Xiaomi ‘Kenzo’ (leaked): Is this the Redmi 3?


xiaomi mi4c review

Xiaomi is up to quite a lot, it seems. The Redmi Note 3 just launched, while the Xiaomi Mi 5, along with a ‘Prime’ phone for the Indian market is in the pipeline. This is besides the December 15th launch that Xiaomi have planned, allegedly for a robot vacuum cleaner.

Add to that list, another smartphone: the Xiaomi ‘Kenzo’. This phone was recently spotted on a benchmark database, and is widely believed to be the Xiaomi Redmi 3.

The Redmi 2 may not have been the thundering success that its predecessors were, which is all the more reason for Xiaomi to make the Redmi 3 a killer phone.

The benchmark listing gives some (confusing) insight into the Xiaomi Kenzo; this includes a mention of the octa-core MSM8952 aka Snapdragon 617 processor, along with a processor listing that says the phone will have only six cores. Take a look.

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xiaomi_kenzo_geekbench_listing

Specs in the listing in a nutshell:

  • 2GB RAM
  • Android 5.1.1
  • Hexa-core processor (but with a model Snapdragon 617 (which is octa-core))
  • Single core score: 1561
  • Multi core score: 4541

While the processor model isn’t really clear yet, what you can tell from the info available is that this certainly isn’t going to be a flagship phone for Xiaomi.

Will this be the Redmi 2S/Redmi 3?

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

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80 Comments

  1. Aa
    December 11, 2015

    I want Redmi 3 to be made of aluminium, like Redmi Note 3. That would be perfect phone for me (I don’t need very high performance and I want sub 5 inch phone).

    • rimakus
      December 11, 2015

      Yes! 4.7 or lower. I sometimes take my wife’s mi2s to play and it is such a relief after Galaxy Note. You can do everything with one hand!

      • Aa
        December 11, 2015

        Exactly! 4.3-4.7 inch with small bezels, that would be ideal. 🙂

  2. Joel Adames
    December 11, 2015

    …not my thing…

  3. realjjj
    December 11, 2015

    The SoC is SD618 ofc.

    • Muhammad Yasir
      December 11, 2015

      is it good ?

      • realjjj
        December 11, 2015

        It’s 2xA72 at 1.8GHz and 4xA53.
        The score here is a bit soft, single core should hit about 1.5k.
        But remains to be seen if Xiaomi can get it cheap enough to put it in something as cheap as the Redmi 3.

        • Muhammad Yasir
          December 11, 2015

          how cheap is the redmi 3 expected to be , that placing a 618 in it looks a bit unrealistic cost wise ?

          • realjjj
            December 11, 2015

            Some 110$. And SD808 is garbage this would be better.

            • Julio
              December 11, 2015

              If they release a 5″ (70mm width) phone similar to the Redmi Note 3 with a huge battery (3000mAh at least) and 3gb ram I would definitely buy 2 units instantly. Of course at a price less than the one resellers are asking for the MI4C.

          • Guaire
            December 11, 2015

            799 yuan top with metal build and fingerprint scanner considering Redmi Note 3 starts from 899.

          • balcobomber25
            December 11, 2015

            Xiaomi pricing has been consistent throughout their existence, expect this to be around 699 yuan for a base model and 799 for an upgraded model.

  4. Guaire
    December 11, 2015

    It’s Snapdragon 618. Don’t let that code numbers confuse you. First Snapdragon 620 samples also benchmarked with that exact same code numbers.

    http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/search?dir=asc&page=1&q=msm8952&sort=created_at

    • Muhammad Yasir
      December 11, 2015

      is good ?

      • Guaire
        December 11, 2015

        Comparable to the SD808 on the paper.

        • Muhammad Yasir
          December 11, 2015

          ur kidding right ?!
          the 808 is an absolute high end BEAST !

          618 looks to me , by name , like a continuation of the mid range 615 CPU … not so much high-end

          • Guaire
            December 11, 2015

            Nope. In short it has similar performance with the SD808 both CPU and GPU wise according to Geekbench and Gfxbench results. It gonna be manufactured 28nm process despite the SD808 has been manufactured 20nm. Not a problem hence A72 is more power efficient than A57.

