Introduction
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 is one of the cheapest phablets you can get and that will most likely put it on your radar sooner or later. It may be a mere blip if you're the kind of person who consciously avoids the extremes. But bargain hunters will probably zoom in for a closer look. And they might actually have a point.
The original Redmi Note sold out in a flash back in 2014, followed by its LTE-enabled version, and the upgrade, Redmi Note 2, is wasting no time either finding a place among the record-breakers. And that's even before it was available in India, which is a traditional Xiaomi stronghold, alongside its home market of China of course.
Xiaomi is certainly eyeing Europe and the US too and, although the company is cautious about an actual timeframe, it's been running a dedicated online store for accessories quite a while now.
There are two distinct types of Notes in the Xiaomi portfolio and things can get a little confusing. The Mi series is the place to get a premium phablet while the Redmi Notes are the budget-friendly alternative. That said, the Redmi Note 2 is certainly cheap but the level of equipment is trying to match the midrange offerings by the established brands.
Key features
- 5.5" IPS display of 1080p resolution; 401ppi
- MediaTek MT6795 Helio X10 chipset; octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 (16GB model) or octa-core 2.2 GHz Cortex-A53 (32GB model); PowerVR G6200 (Rogue) GPU; 2GB of RAM
- 13MP main camera with LED flash, phase detection autofocus
- 1080p video capture at 30fps
- 5MP front-facing camera, 720p at 30fps video recording
- MIUI v.7 based on Android 5.0.1 Lollipop or MIUI v.6 on Android 5.0.1 Lollipop (market dependent)
- 16GB or 32GB of built-in storage; microSD expansion up to 32GB
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE; UMTS/HSPA+; 4G LTE Cat.4 connectivity
- Dual SIM; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.0; microUSB 2.0 (OTG); GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS and Beidou; FM radio
- IR port
- Dual-microphone active noise canceling
- Competitive price
- 3,060mAh removable battery, fast charging
Main disadvantages
- No screen protection officially quoted
- No MIUI 7 at launch
- No NFC
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 upgrades its predecessor in areas where it matters. The Redmi Note 2 packs a higher-res 5.5" IPS display of Full-HD resolution (up from 720p) and is powered by a superior MediaTek Helio X10 chipset with an octa-core processor, Power VR graphics and 2GB of RAM. The main camera unit has been treated to phase detection autofocus, there's a brand new IR port and fast battery charging has been borrowed from the high-end Xiaomi Mi Notes.
So, we're about to review a phone that reached best-seller status in China in record time. It would be insane to expect as big a splash in developed markets but value for money is a traditional Xiaomi weapon. Let's proceed to unboxing and see how well prepared the Redmi Note 2 is to make use of that.
Special thanks to HonorBuy.com for providing the review unit.
Retail package
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2's retail box is business as usual. It's made of recycled paper that's said to withstand about 130kg of weight for all that's worth. Inside we found the Redmi Note 2 unit, a 2amp A/C adapter and a microUSB cable.
The Redmi Note 2 retail box
360-degree view
The new Redmi Note 2 stands at 152 x 76 x 8.3mm, which makes it 2mm shorter, 3mm narrower and a millimeter thinner than its predecessor. Note that both use equally big 5.5" displays. The Redmi Note 2 is also 25g lighter at 160g, which is a nice surprise.
Design and build quality
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 looks like the recently released Mi 4i for the most part. It isn't shining with any premium materials, but makes one important change over the first edition - the glossy plastic is gone in favor of matte finish.
The entire front is covered by a black piece of glass, no matter the device color, but there is no mention of any special protection coating. The Redmi Note 2 keeps the red accent on its capacitive keys, a signature feature of the Redmi series.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
The entire rear cover is removable and made of matte plastic. Its design is very similar to the first Redmi Note and the Mi 4i, and the Xiaomi fans will surely approve. The matte touch has definitely improved both handling and looks, as the Redmi Note 2 isn't prone to smudges and fingerprints.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
The thinner and lighter design, plus the smaller footprint are warmly welcome, and we are happy this didn't cost us some screen estate.
The 5.5" Redmi Note 2 surely isn't the best size to handle with just one hand, but thanks to the refined design the phone is a real pleasure to handle and most of the time it's very easy to operate with single-handed. The matte cover and rigid sides definitely add up to a pleasurable and secure handling.
