In the spring of 2017, Xiaomi announced a new budget employee Redmi 4X, which was instantly liked by many.
In the spring of 2017, Xiaomi announced a new budget employee redmi 4x, which was instantly liked by many. The new affordable smartphone Redmi 4X is not much different from the Redmi 4 version in its filling, but at the same time the device has a completely different appearance. It should be said right away that in the photo Redmi 4X looks so-so, but in reality the device really pleasantly surprises. It is comfortable, it is compact, yes with plastic inserts, but unlike the same Redmi 4, the Redmi 4X version has a black body color and it is in this color that the smartphone looks amazing. Initially, Xiaomi released Redmi 4X in two versions: with 2/16 GB of memory and 3/32 GB of memory, but more recently the device has received a new modification with 4/64 GB of memory.
Main characteristics of Xiaomi Redmi 4X
SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, 8 cores Cortex-A53 (4 @ 1.4 GHz + 4 @ 1.1 GHz)
GPU Adreno 505 @ 450 MHz
Operating system Android 6.0, MIUI 8
5 ″ IPS touchscreen display, 1280 × 720, 293 ppi
Random access memory (RAM) 2/3/4 GB, internal memory 16/32/64 GB
Support for Nano-SIM (1 pc.), Micro-SIM (1 pc.)
MicroSD support up to 128GB
GSM / GPRS / EDGE networks (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
WCDMA / HSPA + networks (850/900/1900/2100 MHz)
LTE Cat.4 FDD (B1 / 3/4/5/7/8/20), TD LTE (B38 / 40) networks
Wi-Fi 802.11b / g / n (2.4 GHz)
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
Micro-USB, USB OTG
Main camera 13 MP, f / 2.0, autofocus, video 1080p
Front camera 5 MP, f / 2, 2, fixed. focus
Proximity sensor, lighting, magnetic field, fingerprint, accelerometer, gyroscope, infrared port
4100 mAh battery
Dimensions 139 × 70 × 8.7 mm
Weight 147 g
xiaomi redmi 4x review
Equipment
A box made of white cardboard, hidden inside: a smartphone, a warranty card, an instruction booklet, a "paper clip" for removing SIM cards, an adapter for charging from an electrical outlet and a microUSB - USB cable.
Appearance
The candy bar contrasts sharply with the packaging. The device is black, rounded, compact by today's standards and pleasantly in the hand. The xiaomi Redmi 4X looks solid. The metal back of the device contributes to this, but it should not mislead you. Not only large inserts at the top and bottom are made of plastic, but also the supporting frame of the smartphone.
The materials selected by Xiaomi engineers are easily soiled, but fingerprints on the matte surface are visible only at certain angles.
The fingerprint scanner is located on the back of the device, at the top of it. The main camera and single-tone flash are located in the upper left corner of the panel. The manufacturer's logo and legal information against a dark background are already indistinguishable at arm's length.
On the left side of the device there is a hole for the SIM card tray. On the right side there is a power key and a volume rocker. On the bottom of the device are: a microUSB connector and eight holes. On the right, behind the perforation, the only speaker is hidden, on the left is the spoken microphone.
The 3.5 mm connector on the top edge is not symmetrically installed. There is also a hole for a second microphone and an infrared peephole, which is used to control household appliances.
The front panel of xiomi is largely responsible for the pleasant impression from the device. At first glance, everything is standard: small frames, touch keys without backlighting, a front camera, and a narrow opening for the earpiece. The location of the LED is unusual - above the central key. But the main thing is tactile sensations - protective 2.5D glass with an oleophobic coating smoothly merging into the body.
Display
There is no air gap between the matrix and the protective glass. A polarizing filter, if provided, is ineffective. Nothing prevents glare from appearing. They interfere with using the smartphone in the sun, the brightness of the backlight is quite enough for this. By the way, it is uniform, even when displaying a black field, there are no noticeably lighter areas.
It is known that, depending on the batch, the matrices for chiaomi redmi 4x may differ. Our sample has a cold screen, without pronounced color inversion, but with unstable white and black. Shades change slightly when you deviate from the perpendicular and are especially pronounced when viewed from a diagonal. In general, we will characterize the matrix as high-quality.
According to the specifications, the sensor recognizes up to 10 simultaneous touches. In fact, we have recorded cases when he has problems identifying more than five fingers. When working with the interface of the operating system, this is imperceptible, but in games it will become a problem.
Iron
Xiaomi Redmi 4X is available in three versions, differing in the amount of internal and RAM. The cheapest has 16 GB of ROM and 2 GB of RAM, the most expensive has 64 GB of ROM and 4 GB of RAM. Our editorial office got a version of the smartphone, located between these two extremes and equipped with 32 GB of internal memory and 3 GB of RAM. In all three versions, the hybrid slot supports SD cards up to 128 GB. The chip that powers the smartphone is called Snapdragon 435 and has 8 Cortex-A53 cores with a maximum frequency of 1.4 GHz. In addition, we note the gentleman's set of sensors, including: pedometer, gyroscope, Hall sensor, compass and fingerprint sensor.
We were satisfied with the speed and accuracy of fingerprint recognition. The location of the sensor does not interfere with use, since the body of the smartphone is small and the contact pad is always at hand or, more precisely, under the finger.
