Xiaomi’s new ultra-cheap Redmi 3 packs a humongous battery and all-metal chassis

Xiaomi’s latest Redmi 3 phone looks surprisingly fetching with a rounded, all-metal chassis and a backplate embellished with a diamond embossed lattice design that’s 8.5mm thin and 144g when placed on the scales.

Xiaomi Redmi 3 comes in three different colours

The specs are decent as workhorses go with a 5-inch 720P display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 octacore processor paired with 2GB RAM and 16GB of built-in storage. The rear camera is a 13-MP sensor with an F/2.0 lens and 0.1-second phase detection autofocus while the front-facing 5-MP camera has an F/2.2 aperture for selfies. It runs Xiaomi’s own MIUI 7 user interface with Android under the hood.

Where the Redmi 3 stands out is the inclusion of dual SIM card slots. If you need additional storage, you can swap one slot for a microSD card. The phone supports cards up to 128GB in size. It also has a humongous 4,100 battery that supports 5V/2A fast charging.

The backplate of the The backplate of the The Xiaomi Redmi 3 has a diamond embossed lattice design on its rear backplate

The Redmi 3 is now available for sale in China on Mi.Com and Tmall for RMB699 (about RM471.49) which is quite a steal for what you’re paying for with three colours available – gold, silver and dark grey. Local prices will likely be a bit higher to factor in taxes and other costs. In the meantime, keep an eye out on the local Xiaomi website for the latest uupdates.