            The SD618 is a hexacore model of the SD620 which its early CPU benchmarks matched with the Exynos 7420.

            https://www.qualcomm.com/products/snapdragon/processors/618
            http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/compare/4028321?baseline=4476041
            https://gfxbench.com/compare.jsp?benchmark=gfxgen&did1=27107886&os1=Android&api1=gl&hwtype1=GPU&hwname1=Qualcomm+Adreno+%28TM%29+510&D2=Xiaomi+MI+4C

            • Muhammad Yasir
              December 11, 2015

              nice!

          • balcobomber25
            December 11, 2015

            The 808 itself isn’t exactly high end. it’s in that mid-range/low end flagship range with the Helios X10. It’s a good SoC but there are better ones available.

            • Dante
              December 11, 2015

              the 808 is high end , people dont think that helio x10 is a midrange chip and try to caniballize snapdragon’s name , its a pretty rarew chip too like only 6 phones lauched iwth it , the cheapest and best value being the mi4c

            • balcobomber25
              December 11, 2015

              Exnyos 7420, SD820, Apple A9, Kirin 950, Helios X20 those are high end chips, the SD810 would be too if it didn’t suffer from performance issues. The 808 and X10 are in the next tier meant for budget flagships.

            • Muhammad Yasir
              December 11, 2015

              but i bet the 810’s heating issues meant 808 was considered a more viable choice …

            • balcobomber25
              December 11, 2015

              Not really, most manufacturers still chose the 810, heating issues and all.

  5. Muhammad Yasir
    December 11, 2015

    is the 618 or what ever the hell , good ?

  6. Dels
    December 11, 2015

    hooray for snapdragon, we can get custom rom (not like most mediatek devices)

    • balcobomber25
      December 11, 2015

      Mediatek released the source code for several of their chips this year including the hugely popular Helios X10, which is being used in most midrange-low end flagship devices coming out of China.

      • Adam Irvine
        December 11, 2015

        They may well have, but places like xda-developer forums are still heavily concentrated on the more ‘western’ stuff (Qualcomm SD)

        • balcobomber25
          December 11, 2015

          That is true but there still are ROM’s being developed for Mediatek devices. The selection just isn’t as great as Qualcomm.

          • MaxPower
            December 11, 2015

            to make a custom rom you need the drivers (camera, fingerprint scanner… just to name few)

            the SoC is important but the phone manufacturer has to release the source code otherwise it’s going to be only a mosaic of APKs.

            • balcobomber25
              December 11, 2015

              Yup and that’s why I laugh when people blame Mediatek for not having custom ROM’s or certain phones not being updated.

            • tauerman
              December 11, 2015

              Please tell me, what is your take on this:
              How big is the custom rom community and rom choice of the following devices: Mi4, Mi4C, Redmi Note 3 (how will it be?) and Zuk Z1

              My buying decision will be partly based on your feedback to the rom topic.

              @balcobomber25/@MaxPower and others of course.

            • balcobomber25
              December 14, 2015

              Most people who use Xiaomi phones use them for MIUI, because it is one of the most stable ROM’s available. And also because it has one of the largest communities of any ROM.

            • Snelleboi
              December 11, 2015

              Um, where to find those roms other than needrom ? Do u know ?

            • balcobomber25
              December 14, 2015

              Needrom, XDA, Rootzwiki, ROM Manager, PDAB, Android Forums, The UnlockR, MIUI Forums, Rootmyandroid.

  7. VMortens
    December 11, 2015

    I see potential for a great midrange here – all depends now on how good the camera will be here.
    Please give it a camera as good as in Mi4c and it’s my next phone.