Handling the Redmi Note 2
Controls
The controls arrangement on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 is pretty much standard. The front is mostly occupied by the 5.5" IPS display, flanked by the earpiece on top and the red capacitive key around the bottom. The 5MP selfie snapper and a bunch of sensors are nested round the earpiece as well.
The front of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
There is nothing on the left, while on the right we find the silver volume rocker and the power/lock key.
The left and right sides of the Redmi Note 2
The top of the Redmi Note 2 houses the audio jack, the secondary mic and the IR blaster. The bottom of the smartphone is where the microUSB port and the primary mic are.
The top and bottom of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
The new 13MP camera with phase-detection AF and a LED flash is on the back, as is the loudspeaker grille. Underneath the cover there are the two SIM beds, the microSD slot and the removable 3,060mAh battery.
A peek at the back of the Redmi Note 2 • what's beneath the rear cover
Display
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 features a 5.5" Full HD IPS, which has 401ppi for pleasantly sharp imagery. Unfortunately, the glass covering the display seems to be not of the scratch-resistant kind.
Taking a closer look at it under our digital microscope reveals a standard RGB arrangement of the sub-pixels that make up the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 LCD panel.
The display on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 has a lower maximum brightness level compared to the one on Xiaomi Mi 4i, while retaining the almost the same good contrast and colors. The blacks aren't as deep as we'd like, but we've seen worse.
Xiaomi provides a setting for the color temperature - you can choose between warm, normal and cool. The warmer option offers higher color accuracy than normal at the expense of a slight decrease of the maximum brightness level.
| Display test | 50% brightness | 100% brightness | ||||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | |||
| 0.30 | 273 | 943 | 0.58 | 561 | 974 | |
| 0.30 | 305 | 1001 | 0.52 | 536 | 1016 | |
| 0.17 | 162 | 953 | 0.492 | 467 | 953 | |
| 0.17 | 176 | 1012 | 0.74 | 828 | 1115 | |
| 0.00 | 117 | ∞ | 0 | 346 | ∞ | |
| 0.15 | 161 | 1063 | 0.51 | 542 | 1055 | |
| - | - | - | 0.65 | 562 | 867 | |
| 0.16 | 183 | 1096 | 0.42 | 473 | 1108 | |
| - | - | - | 0.53 | 539 | 1017 | |
| 0.23 | 225 | 1000 | 0.43 | 430 | 1009 | |
| 0.16 | 180 | 1139 | 0.30 | 399 | 1334 | |
The sunlight legibility is just average and pretty much about the same we measured on the previous Redmi Note. The screen glass is rather reflective and while you will be able to see what's happening on the screen under bright sunlight, you'll need the maximum brightness and all the colors will be washed out.
Sunlight contrast ratio
Battery life
Xiaomi has put a 3,060mAh battery inside the Redmi Note 2, a solid enough unit for a 5.5" device. We ran our battery test and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 scored a 49h rating, which means you can count on the battery to last 2 days if you do an hour each of calling, browsing the web and video playback a day. Adding a second SIM card cuts 2 hours from the total endurance down to 47 hours.
The Redmi Note 2 did well on the 3G talk time test, but it posted below average results in our web and video tests, while its standby performance is about average.
The original Xiaomi Redmi Note was almost there too with a rating of 55h.
Our proprietary score also includes a standby battery draw test, which is not featured in our battery test scorecard but is calculated in the total endurance rating. Our battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you want to learn more about it.
Connectivity
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 supports 7 LTE bands and you can tap to an LTE network on either SIM, but once you do, the second one will be limited to GSM connectivity only. As for that, the Redmi Note 2 also offers tri-band GSM connectivity. There is quad-band 3G connectivity with HSPA support.
The rest of the connectivity features include dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac support and Wi-Fi Direct. There is also support for Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and GLONASS, plus an FM radio.
A microUSB 2.0 port handles charging and data connections. Media transfer mode is supported for accessing the phone's built-in memory over a USB connection. The microUSB port also supports USB On-the-go for connecting USB peripherals such as pen drives, keyboards or real USB hard drives.
Wireless screen mirroring is available via the Miracast protocol.
The IR blaster is located on the top and coupled with the right software, you can use it to operate pretty much any IR remotely controlled home appliance, turning the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 into a universal remote. Xiaomi provides its own MiRemote app, which supports a plethora of devices and you can turn your Note 2 of this dream remote right out of the box.
