent shots even in low-light conditions indoors. Auto-focus and shutter speed are fast. Camera app settings include the usual features for manual, panoramic, beautify, as well as a fish-eye feature. It also has cool filters such as “Mosaic” “Yesterday” and “Sketch”. You can navigate these features by swiping the screen left and right.

When using the front-facing camera, the camera app will detect your face, identify you as male or female, and guess your age. Creepy. Sometimes the camera guesses right or adds a few years to your actual age, depending on how tired you may look. It’s simply discouraging to be taking selfies only to be told by the camera you look older than you are. Best to disable this feature.

Design : Looks and feels Premium

The Redmi Note 3 represents a drastic change in design language for Xiaomi. No more less than premium plastic – the new phone now sports an all new brushed aluminum metal body that’s available in gold, silver and grey colors. It’s a great upgrade to the all-plastic Redmi Note 2 which was a literal smudge magnet. Xiaomi has also thrown in a fingerprint scanner on the back that facilitates easier and faster unlocking, similar to the offerings of Xiaomi’s domestic rivals, Huawei and OPPO. 

One thing that did annoy us though was the speaker placement. Unlike the designs of other companies, Xiaomi has placed the speaker grille at the back, which makes it a challenge to hear the phone when it’s ringing when it’s laying flat on the table, screen up.

The layout of the phone is more or less the same as its predecessor, with the 3.5mm audio jack on the top, the USB port is on the bottom (and has OTG capability) with the power and volume keys on the right. The dual sim cards are both LTE compatible for both Smart and Globe networks. Surprisingly enough, Redmi took away its expandable micro SD slot which is present in all Redmi series which came before this one, with the Redmi Note 3 falling more in line with the Mi 3i and other devices when it comes to microSD expansion capability.

The Redmi Note 3 sports a 5.5 inch, full HD IPS display that translates to around 403 ppi. Its colors are very vibrant and crisp and it doesn’t have a yellow tinge to the image. The 5-megapixel front facing camera is upgraded to 1080p and is also moved to the right side.

Putting it side by side with the iPhone 6s, it really looks similar on the edges and especially on the feel of the metal casing. This isn’t surprising considering that other Chinese manufacturers take liberal design language inspirations from the Cupertino company.

Bottomline

 
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is a highly recommended smartphone in its price segment, especially if you are looking for a smartphone that offers unparalleled performance and battery-life. The only possible downside to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is its weak low-light camera performance and the fact that it ships with Android Lollipop-based MiUI 7 rather than the expected Marshmallow-based MiUI.
  
Author : Anushk Keshri Rastogi

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[REVIEW] Samsung 750 EVO SSD Review

Samsung decided to bring its low-cost SSD 750 EVO to the U.S. after shipping it for months in Asia. The drive employs planar (2D) three-bit per cell NAND like the 840 EVO, but sees its controller upgraded with low-density parity check (LDPC) error correction technology found on the 850 family. 

Samsung's 840 EVO arrived with great fanfare and generated a lot of excitement, becoming the best-selling SSD of all time. Over time though, a problem emerged. Customers found that older data on the drives would read back much slower than fresh data. Samsung fired back with a pair of firmware upgrades and we haven't heard much of the issue since then. 

Although it was never officially mentioned, we suspect the underlying issue had to do with the 840 EVO's error correction engine. Samsung recently told us that the 840 EVO used BCH ECC technology, similar to many other SSDs with MLC flash. Newer drives with TLC NAND employ a technology called LDPC (low-density parity-check), which is a much stronger form of error correction that uses both hardware and software checks to recover bit errors.

The new SSD 750 EVO uses the 850 EVO's controller equipped with the more advanced LDPC ECC engine. The SSD was introduced in Japan and other Asian markets two months ago. We assumed the 750 EVO was Samsung's way of burning through a stockpile of planar (2D) NAND before transitioning to 48-layer 3D flash. The company recently stated that planar flash still has a future, and will not disappear from its line-up anytime soon. Samsung's 2D NAND is manufactured using 16nm lithography, and we've heard rumors of a 14nm node in development. 

The 750 EVO also crams a 256MB DDR3 memory module in the same package as the MGX controller, which should reduce latency between the processor and its DRAM buffer. This is the first time we've seen the advanced design in a Samsung SSD.
  

