Xiaomi is ending the year with the Redmi Note phablet, another of the company's budget priced but powerful phones, but is it the stellar performer that the Mi3 was? We're not sure yet, but these benchmarks and camera samples should give you an idea of where it stands.
3D Mark
Last but not the least, the graphics performance is very important here. A 5.5 inch display has to be accompanied by a powerful enough phone for gaming. 3D Mark scores were not bad, but to be honest, we wanted better.
Comparison
To put it in perspective, here are the Redmi Note's benchmark scores, put alongside scores from the Moto G (2nd Gen) and the Asus Zenfone 5. Both these devices are priced around the same price as the Redmi Note.
AnTuTu Scores
Benchmark scores don't tell the entire story, but they're still important. The AnTuTu Benchmark is easily the most popular out of the lot. The Redmi Note scores 32,538 on it, which is usually reserved for devices priced at 20k and above.
Geekbench 3
This benchmark tests single core and multi-core performance on the device and in our experience, these scores aren't bad at all. The full review will be done soon though, so wait for a final verdict.
RAM and OS
While our thoughts on MiUI 5 have been well documented, it is a crime to have a phone that still runs Android 4.2.2 in this day and age. Xiaomi thankfully put in 2 GB of RAM into the Redmi Note, but KitKat would still have been the better choice, especially considering that the 4G version runs on KitKat. The OS will affect things like memory management, which will boost the performance.
Camera
Now when you talk about a 13 MP camera on a Xiaomi phone, you're automatically reminded of the Mi3. The difference here is in the sensor though, the Mi3 had a Sony sensor, while this one has a Samsung sensor. The results? The camera is still good, but nothing like the Mi3.
More samples...
The images here have been resized, but you can see that the white balance and colour reproduction is pretty good. The pictures don't seem as sharp as we've come to expect from Xiaomi though. It's still a good camera, especially considering the Rs. 8,999 price tag.