Xiaomi is back with a budget smartphone that is even more affordable than the well-praised Redmi Note 3. Powered by a newer SoC from Qualcomm, the Redmi 3s brings excellent all-round performance in the sub-7K smartphone segment. It shares the same design with the Redmi Note 3, but in a smaller form factor and astonishingly large battery. Here we set up a few benchmarks to find out how it fares against the Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus and Coolpad Note 3. We are also comparing the phone against the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and the LeEco Le 2, to see exactly how well it fares.
Before we begin, here is a quick look at the specifications of the Xiaomi Redmi 3s:
Display: 5-inch, 720p
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 430
RAM: 2/3GB
Storage: 16GB/32GB
Camera: 13MP, 5MP
Battery: 4100mAh
OS: Android 6.0.1
Price: Rs. 6,999/8,999
The variant priced at Rs. 6,999 features 2GB of RAM, 16GB storage and is called the Redmi 3s, while the one priced at Rs. 8,999 sports 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage and is called the Redmi 3s Prime. For this comparsion, we've used the Redmi 3s Prime.
AnTuTu
The Xiaomi Redmi 3s starts off well with higher scores on AnTuTu, compared to its close competitors.
3DMark Unlimited
Again, the Xiaomi Redmi 3s pulls ahead of every other smartphone in the sub-10K category.
Geekbench Single-core
In the Geekbench single-core benchmark, the smartphone was left behind by the Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus by a small margin.
Geekbench Multi-core
Again, the Vibe K5 Plus from Lenovo takes the lead. However, in real life performance, the Xiaomi Redmi 3s offers much smoother experience.
GFXBench Manhattan 3.1
The graphics performance on the phone is better than many other smartphones in the same price segment. The benchmarks further reinstate this fact.
Camera quality: Normal light
There is a 13MP rear camera on the Xiaomi Redmi 3s, which takes good images in normal lighting conditions. For reference, the image quality in normal lighting conditions is as good as the Redmi Note 3.
Note: Image has been resized to fit.
Camera quality: Low light
Like with all smartphones in the sub-10K smartphones, the camera quality of the phone deteriorates in low light. Although, compared to its closest competitors, the camera is still better.
Note: Image has been resized to fit.
Battery life
The battery life is where the phone surpasses all other phones in the sub-10k smartphones, and even comes very close to the Redmi Note 3. Needless to say, it is quite commendable.