Xiaomi Inc. has officially released its new smartphone the RedMi 3 on Monday, reports Sina Tech. Priced at only RMB 699 (USD 107), the RedMi 3 is a new budget product added to the Xiaomi smartphone range.
The RedMi 3 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor with four 1.5 GHz cores and four 1.2 GHz cores. Its internal storage of 16GB can be expanded up to 128GB with a microSD card, which means users are able to store at least eight times more music, movies and apps in the phone than before.
The front-facing camera on the phone is 5MP, while the one on the back is a 13MP shooter with an f/2.0 aperture. HDR mode and 12 filters are built-in to the camera. RedMi 3 supports dual-SIM standby and the 2G/3G/4G networks of China’s three main mobile network operators, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom.
The Redmi battery has been doubled from 2,200mAh to 4,100mAh, which extends call duration by 80% compared with the last iteration. Thanks to energy consumption optimizations in the latest MIUI 7, RedMi 3 users are able to use the phone continuously for three days. At the same time, the new Redmi supports 5V/2A rated chargers, making the charging process quicker.
With an infrared sensor built in and Xiaomi’s universal remote controller app, the RedMi 3 can be used to remote control most appliances, including TVs, air conditioners and newly-added, digital SLR cameras.
Xiaomi has also revved up the design work on the RedMi 3. Inspired by stars in the night sky, its back is decorated with 4166 stars in a diamond pattern. With a magnesium alloy internal frame, its internal components are protected from external collisions, and the phone is made pretty slim and light (at 8.5mm thick and weighing 144g).
Different from previous predictions, the RedMi 3 will come in four colors and will go on sale from Tuesday. The new phone will be available from the Xiaomi website, Mi.com, and Xiaomi’s flagship stores on Tmall and JD.com.
