I was able to get my hands on the Xiaomi Redmi 4A, the lowest end Redmi in the new Redmi 4 line of devices. It MSRPs for around $50 less than the Redmi 4 Prime (review here) giving it a price of $70, which is quite incredible.
I want you to think of the first $70 phone that comes into your mind. Mine was the Bluboo XFire 2, and that’s actually quite a poor example as it has a decent metal build, but it’s still sufficient enough to illustrate my point. Let’s take a look at the spec sheet, it has the MTK6580 processor, terribly slow for anyone who is vaguely tech literate, 1GB of RAM and an 8MP camera.
Now let’s switch over to the Redmi 4A. We find a very respectable Snapdragon 425 processor, 2GB of RAM and a 13MP camera.
However, its important to note that specs don’t always tell the whole story, and i’ll be putting this phone through its paces to see how it holds up. In the meantime, enjoy the unboxing, hands on, and first impressions below.
Xiaomi Redmi 4A Specifications
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 |
| Display | 5.0″ 1280×720 px, IPS LCD |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Storage | 16GB |
| Operating System | Android 6.0 with MIUI8 |
| Cameras | 13MP + 5MP Camera |
| Battery | 3020mAh |
| Physical Properties | 131g, 139.5 x 70.4 x 8.5 mm |
Big thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit. I’m currently testing the Xiaomi Redmi 4A on Fido in Toronto.
Xiaomi Redmi 4A Unboxing
The box is a slight departure from other Redmi devices, instead of the regular cover, we have an embossed (or whatever the opposite is of embossing) “4A” on the top and I’ve tried my hardest to capture that in photos.
Opening up the box we find the phone without a plastic cover on it (I made the mistake of choosing pink) and the normally sparse accessories, a plug, charger, and manual. Putting that aside and moving on to the pink Redmi 4A itself.
Xiaomi Redmi 4A Hands On
I initially thought the Redmi 4A was metal when I picked it up. However, the back of the phone wasn’t cold and tapping on it yielded a plastic response (sound and feel). However, Xiaomi did a great job painting the back to make it look like metal and feel vaguely like one as well. The front impressed me less.
The bezels around the screen are moderately large, large enough to immediately identify it as a “not flagship”. That being said, the phone is still a very respectable 5” size, imperceptibly larger than the Redmi 3. Turning the phone on and there is an additional black bar around the screen that we see on every other Redmi device. Combine this black bar with the already large bezels and we have quite a bit of bezel in a phone of 2016.
After turning on the phone I quickly set it up and played with it for a few minutes. Swiping between home screens was quite zippy and had me very impressed. If performance continues this way, this phone currently performs at the Redmi 3 level, which while by no means a flagship, was respectable for the price.
I’ll be putting this phone through more tests and use in the time to come, but the Redmi 4A has left a very decent first impression on me. Ignoring the price, the phone is decent, taking the price into account, the phone’s specs are way above what $70 would usually get you.
I have high hopes for the user experience as there has not been a single Xiaomi phone that has let me down yet and if the Redmi 4A continues that unbroken tradition, the Redmi 4A will be a steal of a deal. While it features the weaker Snapdragon 425, it should be sufficient enough for light use.
Xiaomi Redmi 4A First Impressions
The Xiaomi Redmi 4A isn’t aimed at midrange users, but instead is targeting the ultra budget segment. The new Snapdragon 425 should be more than enough to match the previous generation Redmi 3 devices utilizing the Snapdragon 430, and hopefully will be more power efficient to deliver great battery life with an “average” sized battery. You can buy the Xiaomi Redmi 4A here.
Xiaomi Redmi 4A Gallery
those are the specs for the 4 prime not the 4a..
Yes & something is terrible wrong with this article as it continues with S625 instead S425…
It’s just the quality of what this blog has become. posting without proof reading and such.
those are the specs for the 4 prime not the 4a..
Yes & something is terrible wrong with this article as it continues with S625 instead S425…
It’s just the quality of what this blog has become. posting without proof reading and such.
no metal,, oh bummer!! but wait, at that price, we understand the sacrifice. now am egarly waiting for the full review, then I may consider getting one for my pre-teen baby sister
no metal,, oh bummer!! but wait, at that price, we understand the sacrifice. now am egarly waiting for the full review, then I may consider getting one for my pre-teen baby sister
Hi Zi Jin. Doesn’t apply to this article, but are you still using the Zuk z2? Did you ever get the notification issue straightened out with the Indian ROM?
