Xiaomi Redmi Y3 Review
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| Redmi Y3 features a 32-megapixel selfie camera |
Table Of Content
1.Redmi Y3 design
2.Redmi Y3 specifications and features
3.Redmi Y3 performance, cameras, and battery life
4.Verdict
Redmi Y3 is in for review, and we put it through its paces to see if it can hold up against the competition. The Redmi series has been immensely popular for Xiaomi, so much so that the company is now positioning ‘Redmi' as a sub-brand, similar to the way it introduced its Poco sub-brand for enthusiasts.2.Redmi Y3 specifications and features
3.Redmi Y3 performance, cameras, and battery life
4.Verdict
The company recently launched the Redmi Y3 and Redmi 7 (Review) smartphones in India as replacements for the Redmi Y2 (Review) and Redmi 6 (Review) respectively.
Xiaomi introduced the Y-series a couple of years ago targeted at the youth and selfie lovers, and the latest iteration boasts of a 32-megapixel selfie camera, which seems quite impressive for a phone that costs Rs. 9,999.
However, the Redmi Y3 does have a more immediate problem to deal with first. You see, its base price is exactly the same as that of Xiaomi's own Redmi Note 7 (Review) and the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 (Review) — two phones that offer vastly superior specifications compared to the Redmi Y3.
This means the Redmi Y3 ₹ 9,999 thought to have some killer selfie performance to justify picking it over the obvious choices. Let's see if it's worth your while.
However, the Redmi Y3 does have a more immediate problem to deal with first. You see, its base price is exactly the same as that of Xiaomi's own Redmi Note 7 (Review) and the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 (Review) — two phones that offer vastly superior specifications compared to the Redmi Y3.
This means the Redmi Y3 ₹ 9,999 thought to have some killer selfie performance to justify picking it over the obvious choices. Let's see if it's worth your while.
Redmi Y3 design
Xiaomi launches Redmi Y3 and Redmi ₹ 7,999 and apart from this, their phones, front camera and RAM/storage configuration both phones are almost identical.
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| The plastic back on Redmi Y3 picks up scuffs easily, but the color looks striking |
The Aura design of the phone looks striking, especially in the Eleventh Blue Trim which is for review. This phone is also available in prime black and bold red trims.
The glossy finish on the back and sides means that it attracts fingerprints very easily. Xiaomi has also added a P2i nanotechnology coating which states that it presents some resistance against the water moisture and light splats.
The button has a good response and it is placed on the right side of the ergonomic form. Redmi Y3 has two nano-SIM cards and a single slot on the left for a MicroSD card.
The button has a good response and it is placed on the right side of the ergonomic form. Redmi Y3 has two nano-SIM cards and a single slot on the left for a MicroSD card.
The 3.5mm headphone socket is placed at the top of the infrared emitter. The latter can be used to control IR devices such as TVs, ACs, etc.
Below, we have a micro-USB port and a loudspeaker. When we come to the display, we have a to dot Knoch or a water drop, the main beams around which the chin is a bit thick.
Below, we have a micro-USB port and a loudspeaker. When we come to the display, we have a to dot Knoch or a water drop, the main beams around which the chin is a bit thick.
The 6.26-inch display only has an HD + resolution, so looking at the side of a similar-looking Full-HD + panel, the images and text do not look at the fastest, but overall, the colors and viewing angles are decent.
When we unboxed this phone for the first time, in the beginning, we had to look a little limited to its shine, but after using it for a few days, we can say that we have any difficulty in understanding this display in the sun. Did not face it. Gorilla Glass 5 has been given for scratch protection in this phone.
For notification in Redmi Y3, White LED is tucked in Bottom Chin and Charging Status is indicated. Back, we have a dual camera module, flash, and fingerprint sensor. The latter works well in certification.
There is also the face recognition, which is not as quick as the solution offered by Realme, but still works well. In low light, Redmi takes a second time to unlock Y3, but this process completely fails in the dark until you actually bring the phone closer to your face.
