'Xiaomi Redmi 3' Price, Release Date & Specs: $105 Budget Android Smartphone Has 4100 mAh Battery, Snapdragon 616 & More [Details]
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Xiaomi rolls out the Redmi 3, a budget smartphone with a 4100 mAh battery and Snapdragon 616 processor.
The Xiaomi Redmi 3 has been released in China for the price of 699 yuan ($105). However, there is bad news for those who have been wanting to get quality smartphones on a budget like the Redmi 3; the Android phone is limited to China and may be released to other Asian countries and Brazil in a few months, CNET revealed.
The Redmi 3 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor and a large 4,100 mAh battery. It is 5 inches long with a 720P HD display and houses a 2GB RAM with 16GB expandable memory. It has two cameras; the rear features a 13MP camera while the front one is a 5MP selfie camera, GSM Arena reported.
ARS Technica added that the Redmi 3 is dual-SIM capable but the other slot can also be used for microSD. This means that you can only have 1 SIM if you want to have extra external storage. The smartphone also got the metallic treatment and it comes in 3 colors including: gold, silver and gray metal.
A review from Tech Crunch pointed out that it is odd that the Redmi 3 does not have a fingerprint scanner despite having capable specs.
"The phablet-sized Redmi Note 3 got the metallic treatment when it was unveiled in December, but, interestingly, while the Note 3 became Xiaomi's first device with a fingerprint scanner - unlocking potential for payments and other services - the Redmi 3 doesn't have a scanner," Jon Russell of TC wrote. "We asked Xiaomi why, but the company declined to comment."
The website also pointed out that the bigger battery is claimed by Xiaomi to have 80 percent more power than its predecessor.
According to a report by Venture Beat, the new smartphones look similar to the iPhone 6 and, if Xiaomi tries to sell them in the U.S. Market, Apple might take legal action against the company. It isn't the first time for Apple to sue for Android OEMs that are similar to their product.
In other news, the flagship Xiaomi Mi 5 is scheduled to be released on February after the Chinese New Year, according to cofounder Liwan Jian. He also confirmed that the Mi 5 will be powered with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 as he announced it over at Weibo, VB reported.