Hi, hope all is well. What’s thoughts about the Zuk Z2? I heard that the CM13 ROM is pretty efficient compared to ZUI OS. How is the battery life? Camera quality? Daily usage? I am asking because Zuk Z2 is sold at a competitive price. I still haven’t received my Redmi 4 Prime so I decided to cancel the transaction and buy it on another shop. Thanks!
Hi Luciano. The Zuk z2is a decent phone. I have to admit, I find it pretty ugly, but that’s just personal preference. I haven’t had my hands on it as much as I’d like (I purchased it for someone else). It is still on the reseller ROM for the moment, but battery life is adequate (5-6hrs sot) though be heard that is better, espeon the Indian ROM. Camera is definitely better than the Redmi 4 prime. Pretty good performance in good lighting. Not bad in lower light, but definitely not great. Very quick snappy UI, though zui is rather plain (I prefer MIUI or flyme). The u touch button is excellent. Coming from a meizu, it feels very natural. I’d love.to see Xiaomi use something similar. Overall though, for my purposes, I prefer the Redmi 4 prime because of its superb battery life and better aesthetics. Overall, the Zuk is a better phone, the Redmi just suits.my needs better.
Hi, thank you for your reply. Yeah it seems that the Redmi 4 Prime is a good compromise. I am a bit worried because some Redmi 4 Prime owners are complaining because of the mic quality which is apparently noisy. Have you noticed improvements in the camera department after upgrading the software? I still have questions but I guess that some buyers might have received faulty devices. I am gonna get the R4P from another seller. Cheers!
I haven’t had any mic problems. Camera seems about the same (on current stable ROM, haven’t tried the developer ROM yet). It’s good enough in decent lighting, but struggles in poor lighting. Also has a hard time with action shots. Fast moving objects are blurry. Ironically, video quality of action seems just fine. Not trying to dissuade you from the Zuk z2 at all, as it is a better phone than the Redmi 4….the Redmi 4 just suits my needs better. Fastcardtech has the Redmi 4 prime for a great price right now too.
Hi Jh1, thank you for your answer. I have seen a review comparing the Redmi 3S Prime to the Redmi 4 Prime and it seems that the camera is better on the 3S Prime. I am just wondering why Xiaomi haven’t used the same camera sensor inside the Redmi 4 Prime. Sometimes I do not understand manufacturers. Anyway, like I said Xiaomi have to cut the costs somewhere but this is a bad move in my opinion because I do not think the price difference is that huge between both camera sensors. All that being said, I think the best deal for me right now is the Redmi 4 Prime because I need a new phone quickly. I heard that Xiaomi will release a new version of the Redmi 4 Prime soon with the band 20 which is used a lot in my country so I don’t know what to do. I believe that I can survive without the band 20. Moreover I am tired looking for the right device in the market. Each phone from mid-range to flagships has pros and cons. I will check fastcardtech website.
I hadn’t heard that about the camera, except in low light conditions. I agree, it is frustrating that they had to cut costs. Personally, I would have gladly paid another $30 for a better camera and speaker. Then it would have been nearly the perfect phone.
I totally agree with everything you wrote above. The Redmi 4 Prime with black front is sold around $155 everywhere and at $170 on Ibuygou, for that price they could have kept the camera sensor of the 3S Prime or used a sensor with better picture quality in low light conditions. Finally, at $160 they could have brought a Redmi 4 Prime with backlit button. Anyway, like you posted before it is still a great device for the price.
They could have used the sensor from the mi4c or Redmi pro and not changes the price point much. I believe fastcardtech has it for $139 at the moment
I checked fastcardtech, for the grey version buyers have to pay 18$ more so at the end the phone costs 157$.
That’s annoying….not much of a deal there. Sorry
Hi Zi Jin. Doesn’t apply to this article, but are you still using the Zuk z2? Did you ever get the notification issue straightened out with the Indian ROM?
Hi, hope all is well. What’s thoughts about the Zuk Z2? I heard that the CM13 ROM is pretty efficient compared to ZUI OS. How is the battery life? Camera quality? Daily usage? I am asking because Zuk Z2 is sold at a competitive price. I still haven’t received my Redmi 4 Prime so I decided to cancel the transaction and buy it on another shop. Thanks!