In the box, the Redmi Y3 ship is with a standard 10W charger, micro-USB cable, sim ejection tool, some manuals, and a tinted silicon case. You do not get earphones in the box.
When we unboxed this phone for the first time, in the beginning, we had to look a little limited to its shine, but after using it for a few days, we can say that we have any difficulty in understanding this display in the sun. Did not face it. Gorilla Glass 5 has been given for scratch protection in this phone.
For notification in Redmi Y3, White LED is tucked in Bottom Chin and Charging Status is indicated. Back, we have a dual camera module, flash, and fingerprint sensor. The latter works well in certification.
There is also the face recognition, which is not as quick as the solution offered by Realme, but still works well. In low light, Redmi takes a second time to unlock Y3, but this process completely fails in the dark until you actually bring the phone closer to your face.
In the box, the Redmi Y3 ship is with a standard 10W charger, micro-USB cable, sim ejection tool, some manuals, and a tinted silicon case. You do not get earphones in the box.
Redmi Y3 specifications and features
The Redmi Y3 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 SoC, which is the same chip powering the Asus Zenfone Max M2 ₹ 8,499 (Review) and of course the Redmi 7 (Review). |
| The Redmi Y3 ships with a decent set of accessories |
The Redmi Y3 comes in two variants — one with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, and the other with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. We have the 3GB version to test today.
Other specifications include dual 4G VoLTE, single-band Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, support for three satellite navigation systems, and the usual suite of sensors. There's also FM radio and USB-OTG support.
The phone runs MIUI 10.2, which is based on Android 9 Pie, however, our review unit still had a slightly dated February Android security patch. The single-layered UI will be very familiar if you've used any recently launched Redmi phones.
There's still plenty of bloatware pre-installed and even though you can uninstall even some of the stock apps, spammy notifications continue to be a problem which sadly, doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.
There is a way to stop this to an extent. For instance, during the initial setup, you need to make sure you uncheck the ‘Personalised ad recommendations' toggle. You can also manually open each of the stock apps such as Music, Video, etc and make sure you disable ‘Receive recommendations'.
There is a way to stop this to an extent. For instance, during the initial setup, you need to make sure you uncheck the ‘Personalised ad recommendations' toggle. You can also manually open each of the stock apps such as Music, Video, etc and make sure you disable ‘Receive recommendations'.
With all these measures taken, we managed to reduce the spam considerably but every now and then, we would still get a couple of push notifications from the Mi Apps store and the Mi Music player.
Some of the preinstalled apps included Mi-Pay, which lets you set up a UPI wallet for utility payments; and Mi Drop, which lets you share files between two devices or between your device and a computer via FTP. Then there is the usual suite of gestures and shortcuts that we've come to expect from MIUI.
With regular activities like using chat apps, streaming music, and Google Maps for directions, the Redmi Y3 handled itself fairly well. MIUI runs smoothly and even switching between apps is often quick and painless.
Some of the preinstalled apps included Mi-Pay, which lets you set up a UPI wallet for utility payments; and Mi Drop, which lets you share files between two devices or between your device and a computer via FTP. Then there is the usual suite of gestures and shortcuts that we've come to expect from MIUI.
Redmi Y3 performance, cameras, and battery life
With regular activities like using chat apps, streaming music, and Google Maps for directions, the Redmi Y3 handled itself fairly well. MIUI runs smoothly and even switching between apps is often quick and painless.
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| The Redmi Y3 features a 3.5mm headphone socket and an infrared emitter |
The phone does not heat too much, and even during gaming, the back becomes only lightweight. We have not had any problems with call quality.
In the benchmark, Redmi Y3 posted an AnTuTu score of 1,04,587 points and a 35fps graphics score in GFXbench's T-Rex Test. As long as you stick to the casual title, the performance of real-gaming gaming is very good. Alto's odyssey went smoothly, although the graphics were not the fastest due to the low-resolution display.