Specifications

 

Products	Samsung 750 EVO (250 GB)	Samsung 750 EVO (120 GB)
Form Factor	2.5-inch.	2.5-inch.
Controller	Samsung MGX	Samsung MGX
DRAM Buffer	256 MB DDR3	256 MB DDR3
NAND	Samsung 16nm TLC	Samsung 16nm TLC
Sequential Read	540 MB/s	540 MB/s
Sequential Write	520 MB/s	520 MB/s
Random Read (QD1)	Up to 10,000 IOPS	Up to 10,000 IOPS
Random Read (QD32)	Up to 97,000 IOPS	Up to 94,000 IOPS
Random Write (QD1)	Up to 35,000 IOPS	Up to 35,000 IOPS
Random Write (QD32)	Up to 88,000 IOPS	Up to 88,000 IOPS
Interface/Protocol	SATA 6 GB/s / AHCI	SATA 6 GB/s / AHCI
Encryption	AES 256-bit FDE TCG/Opal v.2.0	AES 256-bit FDE TCG/Opal v.2.0
Endurance	35 TBW	70 TBW
Warranty	3 Years	3 Years

The SSD 750 EVO only ships in two capacities: 120 and 250GB. Armed with a reworked MGX controller, 256MB of DDR3 and TLC flash, it fits in the SSD market's lowest-cost segment. At first we were thrown by the lack of visible DRAM, particularly since Samsung's controller package is similarly sized. Surely, though, the integrated buffer represents a step toward reducing costs. 

Samsung's SSD 750 EVO claims some impressive performance figures. Its sequential read performance peaks at 540 MB/s. Both capacities also peak at 520 MB/s sequential buffered writes. And once again, Samsung manages to squeeze out 10,000 random read IOPS with minimal parallelism. This is attributable to the quad-plane design that doubles the available bandwidth between the controller and flash. 

We're told that the 750 EVO targets system builders, and will allow integrators to add SSDs to low-cost notebooks and desktops. Its performance specifications are similar to the company's retail SSDs, but at much lower endurance levels. To compare, the 120GB 750 EVO is rated for 35 terabytes written. The same capacity 850 EVO sports a 75 TBW specification. The gap increases when you step up to 250GB (70 TBW versus 150 TBW).

You do get support for AES-256 full disk encryption, enabling TCG Opal v.2.0. The drives also work with Microsoft's BitLocker feature.

Pricing, Warranty And Accessories

The MSRP for the 120GB model is $54.99 and the 250GB capacity model is priced at $74.99. We expect to see more prevalent use of the SSDs among the tier-two system builders like Origin PC, CyberPower and AVA Direct. Most of those companies will handle warranty claims directly, but Samsung does back the drive with a three-year warranty capped at the TBW rating. 

The 750 EVO does support Samsung's Magician software. Moreover, this series supports the company's Rapid Mode technology, which utilizes DRAM as a read and write cache. Samsung's Data Migration Tool is compatible as well, though neither software package is included and will need to be downloaded.

According to Samsung, the 750 EVO will ship in a full retail box similar to the 850 EVO and 850 Pro models. At a glance, the 750 EVO looks like a standard 2.5-inch SSD with a slim 7mm z-height. This is the same chassis the company uses on other products like the 850 EVO.  

                   

Inside, we find a very small PCB hosting a handful of components. The images show the 250GB model with flash on both sides of the board. Again, the missing DRAM caught us off guard. Samsung didn't talk about its integration efforts during our call a week ago. But by pulling the DDR3 onto the controller's package, latency between the two components should be reduced. Samsung isn't talking about DRAM clock rates or timings, though. The 120GB model loses the NAND package on the back of the PCB. This is a very low-cost design with low overhead.
 

Comparison Products

 Nearly all of the drives in our comparison charts utilize TLC NAND with write enhancement mechanisms to deliver high burst speeds that are not sustainable for more than a few seconds.

Samsung's SSD 850 EVO is the current mid-range performance leader. Its quad-plane TLC flash breaks the mold and delivers longer sustained write speeds than other TLC-based drives with flash from Toshiba and Micron. The Plextor M6V is a newer model that uses the same approach as the Reactor. It comes equipped with the same SMI SM2246EN controller, but pairs it with Toshiba's 15nm MLC NAND.

Sequential Read Performance

Even with eight levels of charge to sort through, nearly every drive hits the SATA interface's maximum performance level. As always, queue depth is important to consider, and we see more performance variation at the low queue depths encountered on a daily basis. 

Samsung's 750 EVO 250GB outperforms the 850 EVO, though the results indicate only a slight difference between both products. The 120GB 750 EVO does give up some sequential read speed at low queue depths compared to the other Samsung drives, but that's to be expected since it's working with half as many flash dies.

Sequential Write Performance

  

Samsung's TurboWrite algorithm performs well in our tests, even though we don't leave a lot of time for the buffer to flush between runs. Many competing products show up as waves, since they struggle to flush the emulated SLC buffer data to much slower TLC. 

Samsung's 750 EVO maintains writes in excess of 200 MB/s. Until recently, Samsung was the only vendor to hit that level using TLC NAND. Phison has caught up, though, with its direct-to-die write algorithm. We simply don't have a low-capacity Phison S10-based drive to add to our charts.  

The 120GB SSD 750 EVO reaches the same performance in the buffer stage, but writes quickly drop to 140 MB/s after an extended load. TLC's native write speed won't become an issue until you need to send a lot of data to the drive at one time. Installing software and transferring large photo albums are two common examples of when you'd do that. 

