One of our favorite budget phones of this year, the Redmi 3, has received an update. Refer to the specification table if in doubt regarding specs of Redmi 4 Standard vs Redmi 4 Pro vs Redmi 4A.
Redmi 4 Prime comes in 1st place, scoring nearly 15 hours on our battery test (opens in new tab).
Redmi 3 vs Redmi 4 vs Redmi 4 Pro vs Redmi 4A specifications
[spoiler title=”(click) Redmi 4 variant specifications”]
| Spec | Xiaomi Redmi 4 Pro | Xiaomi Redmi 4 Standard | Xiaomi Redmi 4A | Xiaomi Redmi 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SoC | Snapdragon 625 | Snapdragon 430 | Snapdragon 425 | Snapdragon 616 |
| CPU | 8-core [email protected] | 8-core [email protected] | 4-core [email protected] | 4-core [email protected] + 4-core [email protected] |
| GPU | Adreno 506 | Adreno 505 | Adreno 308 | Adreno 405 |
| GPU Architecture | 14nm | 28nm | 28nm | 28nm |
| RAM | 3GB | 2GB | 2GB | 2GB |
| ROM | 32GB | 16GB | 16GB | 16GB |
| Modem | X9 LTE LTE Advanced 2×20 MHz Carrier aggregation in the downlink and uplink Cat 7 speeds up to 300 Mbps down/150 Mbps up Global Mode RF360 support | X6 LTE LTE Advanced 2x20MHz Carrier Aggregation in the downlink Cat 4/5 speeds up to 150 Mbps down/75 Mbps up Global Mode RF360 support | X6 LTE Cat 4 speeds up to 150 Mbps down/75 Mbps up Global Mode RF360 support | X5 LTE Cat 4 speeds up to 150 Mbps down/50 Mbps up Global Mode RF360 support |
| Video | 4K@30fps HEVC capture and playback | 1080p@30fps playback with native HEVC Full HD H.264 capture | Up to 1080p capture and playback H.264 (AVC) H.265 (HEVC) | 1080p60 playback with H.264 (AVC) and H.265 (HEVC) 1080p30 capture with H.264 (AVC) |
| Battery | 4100mAh | 4100mAh | 3100mAh | 4100mAh |
| Display | 5.0″@1080P | 5.0″@720P | 5.0″@720P | 5.0″@720P |
| Fingerprint | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Dual-SIM | Yes (or single+TF SD expansion) | Yes (or single+TF SD expansion) | Yes (or single+TF SD expansion) | Yes (or single+TF SD expansion) |
| Camera | 13MP | 13MP | 13MP | 8MP |
Redmi Pro 4 Pro review FHD display
Traditionally the Redmi (non-Note) series has had a 720P display, but with all the budget competition rolling in hard and fast, Xiaomi has bumped the Redmi 4 Pro up to 1080P.
While we think 720P looks fine on a 5″ display, 1080P looks fantastic at 441PPI. This true retina look gives a huge incentive towards choosing the Redmi 4 Pro over the competition. Note, Redmi 4 Standard and Redmi 4A will have 720P displays.
We also see that Redmi 4 will have 2.5D front glass protection, whereas Redmi 3 front glass was flat. This is good to see, as it adds an extra element of refinement and class to the look of the phone.
A new SoC
While Redmi 3 is a very good phone, it was held back by the sluggish Snapdragon 616. Truly, this SoC is significantly slower than MTK’s MTK6735/MTK6737, and even perhaps more sluggish than MTK6580.
In the Redmi 4 Pro, Xiaomi has given us an SoC boost to Snapdragon 625. Snapdragon 625 promises a 58% improvement with performance, and 45% reduction in power consumption.
14nm
The reduction in power consumption comes at least partially from the 14nm process, in comparison to 28nm with Snapdragon 616. It’s a big advancement in technology, and even with the increase in resolution should give us equal or better battery life than with Redmi 3.
