Xiaomi Redmi Y3

Redmi Y3 tries to be different from the Redmi 7 but looks almost the same. It does come with some slight deviations, though. Priced at Rs. 9,999, the Redmi Y3 has the potential to keep its own against its budget competitors.

As a budget handset, the Redmi Y3 is fitted with a few low-tier hardware combined with mid-tier ones to develop a well-rounded phone. As a budget phone, the Redmi Y3 has the Xiaomi promise, though it might falter in its competitive market due to the presence of poor performing capabilities.

Redmi Y3 looks quite similar to the Redmi 7, sharing the exact dimensions as well. It weighs a bit heavier though, going for a weight of 180 grams. Plus, at a width of 8.47mm, it feels quite chunky too. The plastics used on this phone are quite sturdy as well.

The striking design feels premium due to the presence of a glossy back cover and sides, though these areas are prone to fingerprint smudges. The phone comes with P2i nano-coating which makes it splash free. The buttons are sensitive and are quite ergonomic. Plus, the phone retains a 3.5mm headphone jack which gives it a traditional touch too.

On top of all that, there is the loudspeaker and Micro-USB port placed at the bottom. The fingerprint scanner is on the back panel and is quite easy to reach. The LED notification is placed on the bottom and lights up during charging or notifications.

The Redmi Y3 comes with a dew-drop notch which should have been an advantage, but the phone has a thick chin and showy bezels which lower the screen space significantly. The phone has a 6.26-inch display which comes with HD+ resolution; the screen is not the best as the texts do not have the best sharpness.

The color appears a bit washed out, but the viewing angles remain decent. The brightness is appreciable, especially when used outdoors. The phone also comes with Gorilla Glass 5 screen protector as well.

The Redmi Y3 gets its power from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 chipset which is the same processor powering the Asus Zenfone Max M2 and the Redmi 7. While the performance is nowhere near the high-end Snapdragon 800 series, the 632 remains decent overall.

Casual tasks like WhatsApp, social media, and casual games run without a problem. The MIUI also doesn’t lag. The phone does not warm up while playing games too. However, graphic-intensive games will create a problem. PUBG does not run on medium setting properly and even at low settings. The performance was far from being smooth.

At times, while running multiple apps, the system did falter and freeze, though it was not a consistent problem.

The Redmi Y3 has a 32MP selfie camera which uses the 4-in-1 oversampling technique to save an 8MP image. It helps to reduce the image size, hence saving space. The daylight selfies turn out to be great too. It has the sharpest selfies among competitors like Redmi Note 7 and Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2, but the overall quality is a little low, with exposure being a bit blown out.

The same problem persists in daylight shots from the 12MP rear camera. The autofocus speed is average. Colors also seem a little muted. In low light, the oversampling helps to reduce the noise, but the pictures still appear grainy. Distant objects appear a bit soft.

Videos can be shot up to 1080p, and daylight videos are excellent. There is Electronic Image Stabilization, but it doesn’t seem to work well.

The Redmi Y3 arrives with a 4000 mAh battery, which is supposed to last for two whole days. Running an HD video on loop found out that it took 13 hours and 41 minutes for the battery to die. In actual use, it was able to last for a day and a half with moderate use, which is impressive. The phone does not have fast charging and gets from 0% to 52% in an hour, which is quite slow.

As a budget phone, the Redmi Y2 fares well. It has a decent processor, good battery, and an accomplished display. It is not perfect though. The cameras are just average and can get overexposed or blow out proportions.

Plus, the EIS of videos doesn’t work well enough. It is a capable budget phone for people looking for a phone to play around as well as use for essential functions. If you are a selfie enthusiast looking for updating your Instagram with your photos, then you should consider Redmi Note 7 or Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 for better cameras and slightly more powerful processors.