MiRemote app UI
User interface
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 is the first smartphone to officially run on MIUI 7, which relies on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop core. While the Chinese model of Redmi Note 2 indeed comes with MIUI 7, those sold outside China are still running on MIUI 6. If you want to get the new MIUI 7 you'll either have to wait for the official update, or download the Developer ROM and hope most of the bugs are squashed already.
Instead of refreshing the entire UI again, this time around Xiaomi focused on refining their launcher and improving its performance. According to Xiaomi's changelog the MIUI 7 is 30% faster and more responsive and 10% more energy efficient. It also adds a few new things as a baby album, child mode, new default themes and auto DND option.
As usual Xiaomi's customizations run very deep and replace everything including all Google services. In fact, the Mi phones sold in China don't have access to Google's services and those need to be sideloaded one way or the other (some resellers may even do that for you). The models sold officially markets outside of China come with the entire Google package pre-installed.
The lockscreen has a clock in the top left corner - gone are the lockscreen widgets. To unlock the phone you swipe upwards and if you want a quick access to the camera - just swipe from the right side.
The MIUI v7 lockscreen
Beyond the lockscreen is the Android homescreen with four customizable shortcuts docked at the bottom by default, but you can dock up to five items. You can have any app there or even folders with multiple items if you will.
The MIUI homescreens • there is no app drawer
There is no app drawer - anything you install pops up on your homescreen, which can have unlimited panes. There're no shortcuts and the usual routine of removing icons (dragging them up to a recycle bin at the top of the screen) will uninstall the corresponding app. There is a pop-up for confirming the action though, so you can't accidentally uninstall apps.
Homescreen widgets are available, too - tap and hold on the homescreen, then choose Widgets. There are few options available, but of course, you can get even more from the Play Store.
Editing the homescreens • adding widgets
Homescreen effects are available and you can change themes, too. A theme will change your homescreen wallpaper, lockscreen style, system icons, system font and the sound profile (you can disable changing the sound profile from settings).
MIUI v.7 introduces five defaults themes - MIUI, High Life, Pink Blush, Rose and Ocean Breeze. They've been handpicked by the MIUI team and you can choose your interface look right from the start, but you can always download new themes from the Mi Store.
Applying a new theme
The notification area has two semi-transparent tabs - the first one hosts all notifications, while the second one (swipe left to access) offers customizable quick toggles and a Settings shortcut. Unfortunately, you can't directly bring the toggles page with two-finger swipe from the top as it is with other Android devices.
An enhanced task switcher with Clear All option is available, too.
Notifications • Toggles • Task Switcher
By the way, Xiaomi's proprietary Search widget does a similar job as iOS's Spotlight system-wide search. You can fire it up by swiping up anywhere on the homescreen. The tool searches through your apps, music, email, settings, among others.
Search
Xiaomi provides its own cloud service for content syncing between devices. Each Mi Cloud account is granted 5GB of free storage. You can use it to backup contacts, messages, your entire gallery, call log, notes, settings, voice recordings, Browser content (history, tabs, webapp data) and your music library.
Xiaomi's sync and backup service shares lots of similarities with the Apple iCloud. There is even a free Cloud Messaging option that allows you to exchange messages over the internet connection instead of being billed for SMS, but that only works between Xiaomi devices.
Configuring Mi Cloud
Finally, if you signed in with your Mi Cloud account, you can opt for the Find device function - a handy feature in case you misplace your Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 or someone steals it.
MIUI 7 has a new Child mode, which allows to run only apps of your choosing. This is nice if you have a kid, who likes playing with your phone occasionally and you are afraid it might delete some important data.
Child mode
The Do Not Disturb mode has been enhanced too - it supports better customization and scheduling options.
DND mode
We did get our review unit with pre-installed Google Play Store plus Google sync for app data, contacts, and browser data but perhaps they've been sideloaded by the reseller providing this review unit. Of course, you can sideload them yourself one way or the other if they don't come pre-installed on your unit. And once you have those, you can easily download all other Google apps such as Google Now straight from the Play Store.
Performance
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 is among the first phones to be powered by the MediaTek's MT6795 chipset, also known as Helio X10. Unlike the name suggests, the processor is an octa-core 2GHz Cortex-A53, accompanied by a PowerVR G6200 (Rogue) GPU and 2GB of RAM.
