What's good
- Excellent price
- Snappy performance
- Beautiful screen
- Quality design
What's bad
- No 4G LTE support
- No MicroSD support
- Limited availability
Xiaomi has been on a mission to prove there is room in the top of the pack for a new manufacturer. With its own take on Android, quality designs and high-end specs at mid-tier prices, the company is turning heads in China. Will the Mi3 stack up to the pre-release hype? Let’s look at the reviews and find out.
One of the biggest things mentioned in many reviews of the devices is the astounding build quality. The plastic shell fits the metal chassis like a glove. Sleek lines and a large 5-inch 1080p screen create a clean look that most reviews applaud. MakeUseOf noted the build quality stating, “the device feels solid and well-built.” So solid, in fact, that CNet mistakenly thought it had a metal body initially.
The phone features a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor--one of the more powerful chipsets currently available. Backed with 2GB of RAM, reviews found no issues in performance or multitasking. MakeUseOf said, “The phone never lagged, no matter what I did with it” and called it “an absolute beast in the specs department.” Gizmodo India stated that it “packs quite a punch to rival higher-priced smartphones in the market.”
The Mi3 includes 16GB of internal storage, 12GB of which is accessible to the user. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include a MicroSD slot for expanded storage. It’s also lacking 4G LTE support meaning you’ll have to settle for slower data transfers when you’re not in range of a Wi-Fi signal.
The 3,050mAh internal battery isn’t replaceable. Fortunately, reviews found the battery to be more than enough with MakeUseOf finding that it “easily lasted more more than a day of moderate use.”
The phone also includes bluetooth, NFC and Wireless N support as well as a 13MP, dual-flash rear camera. Reviews noted that low light performance was a little weak but otherwise found the camera a joy to use. However, lack of a dedicated shutter button means you’ll be tapping the screen to snap pictures and can make for difficulty pulling off the perfect shot.
In all, the device receives rave reviews, comparing it to the likes of Sony, LG and Motorola but at a much lower price point. CNet summed up the reviews best when they said “Xiaomi's competitors should start paying attention. It's hard to deny how much value Xiaomi has packed into this phone.”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- GSMArena team, GSMArenaThe company's best-selling phone to date packing top-notch technology and blazing-fast Android experience.
- Evan Kypreos, TrustedReviewsThe Xiaomi Mi3 is a great-looking, well-made phone with great hardware that isn’t always made the most of by the software, at least if you're westerner importing it. This is a phone designed for a Chinese audience, and just about every part of its interface is designed for that crowd. We are s...
- Gary Cutlack, TechRadarA superb phone offering high-end performance and an interesting, angular physical design that helps it stand out from the masses of other budget Android models.
- Jamshed Avari, NDTVThe Xiaomi Mi 3 is a sensational product. Competitors, especially Indian companies, should be very afraid. If Xiaomi keeps going the way it has begun, it could easily take over the entire Indian market. We'll have to wait a while to see how the company's after-sales network shapes up, but that shoul...
- Kunal Gangar, Tech TickerOne of the things that makes Xiaomi Mi 3 tempting is the price tag. Given the hardware and performance, the phone blows Moto G and other similarly priced devices out of the water. That said, the biggest bane of Mi 3 is the limited internal storage. There’s no microSD expansion slot and while M...
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Common Questions
Xiaomi backs up the Mi3 with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Mi3 has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Xiaomi support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Xiaomi's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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