Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime review: A closer look

26 August 2016
The Redmi 3S is the latest Xiaomi smartphone to be launched in India, the biggest market for the Chinese manufacturer outside of its home country. The 3S comes in as a replacement for the now ageing Redmi 2, which has been quite popular and has been one of the best phones in its price range for quite some time now.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • JJL
  • 27 Aug 2016

Where's the battery life endurance rating?!?

    • M
    • Minori
    • PGg
    • 27 Aug 2016

    Adds $10 from 3S 16GB version, and get the 3X 32GB instead.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • YT1
      • 27 Aug 2016

      Size should been 5.5" & 6".

        • a
        • alexv
        • JxJ
        • 27 Aug 2016

        Anonymous, 27 Aug 2016I am very surprised by this review and feel it is not neutr... morethey never said it's a bad smartphone, they actually loved the basic version. but if you head to online stores, the 3 prime charges a 30-35 euro premium, which is not much, but puts it awfully close to the redmi note 3.

          AnonD-416595, 27 Aug 2016When it comes to hardware, the note 3 might be better, but ... moreThe international (non-China/India) Redmi Note 3 comes with Marshmallow out of the box.

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            • AnonD-315724
            • 38X
            • 27 Aug 2016

            As always, kudos to GSM Arena for another fantastic review!
            The 'Verdict' section told me everything I needed to know in less than 15 seconds.
            Now I just have to make up my mind between the 'Superstar' RedMi Note 3 Pro 16GB (currently $147 on Geekbuying) or the Motorola G4 (Amazon Prime Edition for $150).
            While the RM Note 3 specs are superior, I'm leaning towards the G4 which can work on all US carriers and has all the pluses of buying from Amazon Prime in the US (2 day shipping, return policy, discount with AMEX points, etc.). For those outside of the US, I think either the RedMi 3 of RedMi Note 3 purchase is a fantastic deal and a no-brainer.

              • D
              • AnonD-416595
              • 7Xb
              • 27 Aug 2016

              When it comes to hardware, the note 3 might be better, but as far as I can tell, it will never be upgraded to marshmallow, if you go by Xiaomi's track record. This is the reason why I got the 3s prime. I would have wanted the better camera of the note 3, but I can't imagine not using the per app permission toggles in marshmallow. I also realized that the 5 inch screen is much more convenient for my personal use.

                • A
                • Amit gupta
                • 7kH
                • 27 Aug 2016

                Lack of storage hybrid dual sim i hate this

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • 3SI
                  • 27 Aug 2016

                  AnonD-843, 27 Aug 2016Guys never buy xiaomi. I own a Mi4i They said its flagship ... moreFor these prices, there is not enough room for good software. Better run a near-stock ROM from XDA on it

                    • t
                    • tacoman
                    • 0VG
                    • 27 Aug 2016

                    normal verision redmi 3s also have fingerprinsensor

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                      • AnonD-843
                      • sSM
                      • 27 Aug 2016

                      Guys never buy xiaomi. I own a Mi4i They said its flagship its still running lolipo 5.0.2 and have lots of bugs. See their forum for more. Even my camera is not focussing properly due to software bug which was there in miui6. Its still there in miui8.
                      Though their hardware is good they need to step up a lot in software department

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • bJH
                        • 27 Aug 2016

                        I am very surprised by this review and feel it is not neutral. I got 3 s prime in very first sale and using since 15 days.Even after buying, I continue to go by various reviews in reputed sites and believe me, after some 12 or 13 excellent ratings, this one is the first negative one.Even in this review, except Geekbench ranks, this phone has very good scores.At this price point, it offers more performance in 1080 p vids, built quality,processor than its competitors.Perhaps this review is based on before update 7.5.9 miui which solved many problems in software.
                        Anyway, as an user for last fortnight, I want to share my neutral opinion including shortcomings:-
                        Pros- (i) The heating problem is negligible compared to other phones at similar price after 2 updates.It may feel bit warm in heavy games due to metal back but otherwise no heating. I think if every phone in the world is provided metal back cover, some heat can be observed in all phones during heavy use.
                        (ii) In day light rear camera is excellent .Front camera does its job.
                        (iii) Finger print sensor is awesome and did not face any issue since.I dont know why this review has down voted this.
                        (iv) Performance is superb in this price.It gives 3 GB ram with snapdragon 430 octacore.
                        (v) Never got hanged since even after my experiments with applications.
                        (vi) Battery performance is unbelievable. Even at 30 % level, it can last a day if you are a light user.
                        (vii) Built quality and form factor is awesome. Does not look cheap.