The Meizu MX5 and HTC One E9+ are the other devices we've met so far that utilize the same chipset. The upcoming Sony Xperia M5 and Gionee Elife E8 are also coming with the Helio X10 later this year, so it seems the chip is becoming a popular choice these days.
GeekBench 3 gauges the multi-core performance of the processor and Redmi Note 2 is doing lovely. What's odd is that the HTC One E9+, which has the same chips and CPU clocks, is doing slightly better in benchmarks. The Meizu MX5 tops the chart with the same processor, but it is running on a higher 2.2GHz speed.
GeekBench 3
Higher is better
The compound AnTuTu 5 test puts the Redmi Note 2 ahead of the competition, very close to the MX5 but somewhat behind the One E9+.
AnTuTu 5
Higher is better
Hopefully, the other compound benchmark - BaseMark OS II 2.0 will give us a better idea. It calculates CPU, GPU, memory, OS and web performance and puts in into a single score. Yet the Redmi Note 2 is once again noticeably behind its Helio X10 siblings - the MX5 and One E9+. We made sure we opted for the Performance Power Mode, so we don't know what the real issue is.
Note that the Redmi Note 2 does admirably on the test even though it got a lower score than expected, so we are fine with its performance.
Basemark OS 2.0
Higher is better
Quite expectedly a single Cortex-A53 processor core running at 2GHz is a real beast, while eight of those are indeed a blazing fast configuration.
Basemark OS 2.0 (single-core)
Higher is better
Basemark OS 2.0 (multi-core)
Higher is better
PowerVR G6200 GPU is perfectly capable to handle 1080p displays. Its raw offscreen performance is better than the widespread Adreno 405 within the Snapdragon 615, so we guess the Helio X10 would be the better choice for 1080p upper mid-rangers.
GFX 2.7 T-Rex (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
When it comes to 1080p onscreen performance, it does as good as Adreno 405 running on a 720p display, which says a lot. The Meizu MX5, which has absolutely the same GPU, does slight better.
GFX 2.7 T-Rex (onscreen)
Higher is better
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
The BaseMark X is another GPU stress test, which puts the Redmi Note 2 in the upper half of our chart, better than the mid-class Adrenos, but still behind the same GPU unit inside the E9+ and MX5.
Basemark X
Higher is better
The MIUI web browser got some performance and stability improvements with the MIUI 7 upgrade and now it's quite fast. The Redmi Note 2 scored a very good mark on the JavaScript Kraken benchmark, and finished second-best on the compound BrowserMark test.
Kraken 1.1
Lower is better
BrowserMark 2.1
Higher is better
Xiaomi meant business with the Redmi Note 2 and the Helio X10 chip was the right choice. It offers great processing power, the GPU punch is nice and will do even for heavy 3D games, while the multi-taskers should be fine with 2GB of RAM. Sure, the Redmi Note 2 isn't the fastest smartphone around, but it did very well across all benchmark tests and is surely one of the best performers in its class.
Contacts and telephony
The dialer and the phonebook share a single app although there are two shortcuts, bringing you straight to the tab you need. The app has pleasant flat looks and is about the same as we remember it the last time. The app uses a tabbed interface - recent with dialer on the first and the contact list on the second.
The Phonebook
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 supports voice call recording and it can do it automatically on each call if you like. You can also assign an answer gesture, pre-define quick responses upon reject, there is even support for internet calling.
The Dialer
There are even more call settings if you dig deeper into the menu - flip to mute the ringer, turn on/off the proximity sensor, lock automatically once slipped in a pocket, it can even mute calls from unknown numbers.