CPU
Whereas Redmi 3 with Snapdragon 616 has a dual quad-core setup with 4-core [email protected]+ 4-core [email protected], the Redmi 4 Pro Snapdragon 625 SoC carries an 8-core [email protected].
Powerwise the difference here is huge, and as promised by Xiaomi, the Redmi 4 should take care of the previous generation Redmi 3’s sluggish performance.
GPU
The GPU in the Redmi 4 Pro is Adreno 506@550MHz in comparison to Adreno 405@450MHz in Redmi 3. Powerwise, the Adreno 506 is capable of pushing 130GFLOPS vs Adreno 405’s 59GFLOPS.
This means more than 2x the power. Due to the increase in resolution with Redmi 4 Pro, this will effectively produce only a modest increase in gaming performance, but GPU was not where the Redmi 3 faltered, as it ran modern 3D games smoothly.
Xiaomi Redmi 4 camera
The Redmi 4 will carry a true resolution of 13MP, in comparison to Redmi 3’s 8MP. We were very impressed with the output of the Redmi 3, often using the Redmi 3’s camera instead of our $600 Canon enthusiast compact.
While the increase in resolution doesn’t necessarily mean an increase in picture quality, it’s normally the case that an increase in resolution spec also means an improvement in other areas as well, such as Dynamic Range (DR) and possibly an upgrade to more video features, such as slow-mo and 4k shooting (yet unknown).
Xiaomi Redmi 4 Standard Redmi 4 Pro battery
Looking back at our Redmi 3 review, we see the Redmi 3 hit ten hours on our 140lux WiFi YouTube 720P test (opens in new tab). As with the Redmi 3, the Xiaomi Redmi 4 Standard and Redmi 4 Pro will carry a 4000-4100mAh battery, and so we should see a similar result with the Redmi 4. Fantastic news to see Xiaomi not back peddling here.
The 4000mAh battery in the Redmi 3 and Redmi 4 Pro / Redmi 4 Standard is the benchmark that other brands should be striving to meet or beat, but it seems many brands can’t be bothered to compete. This is just one more reason to choose the Redmi 4 over the competition.
Xiaomi Redmi 4 OS
The Xiaomi Redmi 4 will feature Android 6.0 MIUI 8. The Redmi 3 officially only has Android 5.0.
Xiaomi Redmi 4A
In addition to the Redmi 4 Standard and Redmi 4 Pro, there is a budget model– Xiaomi Redmi 4A. The Redmi 4A will have a 720P display as opposed to 1080P in Redmi 4 Pro, Snapdragon 425 in comparison to 4 Pro’s Snap 625, and 3100mAh battery vs 4100mAh battery in 4 and 4 Pro.
How much?
The Redmi 4 series is aggressively priced and Xiaomi is making it incredibly difficult for other brands to compete pricewise.
In China, the Redmi 4 Pro will sell for ￥899, the Redmi 4 Standard ($133) will sell for ￥699 ($104), and the Redmi 4A will sell for ￥499 ($74). Users purchasing outside of China can expect prices to be 20-40% higher.
Should you buy Redmi 4 Standard, Redmi 4 Pro, or Redmi 4A?
When considering the Redmi 4 Standard vs Redmi 4 Pro, for users who value performance, the choice is an easy one due to the Snapdragon 625 in the Pro variant.
Redmi 4 Standard is in a solid middle, and a worthy choice due to the increase in battery, CPU cores and GPU power. This is a good choice for casual users who don’t require the juice of Snapdragon 625, yet value battery life and a bit extra juice with Snapdragon 430 vs Snapdragon 425 in the Redmi 4A.
If considering the Redmi 4A vs Redmi 4 Pro, the decision becomes more difficult, as the cost is nearly double for the Pro variant. Users on a tight budget will not be disappointed with 4A, but if you can afford it, strive to save to afford the cost of the Redmi 4 Pro.
When will Redmi 4 Prime be released?
Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime has already been released and it scores huge on our battery tests.
Something to add?
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