The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is a smartphone developed by Xiaomi Inc. as part of Xiaomi's low-end Redmi smartphone line. It has three variants:[3]
The MediaTek variant (codenamed hennessey) was released on November 24, 2015.[4]
The Snapdragon variant (codenamed kenzo) was launched in February, 2016.[5]
Redmi Note 3 Special Edition[6] (codenamed kate) was launched in June 2016; it features an upgraded modem and a new housing, other specifications are the same as the Snapdragon variant.
Another notable difference between the MediaTek and Qualcomm variants of the phone is the rear-facing camera; there is a 13 MP camera sensor on the MediaTek variant whereas this is upgraded to a 16 MP sensor on the Qualcomm variants.[8] There is also a 5 MP front-facing camera on all variants.
All variants of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 include a 5.5 in (140 mm) 1080p display with 1080x1920 pixels resolution and 403 ppi pixel density. The Snapdragon variants use a special display technology known as 'Sunlight Display' in which the phone detects the ambient light and makes pixel-level adjustments in order to improve legibility under the sunlight. The phone also features a blue light filter for low light (night) reading.[9]
Another notable feature of the phone is the presence of a fingerprint sensor at the back. It can also be used for taking photos via the front-facing or rear-facing camera. The phone has a 4050 mAh Li-Po non-removable battery.
Connectivity
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, thus supporting both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The MediaTek variant supports two SIM cards while the Snapdragon variants have a SIM card and a microSDHC/SIM card hybrid slot; the microSDHC slot can also be used as a secondary SIM card slot.[10]
The Snapdragon variant (kenzo) runs on an Android based MIUI 7 OS which was updated to MIUI 8 based on Android 6.0 and then to MIUI 10.[11] Many custom Android ROMs are available for this device;[12] notable examples are MIUI 9 based on Android 7.0, CyanogenMod 13 and 14 (based on Android Marshmallow and Nougat, respectively), Lineage OS 13, 14, 15, Resurrection Remix OS 8.6 (based on Android 10)[13] and an unstable port of Sailfish OS. Custom ROMs based on Android Lollipop, Marshmallow, Nougat, Oreo, Pie, 10, 11 and 12 are also available, like Pixel Experience, ArrowOS, HavocOS, etc.
The Redmi Note 3 Special Edition (kate) came with MIUI 8 based on Android 6.0 which can be updated to MIUI 10.[11]
Although both of the Snapdragon-based variants (kenzo and kate) are similar with their ROMs, their firmware aren't compatible with each other and installing the wrong one may brick the device.[14]
The MediaTek variant (hennessey) runs on MIUI 7, it can be updated to MIUI 9 but didn't get a MIUI 10 update.
On 21 December 2018, Xiaomi announced the end of software support for the phone. In January 2019, it received its final MIUI update.[15]
Sales
On 25 August 2016, Xiaomi reported it had sold around 1.75 million units since March 2016.[16] It also became the highest-shipped smartphone in India's online market in Q2 2016.[17] It also became India's best online selling phone after it sold 2.3 million units until September 2016.[18]
In September 2017, InsightPortal reported the phone ranked 10th in their list of top ten devices worldwide with a market share of 1.1%.[19]
Parts providers
Redmi Note 3, a stylish smartphone back in 2016, had the following parts providers:
