Samsung, Sony, LG and HTC: all four of them saw their smartphone sales fall sharply in recent months. Something that is mainly due to the rise of Chinese manufacturers. Xiaomi proves the Redmi Note 2 that a good smartphone does not have to be expensive.
Terrific value
Xiaomi announced its new flagship mid-August and although the smartphone is not officially available in Europe, there are various ways to get him to the Netherlands or Belgium. At sites like DealExtreme, AliExpress or Gear Best pay between 150 and 160 euros, although you should be aware of duties if you import the device (approximately 50 euros).
Despite the Redmi Note 2 significantly better equipped than, say, a Samsung handset with the same price tag. For example, the smartphone has a nice 5.5-inch IPS display with a full HD resolution, which has good viewing angles and excellent brightness. The device has 2GB of RAM and is powered by a Helio X10 chip with a 2.2GHz processor octacore we know from the considerably more expensive HTC One M9 +. The hardware ensures that Android Lollipop fluent running and heavy apps and 3D games are playable smoothly
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The model we tested comes with 32GB of storage (expandable with a memory card), though there is also a slightly cheaper version with 16GB available. However, given the small price difference we recommend to go for the former. Both models are almost identical, though they support 4G in the Netherlands only on the 1800 and 2600MHz frequencies and not the lower 800 and 900MHz frequencies. Also missing nfc, although there is support for WiFi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, Bluetooth 4.0 and dualsim.
Prima daily driver
In terms of specs it should be alright with this affordable Android handset, and after a few weeks of use we can say that it is not inferior to many midrange and high-end phones from well-known brands. The Redmi Note 2 does not have the latest Android version and also the MIUI 7-skin is getting used to at first, but as you’ve found out, the device is surprisingly pleasant to use. For example, the 13 megapixel camera (which is made by Samsung) great pictures and is the 3060mAh battery ensures a battery life of one and a half to two days.
The build quality of the Redmi Note 2 is also good. The device is indeed full of plastic, but the workmanship is excellent and the front and back are relatively insensitive to fingerprints. It is unclear whether there is a scratch resistant glass layer over the image is, but the screen of our test model is still free from scratches.
Furthermore, to remove the rear easy to get to the front of the battery and slots access micro-SD card and SIM card (2x). The weight of 160 and the thickness of 8.3 millimeters, however okay for this format. The Redmi Note 2 is a great device, but it fits well in spite of a (tight) pocket.
The smartphone also has its disadvantages. This leaves the MIUI-skin little left of Android, there is no separate app drawer and Google apps have given way to Xiaomi bloatware of which can not be removed. There are convenient options for managing app permissions and cleaning included in the device, but also an alternative app store and Chinese apps after you’ve deleted remain got back. These applications take Although little space, but it’s annoying that they can not be removed.
Conclusion Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Review
Nevertheless, we are very pleased with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2. For less than 200 euros you get a nice working device that once again emphasizes that good Android smartphone does not necessarily hundreds of euros have to cost. For other attractive alternatives, you can contact our survey with China’s best smartphones to date. Also check out our review of the Doogee X5, a capable Android device that’s even cheaper.
The test model for this review was provided by Gear Best, where the unit also is to purchase.
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