Redmi A3 Review - Affordable Phone with Glass Build
The Redmi A3 is the cheapest phone from Redmi in 2024. I got my unit here for 98,000 naira and if you do the maths the phone is selling for way below $100. For that price you are getting a phone with a glass back, large IPS LCD display with a 90 Hz refresh rate and 90Hz refresh rate, 5000mAh battery, Android 14, and a side mounted fingerprint scanner. While all that might be great features, the phone is an entry level phone and it falls short in some aspect. There is also one important thing you need to do the moment you get the phone out of the box and we will talk about it before the end of this review. Let us dive deeper and share everything you need to know about the phone starting with the accessories you get in the box.
Our review of Redmi A3
Positives
- Good Battery Life
- Affordable Device
- Great Design & Build Quality
Negatives
- Poor Camera
- Slow Charging
Redmi A3 Review - Everything You Need to Know
Redmi A3 Unboxing
The box is similar to what we got with the Redmi 13C that was released earlier. A mixture of red and black. Inside the box you will get a 10 watts charger, a USB C cable, sim ejector tool, user guide and the smartphone itself. There is no silicone tpu case in the box and finding a case for this phone will be a difficult. I will scout the internet and if I find good ones I will link them in the description.
Redmi Note 13 vs Tecno Spark 20 Pro
Design & Build Quality
The phone is made of glass at the back, and as far as I know there isn’t any other cheap phone with glass in the market. The frames are made of plastic and the back of the phone makes it look bold and unique. This large camera ring is what we have seen on the more expensive Xiaomi 14 Ultra and it is making its way down to their affordable phone. I love how my fingers rest on the camera ring at the back, it just feels comfortable. Personally, I don’t like or dislike the design at the back. By the way I plan to compare this phone with the Redmi 13C and if you would like to see that comparison then comment. It is just there for me and I would love to know what you think about the design in the comment section. I would also love to know where you are watching me from. It has a side mounted fingerprint scanner that is quite fast for the price. The volume key is slightly above it and on the left side we have the sim card tray that holds two sim cards and a slot for a Micro SD card. It has a single speaker at the top and the sound is quite decent. There is also a headphone port at the top just beside the speaker. It charges through a USB C port at the bottom and you also get a microphone for calls beside it. In terms of design, I would say the phone has some character and it will surely get people’s attention when you hold it because of the large camera ring.
Display Aspect
Turn the phone upfront and that is where you begin to see the reason why it is cheap. Before we get to that, the display is 6.71 inch with a 90Hz refresh rate and 720p resolution. Even though it’s a 6.7 inch display it dosent look cumbersome in the eye. When you buy the phone by default it is set to 60Hz and you have to turn on the 90Hz refresh rate in the settings of the phone. The high refresh rate definitely makes scrolling feels better on the phone. It has some thick bezels and it is giving me some 2022 budget phone vibes with the bezel on the phone. You can see that it has a sizeable chin and the bezels are nowhere near symmetrical. That is one aspect where you will know that it is an entry level phone. The display is responsive to touch and you can stream YouTube videos at 1080p on the display. outdoors it’s not the brightest and you need to set the brightness to max to see the display. It is an Okay display for a phone that cost below 100K and there isn’t anything to complain about in that aspect.
Software Aspect - Redmi A3 Review
What about software? The phone is running on Android 14 Go Edition so you are not getting Android 14 in full action here. MIUI is the user interface and the moment you get this phone out of the box the most important thing you need to do is to upgrade the software. Before I updated mine it was laggy and it took time to load apps and some games. When you compare the interface of this phone to the Redmi 13C or Note 13. There are a few thoughtful features to explore in the phone settings including having fun with the speakers on the phone by tweaking how it sounds. You can also increase the RAM to 6GB using some space on the phone. The software also support multiple user log in which some people will find useful. It dosent support any form of multitasking like split screen. Overall it is a Go Edition which means its not going to be as fluid the animations even make the phone slow sometimes. There is an option in the settings to even remove the animation.
Performance Aspect
The phone is powered by the MediaTek Helio G36 and my unit has 3GB RAM and 64GB storage which is small. If you want to buy the phone go for the 4GB RAM model with 128GB storage space. There is also a model with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage space. Performance isn’t a key feature for this phone. while it will work perfectly for anyone who just wants something to receive calls and do casual surfing around the web, it won’t work for a demanding user that is constantly on their phone. It will run minimal games like Candy crush but games like COD won’t be effective on this phone. Helio G36 is built on a 12 nanometer architecture and it is not really a strong chipset. When you consider the price you are paying however then the question becomes can you really ask for more?
Redmi A3 Camera Review
Let’s talk about the camera, there are two cameras at the back an 8MP primary camera and a second auxiliary camera. Up front we have a 5MP lens and the images from the phone are not the best. I am not surprised though because it is an entry level phone. The camera app lags when you tap on the shutter button. The pictures from the primary camera are quite okay for the price even though the color accuracy is lacking. HDR is also not quite there in the pictures. To get the best out of the camera you need to hold it steady while snapping. There is portrait mode and I am satisfied with the background blur. Images from the front facing camera are quite okay and portrait mode is not bad. Just know that the cameras here are not going to impress you. Here is a video from the front and back camera.
Battery Life & Charging Speed
The battery here is 5000mAh and it is one of the best things about the phone. It can last for a whole day and more depending on how you use the phone. It takes around 2 hours to charge the phone from zero to hundred. The battery life isn’t a problem here it performs as expected.
Conclusion
Rounding up the Redmi A3 is not a super powerful phone but for the basic task it will handle them nicely. You are getting a great design, good battery life and performance for the price. It is lacking in terms of camera and the software isn’t also very fluid. Overall its just an entry level phone and it will be perfect as a backup phone or a phone that you don’t go hard on. If you have any questions kindly ask them in the comment and I will see you in the next review article.