    • Julio
      December 11, 2015

      Same here, a design close to the Note 3 at a competitive price below the price asked by resellers for the advanced version of the MI4C and I get 2 units LOL

      • afghanPower
        December 11, 2015

        Prefer the Note 2 design (really dislike unibody design). But won’t say no to a 5 inch or 5.2 inch xiaomi with fingerprint 😉

  8. Aa
    December 11, 2015

    I want Redmi 3 to be made of aluminium, like Redmi Note 3. That would be perfect phone for me (I don’t need very high performance and I want sub 5 inch phone).

    • rimakus
      December 11, 2015

      Yes! 4.7 or lower. I sometimes take my wife’s mi2s to play and it is such a relief after Galaxy Note. You can do everything with one hand!

    • Aa
      December 11, 2015

      Exactly! 4.3-4.7 inch with small bezels, that would be ideal. 🙂

  9. Joel Adames
    December 11, 2015

    …not my thing…

  10. realjjj
    December 11, 2015

    The SoC is SD618 ofc.

    • Guest
      December 11, 2015

      is it good ?

    • realjjj
      December 11, 2015

      It’s 2xA72 at 1.8GHz and 4xA53.
      The score here is a bit soft, single core should hit about 1.5k.
      But remains to be seen if Xiaomi can get it cheap enough to put it in something as cheap as the Redmi 3.

    • Guest
      December 11, 2015

      how cheap is the redmi 3 expected to be , that placing a 618 in it looks a bit unrealistic cost wise ?

    • realjjj
      December 11, 2015

      Some 110$. And SD808 is garbage this would be better.

    • Guaire
      December 11, 2015

      799 yuan top with metal build and fingerprint scanner considering Redmi Note 3 starts from 899.

    • balcobomber25
      December 11, 2015

      Xiaomi pricing has been consistent throughout their existence, expect this to be around 699 yuan for a base model and 799 for an upgraded model.

    • Guest
      December 11, 2015

      If they release a 5″ (70mm width) phone similar to the Redmi Note 3 with a huge battery (3000mAh at least) and 3gb ram I would definitely buy 2 units instantly. Of course at a price less than the one resellers are asking for the MI4C.

  11. Guaire
    December 11, 2015

    It’s Snapdragon 618. Don’t let that code numbers confuse you. First Snapdragon 620 samples also benchmarked with that exact same code numbers.

    http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/search?dir=asc&page=1&q=msm8952&sort=created_at

    • Guest
      December 11, 2015

      is good ?

    • Guaire
      December 11, 2015

      Comparable to the SD808 on the paper.

    • Guest
      December 11, 2015

      ur kidding right ?!
      the 808 is an absolute high end BEAST !

      618 looks to me , by name , like a continuation of the mid range 615 CPU … not so much high-end

    • Guaire
      December 11, 2015

      Nope. In short it has similar performance with the SD808 both CPU and GPU wise according to Geekbench and Gfxbench results. It gonna be manufactured 28nm process despite the SD808 has been manufactured 20nm. Not a problem hence A72 is more power efficient than A57.

      The SD618 is a hexacore model of the SD620 which its early CPU benchmarks matched with the Exynos 7420.

      https://www.qualcomm.com/products/snapdragon/processors/618
      http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/compare/4028321?baseline=4476041
      https://gfxbench.com/compare.jsp?benchmark=gfxgen&did1=27107886&os1=Android&api1=gl&hwtype1=GPU&hwname1=Qualcomm+Adreno+%28TM%29+510&D2=Xiaomi+MI+4C

    • balcobomber25
      December 11, 2015

      The 808 itself isn’t exactly high end. it’s in that mid-range/low end flagship range with the Helios X10. It’s a good SoC but there are better ones available.

    • Dante
      December 11, 2015

      the 808 is high end , people dont think that helio x10 is a midrange chip and try to caniballize snapdragon’s name , its a pretty rarew chip too like only 6 phones lauched iwth it , the cheapest and best value being the mi4c

    • balcobomber25
      December 11, 2015

      Exnyos 7420, SD820, Apple A9, Kirin 950, Helios X20 those are high end chips, the SD810 would be too if it didn’t suffer from performance issues. The 808 and X10 are in the next tier meant for budget flagships.