In more demanding titles like PUBG Mobile, the game was defaulted to 'low' presets, and even then, the gameplay was not quite smooth. Video playback is handled well, but the speaker does not get very loud.
The main reason for considering Redmi Y3 is its 32-megapixel front camera, and now it's time to see how it remains when it stands against the competition.
Xiaomi has manipulated the 4-in-1 oversampling technique that delivers an 8-megapixel image by default. This reduces the file size so photos take less space on your phone and are easier to share. However, you can shoot using the toggles in the viewfinder using the full 32-megapixel resolution.
In daylight, Redmi Y3 captures detailed Selfie while shooting at full sensor resolution and adding four pixels to one. The main difference in the two modes is that while shooting at 8 megapixels, background objects usually have a much better expansion, which does not occur when using the full 32-megapixel resolution.
In daylight, Redmi Y3 captures detailed Selfie while shooting at full sensor resolution and adding four pixels to one. The main difference in the two modes is that while shooting at 8 megapixels, background objects usually have a much better expansion, which does not occur when using the full 32-megapixel resolution.
There is also a big difference in the file size. Over-sampled shots are usually less than 6 MB, while full-resolution shots come in approximately 21 MB. Saving 32-megapixel file takes too much time.
When the Redmi Note 7 Rs 11999 and Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 the 13,999 compared to the same price phone, Radmi Y3 is definitely the fastest selfie, but we are not sure that they are the best in terms of quality. Beauty mode was disabled in all the phones for our comparison.
We prefer the overall form of Selfie taken by Redmi Note 7. Skin tone looks very natural and highlights and exposures are not flown out like Zenfone Max Pro M2.
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| Xiaomi Redmi Y3 Review 2019 |
We prefer the overall form of Selfie taken by Redmi Note 7. Skin tone looks very natural and highlights and exposures are not flown out like Zenfone Max Pro M2.
There are still the best details in the Redmi Y3 background, but Selfie looks very overshadowed by himself. Adding beautification, it gets a little cured.
In low light, oversampling definitely helps reduce the noise, which is present during the shoot at full 32-megapixel resolutions. Selfie shot with Redmi Y3 was faster and more elaborate, and overall more attractive when taken by the competition.
In low light, oversampling definitely helps reduce the noise, which is present during the shoot at full 32-megapixel resolutions. Selfie shot with Redmi Y3 was faster and more elaborate, and overall more attractive when taken by the competition.
In the dark of the pitch, Redmi Y3 has the most powerful flash of three phones, which gives you the best light. Portrait mode is also, but the effect is not very solid.
You can shoot selfie video until 1080p resolution. Quality is very good in daylight, but the videos become slightly grainy in low light. Redmi Y3 should have an electronic stabilization (EIS) for the selfie camera, but despite making it capable of setting the camera app, when we tested it, it did not work.
Other self-centered features include a palm shutter, which is counted down to leave the shutter when it detects your palm; And Group Selfie, who takes many photos and tries to make them a frame in which everyone looks good. This latter feature did not work very well at all times.
Behind Redmi Y3, you get a 12-megapixel primary sensor with f / 2.2 aperture and a 2-megapixel deep camera, just like the redmi 7. It has AI pin detection that can be turned on or off when needed is. The interesting thing is that AI visual recognition is not available for selfie cameras, as it is in Redmi Note 7
Autofocus speed is average at best, and while shooting videos, we found the continuous autofocus to be a little iffy as we had to tap the screen a couple of times to ensure it focused properly.
With ample light around, landscapes packed in good detail. Colors could look a little muted when HDR kicked in, but otherwise, saturation was good.
You can shoot selfie video until 1080p resolution. Quality is very good in daylight, but the videos become slightly grainy in low light. Redmi Y3 should have an electronic stabilization (EIS) for the selfie camera, but despite making it capable of setting the camera app, when we tested it, it did not work.