The performance of Xiaomi Redmi 4X in everyday tasks turned out to be sufficient, but the smartphone cannot be called ideally fast. It performs operations such as installing and opening applications slower than expensive devices. Smooth animations that MIUI 8 is saturated with occasionally "stumble". It's more about optimization than about low processor potential. At least in games, Redmi 4X consistently produces at least 20-30 frames per second. The chip does not decrease frequencies over time, but the body of the device heats up noticeably during prolonged games.
Software
The MIUI 8 shell has gathered a fan base around it for a reason. As we have noted many times, this is one of the most comprehensive conversions in Android: functional and beautiful, but ponderous. Out of 3 GB of RAM, Redmi 4X OS reserves 1.3 GB for its needs. Such appetites are easily explained if you pay attention to the functionality of the operating system. We paid attention to the built-in tool for “cloning” applications, advanced notification management, enabling the “do not disturb” mode on schedule, one-handed control mode (not that it was demanded with such a screen diagonal, but still). It also has its own built-in app update service.
The possibilities of creating independent profiles with their own applications and data, a lightweight desktop mode with large icons and inscriptions, as well as a child mode with restrictions on access to applications are also interesting.
The global version of the firmware with which we dealt is stable, but not without errors. The LED indicator, for some reason, glows only white, but, most importantly, the noise reduction algorithm sometimes makes mistakes. In noisy places, during calls or video shooting, it creates noise, which it is designed to combat.
Connection
In the combined slot, either two SIM cards with 4G support are installed, dividing one antenna according to the Dual SIM Dual Standby scheme, or one SIM in a pair with an SD card. The smartphone supports USB OTG connection.
The ringing speaker is moderately loud, but the strength of the tactile response should be immediately increased in the settings, otherwise the call in silent mode can be missed. The Wi-Fi module of the smartphone works with networks of the 2.4 GHz range.
Snapdragon 435 supports all three global positioning systems: GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou. The navigation accuracy is high, the pairing with satellites is fast.
The built-in radio starts even without connecting headphones, but for normal reception they are still needed - the wire will act as an antenna. Another feature of Xiaomi smartphones is the infrared port. The proprietary application will allow you to select commands for almost any household appliance.
Camera
The front module of xiaomi redmi 4x 32 gb has a sensor with a resolution of 5 megapixels and a lens with an aperture of f / 2, 2, with a fixed focus and without its own flash. Naturally, there is a portrait retouching mode, you can choose the aspect ratio and quality, and there is also a mode for determining the gender and age of the subject, which is standard for all Xiaomi smartphones. The quality itself at maximum settings is generally average for the selfie level - not a failure, but not ideal either. There are flaws in terms of sharpness and detail, the image is a little whitish, the colors are faded, and the auto white balance is sometimes wrong.
The main xiaomi camera uses a 13-megapixel sensor module and a 5-element f / 2.0 aperture lens, equipped with fast PDAF phase detection autofocus. The flash is monochromatic, but shines brightly. There is no stabilization system.
Curiously, there are fewer manual photo settings here than in more expensive Xiaomi models. For example, the same Mi Mix has four sliders in manual mode (white balance, focus types, shutter speed and light sensitivity). There are only two options here: you can influence the sensitivity (up to ISO 3200) and the white balance. Also, there are no photo modes such as group selfie and 1: 1 square, which are present in the Mi Mix. In the general settings, called by pressing the gear icon, everything is standard: there is access to variable values of definition, saturation and contrast, there are functions for determining faces, age, gender, you can use the camera as a QR code scanner. Traditionally, you cannot manually select the image resolution, there are only three ready-made presets and two aspect ratios. There are a number of scene scenes in the modes section, HDR is highlighted separately, this mode is always available on the viewfinder screen for quick activation.
The camera can shoot video at a maximum resolution of Full HD 30 fps, there is no stabilization function. It is better not to shoot handheld on the go, but otherwise the camera copes with video quite successfully. The image is smooth, without jerks and artifacts, the brightness is sufficient, the sharpness is normal, there are no complaints about the detail. There is also complete order with the soundtrack: the microphones are sensitive, no obvious distortions were noticed in the recording, the noise reduction system copes with the noise of the wind successfully.
The camera handles most standard scenes well. The program is good at suppressing noise and practically does not spoil the details. Here you can find fault only with the areas of blur that periodically appear in the corners of the frame. In general, the camera copes well with documentary and even artistic photography.
Let's sum up
Xiaomi already has a large family of Redmi smartphones and it's easy to get lost among them. Redmi 4X may well become a victim of the congestion of the product line, despite the fact that on paper this is a profitable offer: MIUI 8, Snapdragon 435, support for large memory cards, 4G, good navigation capabilities, high-quality screen, 13 MP camera, pleasant exterior.
The phone deservedly receives positive reviews from the owners. In fact, Xiaomi Redmi 4X meets expectations, with the exception of the battery life, which could well have been longer, and a number of flaws that no potential user would want to see in a serial product. In smartphones supplied from the Chinese market, such trifles as malfunctioning noise cancellation or bugs in the screen sensor usually close their eyes, but Redmi 4X is officially shipped to Europe and there will be no discounts here.
Pros:
2.5D - glass with an oleophobic coating;
High quality matrix;
Functional operating system;
Good as a navigator.
Minuses:
Problems with recognizing a large number of touches on the touchscreen;
Minor software flaws.
