Xiaomi Redmi 4A

Redmi 4A fortifies the throne of budget-king Xiaomi with its low price and capable hardware. Priced at 5,999, Redmi 4A is quite ahead of its time, standing out as a budget phone that could also challenge low mid-range phones as well.

Redmi 4A stays strong in the budget market with its capable processor, amazing battery and decent design. It is one of the best phones that any budget user could get their hands on.

While Xiaomi Redmi 4A looks like a metal phone, it is made out of polycarbonate. The design used on the phone is similar to the previous Redmi phones, so it doesn’t bring anything new to the table. It has curved edges, and the corners are rounded so that it could fit well in hand. It weighs around 144 grams which is one of the lightest in the Redmi series. The matte finish of the rear panel makes it quite grippy. The Redmi 4A does not come equipped with a fingerprint reader, but that is acceptable, considering the price that it comes in.

Redmi 4A has a 5-inch screen with a resolution of 720×1280 and a pixel density of 296ppi. Display tests show that it could produce an NTSC colour gamut of 72% which is quite decent. The colour reproduction is adequate, and the display is quite vivid. Redmi 4A is plenty bright and does not make the screen reflective when it is taken outside in the sun. The images are quite sharp. Redmi 4A also offers a reading mode that adjusts the colour temperature so that it is easier on the eyes.

Redmi 4A has a quad-core Snapdragon 425 processor running at 1.4GHz. It is also partnered with integrated Adreno 308 graphics. The handset is capable of browsing the web, email surfing and casual gaming. However, it still has a budget performance, and while multitasking is satisfying, it may lag if it is pushed. Graphics-heavy games will lag even if put in low settings. However, in terms of the budget market that it competes with, the phone has enough power. Benchmark tests put the single-core performance at 670 points, and multi-core performance at 1775, which is a tad bit behind the Moto G5S’ 1928.

Redmi 4A has a 13MP rear camera with single-LED flash. It produces brilliant photos when the light is adequate. The colours are vibrant the day-light pictures keep plenty of details intact. As a budget phone, Redmi 4A fares quite well when it comes to daylight photography. Low-light photography of Redmi 4A is a surprise too. Even without the flash, the low-lights photos light up, and you can differentiate between the light and black areas. There is a bit of blurring present, but other than that, the camera quality is above-average. Redmi 4A arrives with a 5MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture. It is a capable selfie camera and can take detailed and sharp selfies which can be used on social media. However, it does not shoot as well as the rear camera when it comes to low light situations.

Redmi 4A has a 3120mAh battery. The battery has enough capacity to keep running for a day. It is quite generous considering the 5-inch display and therefore, lasts for a longer period. An HD video loop test at maxed out brightness found the battery lasting for a satisfying 12 hours and 35 minutes. It can easily get the user through 1.5 days with light to moderate use. Fast charging is not supported for this handset, which is a disappointment. It can get from 0% to full power in two hours.

Redmi 4A raises the standard of a budget phone. It has a satisfying camera performance, a grippy polycarbonate body and a powerful battery backing up the display. As a budget phone, Xiaomi has always delivered, and Redmi 4A delivers too, as a whole, though it does not stand out in all aspects. A bump in the price can get you Redmi 3S, which comes with a metal body, more battery capacity and better Snapdragon 430 processor. Redmi 4A itself is a satisfying phone targeted to the first-time smartphone users, for whom it is a decent option.