Xiaomi Redmi 3S review - the battery monster in the unibody

First impression of the Xiaomi Redmi 3S

 Preface 

If you are interested in the Xiaomi Redmi 3 series, you lose track of things pretty quickly. In addition to the Redmi 3 and Redmi 3 Pro, there are now also the Redmi 3S and Redmi 3X. The main difference between the four smartphones mentioned is the processor. The first two use a Snapdragon 616 Octa-Core processor, the latter a Snapdragon 430 Octa-Core, which is a bit slower in a direct comparison. There are also other differences between the individual models. Most of the time, Xiaomi releases its smartphones in duplicate. Where other retailers offer the same model with different memory sizes, Xiaomi also offers more RAM. The Xiaomi Redmi 3S is therefore available as a 2GB / 16GB variant and as a 3GB / 32GB version. We tested the model with 3GB of RAM.

 What's in the box 

Xiaomi never includes a lot of accessories with its smartphone. In addition to the smartphone, it also includes a charger, a USB cable, a SIM pin and a user manual. The instructions are completely in Chinese and the charger also has a type A plug, which in this country can only be used with an adapter. However, most dealers also include such an adapter.

 Workmanship and design 

 unibody 

I've run into many China smartphones in different price ranges, but with Xiaomi I haven't been disappointed by any device in terms of workmanship and design. Even if the Xiaomi Redmi 3S can be estimated at around 120 €, the workmanship is impressive and even makes some established brands look old. The "almost" metal unibody case is neatly processed. There are no gaps or unclean places.

Why "almost" unibody? The upper and lower case ends are made of plastic, which is probably due to better connectivity. Visually, this is hardly noticeable. Because of the unibody design, the back is not removable. The battery can therefore not be changed! 

 Hybrid SIM 

The SIM card slot is on the left side of the housing. This dual SIM slot is compatible with a micro SIM and a nano SIM. If, on the other hand, you want to use the memory expansion option by means of an SD memory card, you have to do without a SIM slot because of the "hybrid slot".

 Control buttons and notification LED 

The control buttons on the side also sit in the housing without any play. Even if you shake the smartphone vigorously, there is no rattling to be heard. In addition to the two physical control buttons, the power button and the volume rocker, the smartphone also has 3 capacitive buttons located below the display. Unfortunately, these buttons are not illuminated. Under the middle "Home" button there is also a notification LED that lights up in different colors and can be programmed via the settings.

 Other 

Above the display are the auricle, the front camera and the proximity sensor. The smartphone also has two microphone inputs, an infrared sensor, a 3.5mm audio output and a micro USB socket. The two microphones are used for noise-free voice transmission. With the infrared sensor and the appropriate TV app, the Xiaomi Redmi 3S can be used as a remote control. On the back there is a 13 megapixel main camera with LED flash and a fingerprint scanner.

Display

The Xiaomi Redmi 3S has a 5 inch IPS HD display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. The dot density is 294 PPI. This makes the display appear razor-sharp, meaning that individual pixels can no longer be recognized.

 The display could hardly be better. All colors are vividly displayed and the contrast is superbly balanced. The viewing angle stability of the Redmi 3S is convincing. No matter how you turn and tilt the smartphone, fonts remain legible even from an extreme viewing angle and the colors also remain unchanged. The maximum display brightness is sufficient to guarantee a legible display even in direct sunlight.

The Redmi 3S managed 5 simultaneous inputs in the multi-touch test. The Redmi 3, which appeared a few months ago, still managed a maximum of 10 finger multitouch. As a result, the touchscreen of the Xiaomi Redmi 3S is by no means worse. All entries are recognized precisely. Unfortunately, there is no information about the display glass used. But one can assume that no Corning Gorilla Glass 3 was used here!

Performance

Xiaomi continues the Redmi 3 series with a Snapdragon 430 processor. This is an octa-core processor that clocks at 4x1.4 GHz and 4x1.1 GHz. The graphics unit is an Adreno 505 GPU. In a direct comparison with the Snapdragon 616 processor of the Redmi 3 and Redmi 3 Pro, there is no difference in performance. On the data sheet, however, the Snapdragon 430 of the Redmi 3S is weaker.

