Xiaomi Redmi 4a review: Economy Basic

6 June 2017
With an asking price of about $100, the Redmi 4a is obviously at the very bottom of the company lineup - which pretty much equals the lowest there is in the smartphone food chain. If reputations are made or undone in the flagship category, the Redmi 4a must be well on the safe side being the polar opposite. We don't think this disclaimer is even needed but Xiaomi's entry level should be pretty much under most people's radar. It would've slipped under ours too was it not for a sudden spike in popularity in our charts.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • gMx
  • 15 Jun 2017

rynn, 09 Jun 2017regarding the format, I think it is good to review phone be... morevideo call ha

    • S
    • Shai
    • rej
    • 14 Jun 2017

    Should be Marshmallow instead of Lollipop. :)

      • D
      • AnonD-676018
      • f37
      • 10 Jun 2017

      Just received my first software update here in South Africa loving the phone already.

        • r
        • rynn
        • ib7
        • 09 Jun 2017

        regarding the format, I think it is good to review phone below $100.

        however, for other range of price, i would be expecting alot more:

        1. capibility of night mode image & video shooting.
        a. with tripod
        b. without tripod.

        2. sound recording quality, outdoor, indoor and 120db loud rock concert music.

        3. Sunrise and Sunset capturing

        4. do the above for front camera and rear camera.
        More and more vlogger using smartphone as the camera.
        the above are important.

        there has not been sufficient front camera review..
        i.e the angle view capable.
        |
        5. Overheating issue.
        i. does the phone overheat and shut down after continuous of 2 hours 4K video watching?
        ii. does the phone overheat after continous of 2 hours of Full HD video recording..?

        etc.

        alot of testing, but it is useful for the growing numbers of vlogger.

          • R
          • Rohit
          • 7t$
          • 08 Jun 2017

          Don't forget the Alcatel Ideal 4G which is currently going for 20 USD on Bestbuy.
          Beats every phone in the value race.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • b5e
            • 08 Jun 2017

            I too use 4a for about 6 months, snap 425 is not underwhelming.. its performance is enough to drive whatsapp, wechat, facebook, not to heavy games, and other daily tasks NOT sluggishly..

            Battery is quite good, can give me 1.5 half day with 4g all the time, no wifi..
            camera is also average at best.. but the display color quite good IMO..
            The plastic body can feel cheap and may easily break, but hey, I buy it at US$73, no complain here..

              • D
              • AnonD-302271
              • KSi
              • 08 Jun 2017

              I don't know why gsma is saying its a powerless 425 cpu. It is good enough for day to day tasks.
              The battery life too is great with 2dys of usage on a single charge. I get a screen on time in between 7:20hr to 8:40hr with little usage of 4g data and mostly wifi turned on.
              For 6000 bucks you can not expect more from it.

                • D
                • AnonD-512616
                • vgN
                • 08 Jun 2017

                Lol, u need 2 fix that "Android 6.0.1 Lollipop" on the review

                  • g
                  • gon_from_uy
                  • 8Ir
                  • 07 Jun 2017

                  Thanks for the disclaimer at the bottom of the review. I was waiting on this one to compare my options.
                  Please keep covering reviews for Xiaomi and Huawei. These brands are not well known in Latin America and they are making a really good difference from all we were used to.

                    • D
                    • AnonD-114814
                    • JFm
                    • 07 Jun 2017

                    AceShot, 07 Jun 2017Sluggish entry-level chipset?!? Are you out of your Mind GS... moreXiaomi has bad and crapy software. Not all in chipset

                      • D
                      • AnonD-104084
                      • tDQ
                      • 07 Jun 2017

                      Prefer to get Redmi 4 Prime

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • 7tG
                        • 07 Jun 2017

                        I actually like the size of this review. Everything is included. Make more such short reviews. Nice job gsma.

                          • j
                          • john13
                          • i5N
                          • 07 Jun 2017

                          I bought one for the 99$ for my mother-in law and honestly, can't really fault it at all. When I bought it there was no redmi device below 140$ and honestly I know it wouldn't have made a difference to her. It does over 4h SOT, she can use it to do transcripts (she speaks, the phone writes) without hiccups and the camera is able to take some snaps albeit very mediocre ones. If you're looking for a quick fix or really don't want to spend anymore money, it's a good purchase. Just be sure to choose wisely before you buy it: try and get one without a shop-rom.

                            • S
                            • Sunil
                            • sSU
                            • 07 Jun 2017

                            AnonD-518022, 07 Jun 2017Please add the 360 degrees turn of the phone, besides that ... morehttp://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_4a-3d-spin-8420.php

                            here you go

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • 9Ki
                              • 07 Jun 2017

                              About the review format - This is a great format. Please keep it up for low-end devices.

                              One point which I could not understand is - Quad-core A53 was considered as too weak for an Android smartphone in 2017 and that Octa-core A53 was considered as a bare minimum by the reviewer. I would beg to differ on this. The Quad-core A53 chipsets (like SD 425, MTK 6737) are far more efficient than octa-core A53 chipsets (like SD 430, 435, MTK 6750 etc). And the performance of SD 425 is MORE than ADEQUATE for the target audience (Facebook, whatsapp and little bit of browsing). If anything, it is the Octa-core inefficient chipsets (the likes of SD 430, 435, MTK 6750, 6753, 6755 at 28nm) that should die first.

                                • D
                                • AnonD-518022
                                • Nnu
                                • 07 Jun 2017

                                Please add the 360 degrees turn of the phone, besides that the shorter review is not missing anything important compared to the longer review.

                                  • D
                                  • AnonD-643743
                                  • f}I
                                  • 07 Jun 2017

                                  techknow, 07 Jun 2017The customers queing outside an Mi service centre in India ... moreWell, in order to provide high end specs at low prices, there should be some compromises made. With Chinese OEMs it's almost always the build quality

                                    The customers queing outside an Mi service centre in India is a big detrimental for me. Most Mi customers hate their service. No wonder they are steadily losing marketshare in China. Matter of time b4 we Indians realise they may be high on specs at lower pricing but absolutely rubbish in quality

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • m86
                                      • 07 Jun 2017

                                      AceShot, 07 Jun 2017Sluggish entry-level chipset?!? Are you out of your Mind GS... moreRead the review carefully. You may have missed some parts like when this phone can't record in 1080p at 30fps in a stable way.

                                        finally GSMArena make review xiaomi redmi 4a