MIUI 7 also introduces Showtime Caller ID - it's a cloud service for Xiaomi owners and you can assign a short video recording to serve as your Caller ID when you are calling other Xiaomi owners. Unfortunately, you have no control over the video Caller IDs you get of other people. If the person who is calling you doesn't own a Xiaomi, or isn't running on MIUI 7 with enabled and configured Showtime Caller ID - this feature will be a no-go.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 scored a Good mark on our loudspeaker loudness test, but what's unfortunate is the speaker's audio quality. The produced sound is poor and not deep enough, and while it isn't as quiet as measured by our tools, it seems a quieter than other Good performers. This means you may miss some calls and notifications if you don't keep a close eye on it.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing | Overall score | |
| 60.2 | 57.2 | 64.5 | Below Average | |
| 63.7 | 65.7 | 68.0 | Below Average | |
| 65.2 | 62.1 | 75.7 | Average | |
| 66.9 | 65.9 | 71.7 | Average | |
| 66.1 | 66.0 | 76.0 | Good | |
| 65.9 | 66.7 | 75.7 | Good | |
| 67.7 | 66.2 | 75.7 | Good | |
| 70.8 | 70.9 | 77.4 | Very Good | |
| 75.7 | 69.6 | 75.9 | Very Good | |
| 75.7 | 73.5 | 79.5 | Excellent | |
| 81.6 | 75.7 | 82.7 | Excellent |
Messaging and email
The messaging department is pretty standard - there's a list of all bubble-styled conversations organized in threads, with New Message and Search keys at the bottom and a settings button next to it.
The Gmail app isn't pre-installed, but you can opt for Gmail or Inbox, if you prefer, from the Play Store. The generic Mail app is capable of handling all kind of mail accounts, including Gmail, and it can handle multiple Exchange, POP or IMAP inboxes. You have access to the messages in the original folders that are created online, side by side with the standard local ones such as inbox, drafts and sent items.
Messaging • Email
MIUI offers Google keyboard by default - it has always been pleasure to use and is one of the most preferred Android keyboards out there. Baidu IME for MIUI is also onboard.
The gallery knows faces
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 comes with a custom Gallery app, slightly updated since the MIUI 6. It defaults to your camera roll, but it also supports Albums, Cloud and People. The People sorting, once chosen, sorts all of your photos by people's faces. Everything is automatic. Here you can also create a new baby album, to put your newborn pics inside.
Gallery
The integrated editor offers various effects, frames, tools (crop, mirror, straighten, rotate, fisheye, doodle) plus light adjustments that let you bring out the shadows or the highlights.
Editing an image
Music player
The MIUI music player is a custom app with a well laid out, easy to navigate interface. It features two tabs - the first one is cloud music, similar to Google Music service provided by Xiaomi, while the second tab has your own local and cloud music.
The player has cool effects, transitions and transparent elements, especially on the expandable Now Playing section.
Music Player • Now Playing screen • Lyrics
Xiaomi's Music app offers customizable equalizers with a few default presets already available for use. You can also try Xiaomi's MiSound enhancer, which comes into play when you use headphones, and especially, a Xiaomi-branded headset.
Audio enhancements and equalizers
Video player
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 does features a separate video app, which offers a paid video service. Whether you will open your files from the Video app (Local setting) or File Explorer - it doesn't really matter.
The video player interface is very basic but there is rich video codec support. It managed to play everything we threw at it (including MKV and WMV files). The AC3 audio codec is supported too.
Video player
Subtitles and pop-up play are not supported by the MIUI's video player though, so you might want to look around the Play Store if you need a more capable alternative.
Audio output is a mixed bag
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 started off great in our audio quality test. When connected to an active external amplifier, the smartphone showed excellently high volume levels and perfectly clean output for one of the best showings out there.
Plug in a pair of headphones, however, and deterioration is quite severe. Volume dropped significantly and settled at just above average levels, while frequency response was no longer perfectly accurate. We also detected a fair amount of stereo crosstalk and some intermodulation distortion for a rather unimpressive showing here.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 | +0.02, -0.10 | -96.1 | 92.4 | 0.0084 | 0.012 | -94.8 |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 (headphones attached) | +0.50, -0.09 | -94.9 | 91.9 | 0.073 | 0.313 | -54.0 |
| Meizu m2 note | +0.08, -0.05 | -93.1 | 92.7 | 0.0079 | 0.013 | -92.4 |
| Meizu m2 note (headphones attached) | +0.40, -0.62 | -86.9 | 88.0 | 0.145 | 0.529 | -50.8 |
| Oppo R1x | +0.01, -0.04 | -93.5 | 92.9 | 0.0010 | 0.400 | -94.7 |
| Oppo R1x (headphones attached) | +0.22, -0.03 | -92.6 | 90.4 | 0.0029 | 1.144 | -69.8 |
| Motorola Moto E (2015) | +0.02 -0.06 | -90.8 | 91.1 | 0.0026 | 0.097 | -90.9 |
| Motorola Moto E (2015) (headphones attached) | +0.05, -0.06 | -90.2 | 90.7 | 0.0029 | 0.063 | -51.4 |
| Xiaomi Redmi 2 | +0.06, -0.04 | -94.8 | 95.9 | 0.026 | 0.016 | -95.8 |
| Xiaomi Redmi 2 (headphones attached) | +0.04, -0.06 | -94.0 | 91.0 | 0.039 | 0.053 | -70.0 |
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
A 13MP snapper with a LED flash
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 features a 13MP camera, equipped with a LED flash. The camera got a nice upgrade over the predecessor - the Redmi Note 2 features a hybrid autofocus system utilizing phase-detection for faster and more accurate focus.