The model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory is high-performance. Apps can be opened promptly and graphics-intensive games can also be played smoothly on the Redmi 3S. Even when multitasking with numerous open apps, the app change is smooth and the performance is maintained. Overall, the system of the Xiaomi Redmi 3S is very well coordinated with the hardware. Image breakdowns only appeared in games with very high graphics requirements.

user interface

The Xiaomi Redmi 3S uses a MIUI 6 based on Android 7. If you don't know MIUI 7 and are used to a clean stock Android, you first have to familiarize yourself with the very heavily modified user interface. Xiaomi's MIUI offers many extensions and setting options and makes numerous apps superfluous. The language can be switched to English and German, although translation errors can still occur in isolated cases.

The preinstalled apps are partly in English, but also in Chinese. Some of the Chinese apps can be uninstalled, but it is advisable to install a custom ROM or the MIUI Global ROM at a later date. Google Apps and the associated PlayStore are not preinstalled by default! The PlayStore can, however, be installed later using the so-called “Google Installer”.

MIUI is very adaptable. Various themes are already preinstalled, but can also be downloaded from the Mi AppStore. Within the settings there are, among other things, specific settings for the notification LED, but a full "Security Center" has also been integrated into MIUI. Overall, the design of the MIUI user interface is very modern and is somewhat reminiscent of Apple's iOS.

The new MIUI 3 will soon be released for the Xiaomi Redmi 8S. According to the manufacturer, it could be ready in the coming weeks!

 Update: MIUI 8 is now also available in the Global ROM. The first custom ROMs (e.g. CyanogenMod 14) and kernels have also appeared. Instructions for flashing and downloading links to the available ROMs can be found in the Forum of the XDA Developers.

Camera

The main camera of the Xiaomi Redmi 3S has a resolution of 13 megapixels. It is not known which image sensor was used. However, there is information about the aperture and the lens. The f-number is f / 2.0, a 5P lens is used as the lens. An autofocus (PDAF) and an LED flash are also available.

Xiaomi uses a camera app reserved for MIUI, which offers a considerable range of functions. In addition to various recording modes, such as the panorama mode or the "beauty mode", this app also offers integrated filters, similar to the well-known "Retrica app".

 The main camera of the Redmi 3S convinces in good lighting conditions with noise-free image recordings with natural color representation and pleasant sharpness. Only in poor lighting conditions does the picture become increasingly blurred and the picture noise increases. The autofocus works accurately and focuses faster than average. The release time is also comparatively short. From a price / performance perspective, the Xiaomi Redmi 3S offers one of the best cameras in this price range.

The front camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels. The f-number is f / 2.2. Most of the selfies taken in the test phase are usable. Image noise can only be seen in poor lighting conditions.

Fingerprint scanner

The Redmi 3S's fingerprint scanner is easy to configure. As soon as an unlocking method has been set up, finger profiles can be created. In order to improve the accuracy, it is recommended to scan the finger, which is mainly used for unlocking, several times. The fingerprint scanner then works accurately and also recognizes a finger placed slightly on the side. The unlocking time is still average, but could also be faster!

Telephony, WLAN and Bluetooth

 Xiaomi does not use LTE Band 20 to the detriment of German and many European users, which is why Xiaomi smartphones, and thus also the Redmi 3S, cannot be fully used in the German LTE network.

The call quality and the signal strength are convincing and mobile surfing is sufficiently fast with HSDPA. Thanks to the additional microphone, it is also possible to make phone calls using the hands-free function without interference.

The Redmi 3S also cuts a fine figure in WLAN. In the 2.4GHz network, the range is above average and the signal strength is also very good. Unfortunately, the 5GHz network is not supported. There were also no problems with the Bluetooth during the test phase. Bluetooth devices could be connected easily and the data transfer went without interference.

GPS and sensors

A GPS fix was found after just a few seconds. With the "GPS Test" app, the position was determined to within 3 meters. I couldn't find out why no more precise value was displayed. With Google Maps, however, the navigation went smoothly and the position was determined exactly. 

The Xiaomi Redmi 3S has integrated a lot of sensors. In addition to the usual brightness, proximity and acceleration sensors, the smartphone also has a gyroscope and an e-compass. In addition, an infrared sensor was installed, which means that the smartphone can be used as a remote control with a “remote app”.

Battery

All Redmi 3 models are real battery monsters, but still have a compact size (69.6 mm x 139.3 mm x 8.5 mm). The Redmi 3S has a 4100mAh battery, which offers an above-average battery life. The battery can be charged in about 2-3 hours, depending on which charger is used. The runtime is a good 2-3 days with normal use. With intensive use (Pokémon Go sends its regards!) I didn't have to charge the smartphone until noon the next day.