Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625) review: Take Note!

27 March 2017
After getting to know Xiaomi's Redmi Note 4 with Helio X20, it's time to meet the Snapdragon 625 edition. It promises better battery efficiency and thermal control thanks to the more advanced manufacturing process. But these improvements may have cost the Note 4 some of its performance punch, and we will duly explore this possibility.

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The gpu will ABSOLUTELY make a difference in real life, especially for gaming and graphics heavy applications. Try playing Real Racing on the highest settings on both settings and notice the clear difference yourself. The Adreno 506 is adequate for 1080p gaming, but will struggle with the latest games at high settings. The 510 in the Note 3 Pro on the other hand will play most games ok at the highest settings, as will the similarly capable Mali in the Mediatek powered Note 4.

What the article doesnt tell you is the fact that its not just the two missing A72 cores & a stronger gpu in the X20 that makes it quite superior to the SD 625. The X20 has dual channel DD3 memory (933 mhz) which gives it 60% more bandwidth than the SD 625 which has only single channel memory. Bandwidth is precious in Mobile SOCs due to a single memory bus which is shared by the different components & impacts 3d performance. For comparison, the SD 650 also has dual channel memory at the same frequency as teh X20. Even the SD 800 from 2013-14 has more bandwidth than the SD 625.
The one and ONLY advantage for the 625 is better battery longevity, thats about it. If all you do on your phone is light browsing, face book and media consumption, by all means go for the 625 Note 4 as it will last you longer and you wont really notice the difference.

But if you do any processor & gpu intensive tasks on your phone, you are much better off with the X20, 650/652 or the older 810 & 808 (heating issues not considered).

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • ibm
    • 28 Mar 2017

    the j7 prime price is dropping closer to the rn4 but i dont think people will go for it.

      Can anyone tell me how to use the online streaming in MIUI official music app?

      I couldn't find it anywhere

        Am I the only one who hates this new trend of OEMs prioritizing battery life over performance? I mean yes, I understand that battery life is way more important to most people than performance, but for power users like myself I find this new trend very disheartening ☹️

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          • AnonD-618690
          • Hk%
          • 28 Mar 2017

          Another notable feature is wifi 5g ac which had been removed in X20 Note 4. Kudos on Xiaomi to bring back this while keeping price competitive.

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            • AnonD-523334
            • 7k7
            • 27 Mar 2017

            When considering value factor, xiaomi offers on par with the most "value for money" brands like leeco and Meizu, but no one can beat xiaomi in battery life. Mi5 had best battery life in all flagships except s7 edge. Mi5s plus had best battery life among all the flagships announced last fall. Redmi and redmi notes are the king of the Hill with their 4100 mah batteries. And Mi Max is also the king of battery life in its class.

              • m
              • mike
              • nxF
              • 27 Mar 2017

              The battery life decreses with the first official Nougat builds. I have Global Dev 7.23.3 and it's no match to Marshmallow rom in the Global Stable. I guess it will take some time to iron out the roms with Nougat to get it on this level. But overall for this money, it's a really solid device. My 4x doesn't seem to have that much of a difference in coloring the plastic part, so it's not an issue.

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