                        Cons:- I observed only two shortcomings so far-
                        (i) The position and volume of loud speaker is disappointing.
                        (ii) The sim tray with restriction of either using two sim or a sim+ sd card at a time is big let down.
                        The price of this phone is 8999 INR or 134 $ for which you get all these unmatched things . This is the reason all three sales are out of stock in just 7-8 minutes.

                          • G
                          • GOD
                          • XuZ
                          • 27 Aug 2016

                          Guys Dont Buy this mobile , if there is no Mi service centre near you. As this mobile have a serious software problem. When you switch off and on the mobile several times or you reboot it, it will stuck in MI LOGO. You cant do anything. Not even hard reset through recovery mode as the bootloader is not unlocked. You have put software in Mi service centre. And otherthing that If you are 2g user, the mobile data is so slow. And if you are a 3g user, the network changes to 2g frequently eventhough you have full 3g signal, that was annoying. I buy the mobile 2 times, but same problems. I returned it. Anyone have problem like me.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • Hkt
                            • 27 Aug 2016

                            AnonD-76008, 27 Aug 2016This was the exact feeling i had before purchasing one. ... moreNice

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                              • AnonD-76008
                              • 6ci
                              • 27 Aug 2016

                              AnonD-479301, 26 Aug 2016I read 9 reviews till now about 3s prime. All 9 says it ... moreThis was the exact feeling i had before purchasing one.

                              I came from Iphone 6 plus (sold due to grey bar touch ic chip problem) and was looking for temporary decent phone under $150 while waiting for iphone 7

                              Trust me, I LIKE IT!!
                              Not only it is worth the price, I had samsung galaxy note 3 and 4 and i still can say that the xiaomi is on par (except the camera and lcd) or even smoother feeling with less lag and error. I will choose xiaomi any day over galaxy note3/4. Gotta love the MUI7! The battery life is THE BEST part of this phone. I forgot when was the last time i use a smart phone that could last for more than a day without charging. Now I am afraid that i will miss the battery performance when moving to iphone 7.

                              My suggestion is if you want a temporary phone, buy this one. But if you are looking for a long term use, wait for the Redmi Note 4.

                                • D
                                • AnonD-76008
                                • 6ci
                                • 27 Aug 2016

                                Love This Phone! Period

                                  • D
                                  • AnonD-433252
                                  • H4u
                                  • 27 Aug 2016

                                  AnonD-479301, 26 Aug 2016I read 9 reviews till now about 3s prime. All 9 says it ... moreDefinitely go for it.....I don't know why review here is so negative but everywhere else reviews are very good and as a user too I can say that various opinions in this review doesn't match with my personal usage....For me it's great and is as reviewed by other.... awesome budget phone

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-551566
                                    • PH0
                                    • 26 Aug 2016

                                    AnonD-479301, 26 Aug 2016I read 9 reviews till now about 3s prime. All 9 says it ... morewell keep in mind (as the review says) that if u can spend a bit more u get the Note 3 unless u want a smaller phone in which case u should go with these, dunno what other phones u've been looking around but compare a bit and make an educated choice ^_^
                                    good luck

                                      • H
                                      • HayHayHay
                                      • 3Lk
                                      • 26 Aug 2016

                                      Guys you are the best! You really did it and made it faster then redmi 3 pro review. Waiting forward to see battery rating. Thank you guys!

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                                        • AnonD-564489
                                        • GQa
                                        • 26 Aug 2016

                                        What's the deal with Xiaomi fingerprint sensors? My Redmi Note 3 one works flawlessly.