Xiaomi Redmi 3S Review

Introduction

Low-cost Chinese smartphone vendor Xiaomi is at it again, presenting the latest addition to its Redmi line-up of affordable devices, the Redmi 3S. Priced somewhere between $100 – $160 in China (the price ending up a bit higher for global consumers), the handset aims to up people's expectations for affordable phones with a quality build, adequate performance with up-to-date hardware, a decent camera, and a long-lasting battery. Let's put the new pretender through its paces and see how attractive of a proposition it ultimately is!

In the box:

• Xiaomi Redmi 3S
• Data and charging cable
• Charger
• SIM ejector tool
• Informational pamphlet

Design

The metal and plastic build is unquestionably generic, but pleasant nonetheless.

The Xiaomi Redmi 3S is among the best-looking devices in its price category. While the design is objectively generic, this is still an elegant phone made of metal, with plastic substituting the aluminum for the top and bottom parts to aid signal reception. At 8.5mm thickness and 144 grams, the phone feels light, but sturdy. It has capacitive touch keys below the screen, a standard microUSB port, and the fingerprint sensor is placed on the back. Sold in Silver, Gray, and Gold, the phone leaves no complaints in the design department.

Display

An okay display whose resolution could have been higher and color temperature warmer.

Outfitted with a 5-inch, 720p resolution IPS panel, the Redmi 3S display is certainly nice, but it also shows the corners cut by Xiaomi. A 1080 x 1920 px resolution would have fared better for a screen this size, improving its sharpness. Still, the presence of a night reading mode and a color temperature adjustment slider is quite welcome. While colors appear quite cold by default (at 7942 Kelvin), the screen boasts nice brightness properties and a fairly good contrast ratio. It may be an average panel, but it does the job well enough and it doesn't strain the eyes with odd imperfections and major unpleasantness.