    • Guest
      December 11, 2015

      nice!

    • Guest
      December 11, 2015

      but i bet the 810’s heating issues meant 808 was considered a more viable choice …

    • balcobomber25
      December 11, 2015

      Not really, most manufacturers still chose the 810, heating issues and all.

  12. Guest
    December 11, 2015

    is the 618 or what ever the hell , good ?

  13. Dels
    December 11, 2015

    hooray for snapdragon, we can get custom rom (not like most mediatek devices)

    • balcobomber25
      December 11, 2015

      Mediatek released the source code for several of their chips this year including the hugely popular Helios X10, which is being used in most midrange-low end flagship devices coming out of China.

    • Adam Irvine
      December 11, 2015

      They may well have, but places like xda-developer forums are still heavily concentrated on the more ‘western’ stuff (Qualcomm SD)

    • balcobomber25
      December 11, 2015

      That is true but there still are ROM’s being developed for Mediatek devices. The selection just isn’t as great as Qualcomm.

    • MaxPower
      December 11, 2015

      to make a custom rom you need the drivers (camera, fingerprint scanner… just to name few)

      the SoC is important but the phone manufacturer has to release the source code otherwise it’s going to be only a mosaic of APKs.

    • balcobomber25
      December 11, 2015

      Yup and that’s why I laugh when people blame Mediatek for not having custom ROM’s or certain phones not being updated.

    • tauerman
      December 11, 2015

      Please tell me, what is your take on this:
      How big is the custom rom community and rom choice of the following devices: Mi4, Mi4C, Redmi Note 3 (how will it be?) and Zuk Z1

      My buying decision will be partly based on your feedback to the rom topic.

      @balcobomber25/@MaxPower and others of course.

    • Guest
      December 12, 2015

      Um, where to find those roms other than needrom ? Do u know ?

    • balcobomber25
      December 14, 2015

      Needrom, XDA, Rootzwiki, ROM Manager, PDAB, Android Forums, The UnlockR, MIUI Forums, Rootmyandroid.

    • balcobomber25
      December 14, 2015

      Most people who use Xiaomi phones use them for MIUI, because it is one of the most stable ROM’s available. And also because it has one of the largest communities of any ROM. I don’t even know what the developing community is like for Xiaomi because I never had a need to look into it, MIUI is that good.

      As for Zuk they are still relatively new but their phones run Cyanogne which also has a huge community so I’m sure you will be able to find a lot of good ROMs for them eventually.

  14. Julio
    December 11, 2015

    It might be the Redmi Note Prime (Note 2) which will be luanched pretty soon in India!

  15. VMortens
    December 11, 2015

    I see potential for a great midrange here – all depends now on how good the camera will be here.
    Please give it a camera as good as in Mi4c and it’s my next phone.

    • Guest
      December 11, 2015

      Same here, a design close to the Note 3 at a competitive price below the price asked by resellers for the advanced version of the MI4C and I get 2 units LOL

    • afghanPower
      December 11, 2015

      Prefer the Note 2 design (really dislike unibody design). But won’t say no to a 5 inch or 5.2 inch xiaomi with fingerprint 😉

  16. Guest
    December 11, 2015

    It might be the Redmi Note Prime (Note 2) which will be luanched pretty soon in India!

  17. Robert Smit
    December 12, 2015

    Camera, Battery ,GPS,NFC,SD should be there with great camera like in the Lumia phones.

  18. Mobile_Dom
    December 12, 2015

    i dont think its 617, 617 is still all A53s is it not? the single core score is far too high to be a Cortex A53 chip, maybe the 618 with 2x A72s and 4x A53s?

  19. Robert Smit
    December 12, 2015

    Camera, Battery ,GPS,NFC,SD should be there with great camera like in the Lumia phones.

  20. Mobile_Dom
    December 12, 2015

    i dont think its 617, 617 is still all A53s is it not? the single core score is far too high to be a Cortex A53 chip, maybe the 618 with 2x A72s and 4x A53s?