During the past couple of years, mid-range smartphones have continuously gotten better. With internals and designs that have gotten more admirable through the years, manufacturers such as China's Xiaomi have started making phones that feel a lot more premium than their price, such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, which is priced below $200.
Mid-range smartphones have gone through a notable evolution during the past couple of years. Indeed, since 2014, smartphones like the Asus Zenfone 5 have attracted customers due to their low price and impressive performance. Xiaomi is no different, launching their mid-range Redmi series to much success.
Launched late last year in China, the Redmi Note 3 is one of the Chinese manufacturer's latest phablet devices. Though its design still seems very uninspired, its build is quite notable, mainly due to its pretty sleek and impressive metal build. Its small 5.5-inch 1080p display more than meets everyday needs, and its fairly large frame feels great in the hand thanks to small side bezels.
At the heart of the phone lies a Snapdragon 650 processor and a hefty 4,050mAh battery. Priced at just about $180 for a 32GB, 3GB RAM model, the phone definitely feels a lot more premium than its cost.
Indeed, in a lot of ways, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is yet another smartphone that proves just how far a mid-range, sub-$200 smartphones could go.
That is not to say that the Redmi Note 3 is without its faults, of course. Being a smartphone from China, its take on the Android operating system is very different from Google's stock OS, and its primary camera, though listed as a 16MP shooter, renders substandard results despite its quick autofocus system.
Then again, while the smartphone's camera is quite weak and the operating system takes a lot to get used to, the Redmi Note 3 is still a really good deal for its price. Unfortunately, the Chinese manufacturer has not been keen to take its products to the U.S. yet. At least, for now, Americans are still left with Motorola for mid-range smartphones that really perform.
Once manufacturers such as Xiaomi arrive in the U.S., however, the entire mid-range market might be shaken to its core. After all, with bang-for-the-buck products like the Redmi Note 3 in its lineup, more prominent phone makers such as Motorola and Apple would probably have no choice but to engage in a price war. Of course, in such instances, it is always the customers who emerge as winners.