The camera interface is fairly simple. It has three panes - the default one shows the viewfinder with a virtual shutter, flash trigger and front camera key. Slide to the top pane and you'll get a choice of 12 filters with live previews. A slide to the bottom hides the advanced modes such as Panorama, Beautify, Timer, Scenes, Gradient, and Manual.
The HDR switch is placed next to the virtual camera shutter.
Camera UI
The Manual Mode offers you manual settings for white balance and ISO. The Face Detection switch is within the additional settings.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 resolves average amount of detail and the noise levels are kept reasonably low. The white balance is accurate and we like the lively color rendition. The foliage is actually a lot better than you could expect from an average performer. The dynamic range is slightly above average.
While the photos look excellent on the 5.5" display and downscaled on a monitor, the full 13MP images are nothing but average. The good news is most of you will probably use downscaled images anyway, so there is nothing to complain of, really - the Redmi Note 2 ticks the right boxes in such scenario - the colors and contrast are good, the dynamic range is good for the class as well.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 camera samples
The HDR mode is conservative enough and rescues both the highlights and shadows without making a flat contrastless mess out of the image. Those aren't the best HDR photos we've seen, as they lose some of the sharpness, but they certainly are among the better ones, especially if you are going to downscale them.
HDR off • HDR on • HDR off • HDR on
Panorama shots are available too. You can capture both landscape and portrait panoramic photos with a 180 degree field of view. Shooting is easy but the stitching takes a while to complete. The end result is rather disappointing though - the resolution is about 2000x760px and the image quality is quite poor.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 panorama sample
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 features a 5MP front-facing camera for high-res selfies. The images come out soft with average detail, but will do for Facebook or similar social networks.
A 5MP camera sample taken with the front camera
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 is more than capable of pulling its own weight in our Photo Comparison tool. You can see how it stacks against other 13MP snappers we've tested.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 in our photo quality comparison tool
1080p video recording
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 camcorder has the same UI as the still camera. It supports slow-mo (the result is a 720p@16fps video) and time-lapse videos with customizable snapping interval.
Camcorder UI
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 is capable or recording up to 1080p@30fps. The bitrate of the video recordings is poor at about 15 Mbps, while audio is captured at 128 Kbps with 2 channels (stereo).
The resolved detail in the videos is modest, just like the still images. The colors and contrast are good and the framerate is smooth and consistent at 30fps. The dynamic range is above average.
And here is a 1080p video we've uploaded on YouTube.
You can also download the 1080p video sample (30s, 57MB) taken straight off the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2.
Here the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 enters our video comparison tool. There are plenty of 1080p camcorders you can compare it with. It resolves an average level of detail, but contrast and colors are good.
MIUI Browser
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 comes with the feature-rich MIUI Browser with flat looks. It does a great job browsing, comes with native ad-block and data saver, supports downloads, there is a night mode, too. It is as almost as fast as Chrome, but does not support Find on Page.
On the positive side, it has a built-in Reading mode, which isn't available in Chrome. It enlarges the text font and strips away unneeded elements, leaving only the article you are reading in focus.
The aforementioned Night Mode, which is something we really miss in Chrome. It inverts the background and font colors and is easier on the eyes at dark rooms.
Mi Browser • Night Mode • Reading Mode
Other pre-installed apps
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 offers a great file managing app called Explorer, which lets you browse the files in its internal storage and groups them by type.
Explorer
The MIUI v7 also offers a Security app. It can scan your phone for malware, manage your blocklist, manage or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, clean some RAM, it can also manage the permissions of your installed apps.
Security app
The custom and now flat Calendar looks good, syncs with your accounts including Google, and offers Day and Month views.
Calendar
There are also the standard sound recorder, notes, flashlight, calculator, clock, and weather apps, among others, that are a given in any self-respecting Android package nowadays.
