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Xiaomi Redmi 3S Review
35

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!

- 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.

Dimensions
5.74 x 2.85 x 0.32 inches
145.8 x 72.3 x 8.1 mm
Weight
5.57 oz (158 g)

Dimensions
5.74 x 2.85 x 0.32 inches
145.8 x 72.3 x 8.1 mm
Weight
5.57 oz (158 g)
Compare these and other phones using our Size Comparison tool.
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.
Display measurements and quality
Maximum brightness Higher is better | Minimum brightness (nits) Lower is better | Contrast Higher is better | Color temperature (Kelvins) | Gamma | Delta E rgbcmy Lower is better | Delta E grayscale Lower is better | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Xiaomi Redmi 3S |
459 (Good) |
1 (Excellent) |
1:1503 (Excellent) |
7942 (Average) |
2.54 |
4.38 (Average) |
6.26 (Average) |
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016) |
300 (Average) |
3 (Excellent) |
unmeasurable (Excellent) |
6746 (Excellent) |
1.98 |
3.35 (Good) |
6.41 (Average) |
Motorola Moto G4 |
650 (Excellent) |
5 (Excellent) |
1:1334 (Excellent) |
6915 (Excellent) |
2.38 |
5.38 (Average) |
3.42 (Good) |
Honor 5X |
585 (Excellent) |
7 (Good) |
1:1251 (Excellent) |
8021 (Poor) |
2.19 |
2.9 (Good) |
6.77 (Average) |
The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set (area) of colors that a display can reproduce, with the sRGB colorspace (the highlighted triangle) serving as reference. The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x: CIE31' and 'y: CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.
These measurements are made using Portrait Displays' CalMAN calibration software.
These measurements are made using Portrait Displays' CalMAN calibration software.
The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display's measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors. The closer the actual colors are to the target ones, the better.
These measurements are made using Portrait Displays' CalMAN calibration software.
These measurements are made using Portrait Displays' CalMAN calibration software.
The Grayscale accuracy chart shows whether a display has a correct white balance (balance between red, green and blue) across different levels of grey (from dark to bright). The closer the Actual colors are to the Target ones, the better.
These measurements are made using Portrait Displays' CalMAN calibration software.
These measurements are made using Portrait Displays' CalMAN calibration software.

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