Conclusion 

Although there are corner cases where one SATA-based SSD outperforms another, even enthusiasts have a tough time telling the difference under light or moderate workloads. Increasingly, absolute performance is taking a backseat to price and, in many cases, reliability when we make our buying decisions. 

 At this year's CES, Samsung let us know that its 750 EVO SSD would become available worldwide. Up until then, it was only sold in a few select Asian markets. I was even hunting for a vendor to buy from in Japan.

When the 750 EVO was first announced, Samsung didn't delineate that the SSD's primary target was system integrators. Now that we understand the product better, we know why it was so difficult to purchase. The 750 EVO is also more affordable than the 850 EVO, competing with other ultra-lowcost drives. With a MSRP of $74.99 for the 250GB model and $54.99 for the 120GB version, the 750 EVO can compete with drives that the 850 EVO can't.
The 750 EVO's endurance rating pigeonholes the drive as an entry-level offering, despite deceptively good performance. This should not come as a surprise; it's typical of Samsung to target a segment with pricing, only to soak up market share with a product superior in other ways. 

 Like the 850 EVO, Samsung's 750 EVO introduces the performance of a higher-end SSD to a lower price point. The new drives even deliver 10,000 random read IOPS, so you can be sure your storage experience will be responsive. Who would have thought we'd be identifying an excellent-performing 250GB-class drive in the $70 price range so early in 2016?

Author : Anushk Keshri Rastogi

Xiaomi Mi4i Detailed Review

Mi4i Review

General Specifications

First View:-

The device first looks are stunning. Its white color looks very glossy and the device is very handy. It perfectly fits in the palm, with matte finish at the back it’s very comfy to hold. The device is light weight just 138gms that not even feels in the pockets. The positioning of camera and flash lights are also good at the top right corner and a bar speaker at the bottom side. The phone is also equipped with two microphones one at the bottom and other at the back beside the camera. There are 3 buttons on the right broad side i.e. volume up/ down and power respectively. The micro-usb 2.0 port is at the bottom of device. The front and back both ways the device is stunning.

Display:-

The device ids equipped with the new sunlight IPS display of 5.0 inches. The property of this display is that it will adjust perfectly with the lighting around. The screen is protected with a dragon trail protection. It’s a full HD display of 1080x1920 pixels with a density of 401 ppi.  It also supports 10 finger Multitouch.

Camera:-

The device has a very good camera. It has 13 megapixels back camera and 5 megapixels of front camera. The back camera picture quality is very good and can take decent snaps from it. The camera has Sony EXMOS lens that adds quality to the camera. It can also record full HDvideos at 30fps. The extra options are of beautifying and age/gender telling sensors also work fine.

User Interface:-

The device comes with the newly launched MIUI v7.1 on android 5.0.2. The new UI looks smooth on the device. This interface has perfectly placed all apps on the home screen rather than giving an app drawer. Many gestures are available on the new MIUI as the swipe up gesture. The UI is highly customizable weather it is font, wallpaper to boot animation, etc all are customizable in MIUI.The bottom action buttons can also be customized to act as per users choice. The recent apps tray can be customized using pinch gesture to view app icons or windowed panes. The home screen can also be customized by pinching in and out. There are more gestures and customizes in the UI. The security app allows u select battery usage, data usage, app permissions, etc.

Performance:-

The device is equipped with a 2^nd gen QUALCOMM Snapdragon 615 chip-set. It consist of 8 cores(4*1.0 GHz+ 4*1.7GHz) capable of delivering enough power to run the device smoothly. There are two modes supported by the device to deliver power those are balance for normal usage and performance for gaming. The device can run games like: FIFA 15, Assassin Creed Pirates and N.O.V.A. 3 etc.  

The device also has 2 gigs of ram of only 900 MBs or at most 1 gig is available. The device also house a 16gbs of internal sd card of which only 10gbs is available to the user rest for the rom. The major drawback I would see is there is no slot for an external sd card. The device supports OTG so the user can extend storage.

The device houses a 3120 mAh battery which is just fine to cope up with the daily requirements of the device. The dual sim card slots have LTE enabled and can be switched anytime. The battery drain is unexpected on 4G network.

The Adreno 405 GPU does provide enough juice to support middle level games and a few high level games.To play high graphic requirement games run perfectly on performance mode but drains too much battery and the device heats a lot on this mode.

Final Verdict:-

My personal views about the device that is a good budget phone that delivers above good power. One can go for it as it’s a device to purchase for 13k. But everything has its pros and cons as in this case the negative points are the device lacks an external sd card i.e. no extra storage, it heats a lot when utilized for long hours or runs high graphic requirement apps. It also lacks suitable size of battery that just enough to last a day on normal usage.

                                 ###That's All Folks###