Voice recorder • Notes • Calculator • Weather
We really liked the new Compass app. It has very nice and clean interface, shows the directions and doubles as level. If you lift the phone up then you'll get a nice augmented reality view with real-time directions.
Compass app - compass, level, VR directions
Once again, if Google Maps, Drive, or any other Google-related app isn't installed on your unit, you can get it for free from the Play Store.
Final words
We wish most of the sequels we're dealing with are like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2. Simple and straightforward, yet absolutely credible. Not that the original posed a particular challenge. The Redmi Note was a simple package and the upgrade doesn't offer anything fancy either. Just higher screen resolution, more processing power, an IR port and fast battery charging.
So, what's the fuss all about? How about this: the Redmi Note 2 is powered by the same chipset as a Sony Xperia M5 and has the same camera as an LG G3 (without the OIS but still), and yet it's charging half price. At a sub-€200 pricepoint, it's probably the cheapest phablet in the market. This is Xiaomi's midrange offering mind you, the Mi Note series raising the bid with Snapdragon chipsets and a QHD screen (Mi Note Pro).
You'll probably find a potential match in any of the established makers' portfolios. That kind of value for money is what made the original Redmi Note so popular outside its home market and the successor seems to be doing the right thing as well. Of course, digging into the details will help you see how Xiaomi managed to fit in that ridiculous budget. No screen protection, no 2160p video recording and no special modes. Even the battery life squeezed out of otherwise reasonable capacity shows Xiaomi still has a thing or two to learn about optimization.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 key test findings
- Build quality is very good, the matte finish is a welcome change.
- The display is decent: it isn't among the brightest we've seen, but offers deep blacks, very good viewing angles and contrast. The sunlight legibility however is only average.
- Battery life is passable, let down by the standby performance.
- Rich wireless and wired connectivity options.
- MIUI 7 is a clean and light Android Lollipop launcher but with rich customization options.
- The Helio X10 chipset is doing alright, even though a little behind other Helio X10 powered smartphones. The 2GB of RAM are sufficient.
- Video player supports every common video codec and AC3 sound but has no subtitle support.
- Audio quality is excellent with an external amplifier, but average with headphones plugged in
- Camera photos are good, with slightly above average resolved detail and dynamic range.
- The 1080p video samples are OK but not impressive.
The Lenovo K3 Note and the Meizu m1 note are absolutely identical and about as close to the Redmi Note 2's specs anyone can possibly get. Both offer 5.5" 1080p screens and use slightly inferior MediaTek chipsets with octa-core processors and 2GB RAM. Each has a 13MP main camera, 16GB of storage and solid battery capacity. Both the K3 Note and the m1 note are made of plastic and available in variety of colors on a bargain price. Oddly, the Meizu m1 note is about €30 more expensive than the Redmi Note 2, while the Lenovo K3 Note is €30 cheaper. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 is the most powerful of the three though.
Lenovo K3 Note • Meizu m1 note
We mentioned the Helio X10-powered Sony Xperia M5. It has a smaller footprint due to a smaller 5" display, but boasts a much better camera (21MP + 13MP) and there is the water and dust protection. The bad news is the Xperia M5 costs at least twice as much as the Redmi Note 2.
Sony Xperia M5 • Sony Xperia M5 Dual
The Meizu MX5 and the HTC One E9+ are both powered by Helio X10, but tick all the flagship checkboxes - premium design, either AMOLED or Quad HD screens, better imaging, overall higher attention to detail. Both cost a lot more of course.
Meizu MX5 • HTC One E9+
Perhaps the Xiaomi Mi 4i is closer to the Redmi Note 2 than any other handset. It costs a few bucks more, offers enough processing punch, a smaller 5" display if that's your thing, and a more capable camera. It's thinner and lighter, and will be getting the MIUI 7 update soon.
Xiaomi Mi 4i
It's really simple with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2. Probably one of the most affordable phablets to get - and by no means cheap in terms of design and hardware. Xiaomi sold millions of it in China and will probably match that in India too. Where we are, brand equity can still easily tip the scales the other way and Xiaomi knows it. For now, aggressive pricing is the only viable way to compete. But the Redmi Note 2 and the likes will keep on coming and getting harder to compete against.
Special thanks to HonorBuy.com for providing the review unit.
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