Other self-centered features include a palm shutter, which is counted down to leave the shutter when it detects your palm; And Group Selfie, who takes many photos and tries to make them a frame in which everyone looks good. This latter feature did not work very well at all times.
Behind Redmi Y3, you get a 12-megapixel primary sensor with f / 2.2 aperture and a 2-megapixel deep camera, just like the redmi 7. It has AI pin detection that can be turned on or off when needed is. The interesting thing is that AI visual recognition is not available for selfie cameras, as it is in Redmi Note 7
Autofocus speed is average at best, and while shooting videos, we found the continuous autofocus to be a little iffy as we had to tap the screen a couple of times to ensure it focused properly.
With ample light around, landscapes packed in good detail. Colors could look a little muted when HDR kicked in, but otherwise, saturation was good.
Macros turned out good too but there were instances when the phone got colors completely wrong. For example, the color of the hibiscus above should have been red and not pink. Also, the AI tended to smoothen out textures and boost the colors of objects such as flowers.
In low light, the main sensor really struggled to capture good details and sharpness. Distant objects in focus appeared a bit soft, although macros fared a bit better. The depth sensor helps this phone do a decent job with edge detection when shooting people.
In low light, the main sensor really struggled to capture good details and sharpness. Distant objects in focus appeared a bit soft, although macros fared a bit better. The depth sensor helps this phone do a decent job with edge detection when shooting people.
Video recording goes up to 1080p at 60fps. Image quality is good in daylight but gets grainy in low light. The effect of EIS wasn't very apparent, so despite it being on, we're not sure if it was actually doing anything.
The camera app is similar to what we've seen on previous Xiaomi phones. It's easy to use and features shooting modes such as short video, panorama, and pro. There's no Night mode though, which we saw in the Redmi Note 7.
Xiaomi is touting two-day battery life with the Redmi Y3. The 4000mAh battery fared well in our battery loop test, lasting for 13 hours and 41 minutes, which is good but we were expecting a longer given the specs of this phone.
The camera app is similar to what we've seen on previous Xiaomi phones. It's easy to use and features shooting modes such as short video, panorama, and pro. There's no Night mode though, which we saw in the Redmi Note 7.
Xiaomi is touting two-day battery life with the Redmi Y3. The 4000mAh battery fared well in our battery loop test, lasting for 13 hours and 41 minutes, which is good but we were expecting a longer given the specs of this phone.
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| Xiaomi Redmi Y3 Review 2019 |
There's no fast charging support but the 10W adapter can charge the Redmi Y3 from zero to about 52 percent in an hour.
Verdict
So, to answer our initial question — is the Redmi Y3 worth buying over more powerful smartphones at its base price of Rs. 9,999? The answer really depends on how big of a selfie shooter you are.
If you find yourself obsessively taking pictures of yourself for Instagram throughout the day, then you might be willing to compromise on the specifications, just for a better front camera.
While not perfect, we did find the Redmi Y3 to have an edge over competition such as the Redmi Note 7 (Review) and Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 (Review) when it comes to selfies, especially in low-light.
The 4GB version is priced at Rs. 11,999, and it has even stiffer competition in the sub-Rs. 15,000 segment. Many of the other options you could buy at this price offer more powerful specifications, but you might still prefer the Redmi Y3 just for its selfie camera.
On the other hand, if you only take selfies casually now and then, you would find the Redmi Note 7 (Review) or Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 (Review) to be better valued than the Redmi Y3.
The 4GB version is priced at Rs. 11,999, and it has even stiffer competition in the sub-Rs. 15,000 segment. Many of the other options you could buy at this price offer more powerful specifications, but you might still prefer the Redmi Y3 just for its selfie camera.
On the other hand, if you only take selfies casually now and then, you would find the Redmi Note 7 (Review) or Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 (Review) to be better valued than the Redmi Y3.
Both phones have much better displays, more powerful processors, and slightly better rear cameras.
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