Hi Luciano. The Zuk z2is a decent phone. I have to admit, I find it pretty ugly, but that’s just personal preference. I haven’t had my hands on it as much as I’d like (I purchased it for someone else). It is still on the reseller ROM for the moment, but battery life is adequate (5-6hrs sot) though be heard that is better, espeon the Indian ROM. Camera is definitely better than the Redmi 4 prime. Pretty good performance in good lighting. Not bad in lower light, but definitely not great. Very quick snappy UI, though zui is rather plain (I prefer MIUI or flyme). The u touch button is excellent. Coming from a meizu, it feels very natural. I’d love.to see Xiaomi use something similar. Overall though, for my purposes, I prefer the Redmi 4 prime because of its superb battery life and better aesthetics. Overall, the Zuk is a better phone, the Redmi just suits.my needs better.
Hi, thank you for your reply. Yeah it seems that the Redmi 4 Prime is a good compromise. I am a bit worried because some Redmi 4 Prime owners are complaining because of the mic quality which is apparently noisy. Have you noticed improvements in the camera department after upgrading the software? I still have questions but I guess that some buyers might have received faulty devices. I am gonna get the R4P from another seller. Cheers!
I haven’t had any mic problems. Camera seems about the same (on current stable ROM, haven’t tried the developer ROM yet). It’s good enough in decent lighting, but struggles in poor lighting. Also has a hard time with action shots. Fast moving objects are blurry. Ironically, video quality of action seems just fine. Not trying to dissuade you from the Zuk z2 at all, as it is a better phone than the Redmi 4….the Redmi 4 just suits my needs better. Fastcardtech has the Redmi 4 prime for a great price right now too.
Hi Jh1, thank you for your answer. I have seen a review comparing the Redmi 3S Prime to the Redmi 4 Prime and it seems that the camera is better on the 3S Prime. I am just wondering why Xiaomi haven’t used the same camera sensor inside the Redmi 4 Prime. Sometimes I do not understand manufacturers. Anyway, like I said Xiaomi have to cut the costs somewhere but this is a bad move in my opinion because I do not think the price difference is that huge between both camera sensors. All that being said, I think the best deal for me right now is the Redmi 4 Prime because I need a new phone quickly. I heard that Xiaomi will release a new version of the Redmi 4 Prime soon with the band 20 which is used a lot in my country so I don’t know what to do. I believe that I can survive without the band 20. Moreover I am tired looking for the right device in the market. Each phone from mid-range to flagships has pros and cons. I will check fastcardtech website.
I hadn’t heard that about the camera, except in low light conditions. I agree, it is frustrating that they had to cut costs. Personally, I would have gladly paid another $30 for a better camera and speaker. Then it would have been nearly the perfect phone.
I totally agree with everything you wrote above. The Redmi 4 Prime with black front is sold around $155 everywhere and at $170 on Ibuygou, for that price they could have kept the camera sensor of the 3S Prime or used a sensor with better picture quality in low light conditions. Finally, at $160 they could have brought a Redmi 4 Prime with backlit button. Anyway, like you posted before it is still a great device for the price.
They could have used the sensor from the mi4c or Redmi pro and not changes the price point much. I believe fastcardtech has it for $139 at the moment
I checked fastcardtech, for the grey version buyers have to pay 18$ more so at the end the phone costs 157$.
That’s annoying….not much of a deal there. Sorry
I like the fact that the Xiaomi Redmi 4A is so much lighter than the other Redmi 4 models 131 grams vs 156 for the Prime. OK the Prime has a bigger battery, but being so heavy it doesn’t fit my definition of compact. Even the Redmi 3’s which has the same size battery as the Redmi 4 Prime is only 144 grams. Too bad the 4 Prime is such a brick.
I like the fact that the Xiaomi Redmi 4A is so much lighter than the other Redmi 4 models 131 grams vs 156 for the Prime. OK the Prime has a bigger battery, but being so heavy it doesn’t fit my definition of compact. Even the Redmi 3’s which has the same size battery as the Redmi 4 Prime is only 144 grams. Too bad the 4 Prime is such a brick.