Xiaomi revealed the company’s latest budget model, the Redmi 4, just a few days ago. The model will replace the Redmi 3, becoming the next entry-level device for users who want an excellent phone for a very affordable price. The strongest model from the lineup is the Redmi 4 Prime, coming with Snapdragon 625 and a 5-inch 1080p screen. Let’s see how it compares with the Redmi 3S Prime, the most potent model from the Redmi 3 series.
Design, Dimensions
The new Redmi 4 Prime looks much better than the Redmi 3S Prime. The phone sports a metal body, characterized by one antenna band on the lower backside of the device, along with the camera and a fingerprint sensor placed on the upper middle part of the backside, one above the other. While the Redmi 3S Prime looks a bit average, the Redmi 4 Prime has a similar design, but with better looks.
The Redmi 4 Prime measures 141.3 x 69.6 x 8.9 mm, sporting almost identical dimensions as the Redmi 3S prime (139.3 x 69.6 x 8.5 mm). The dimensions are quite compact; most users should use both models with one hand without problems.
Hardware, Display
Hardware-wise, the Redmi 4 Prime comes with a Snapdragon 625 (Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 along with Adreno 506 GPU), making it much more potent than the Redmi 3S Prime, powered by Snapdragon 430 (Octa-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53 coupled with Adreno 505 GPU). For instance, the Snapdragon 625 can score around 60,000 points in AnTuTu, while the Snapdragon 430 can go up to 42,000 points.
The Redmi 4 Prime has 3 gigs of RAM along with 32 GB of expandable internal storage. Aside from Snapdragon 430, the Redmi 3S Prime packs 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of expandable internal storage. Overall, both phones will perform rather snappy, with the Redmi 4 Prime being faster in everyday tasks, as well as a better choice for gaming.
The Redmi 4 prime brought a 1080p resolution to the Redmi family. It has a 5-inch, 1080p IPS display, offering high sharpness (443 ppi pixel density), natural colors and wide viewing angles. On the other side, the Redmi 3S Prime is equipped with a 5-inch 720p IPS display that has a visibly lower sharpness (294 ppi pixel density) but is still a solid choice for an entry-level smartphone.
Camera
Both models feature a 13 MP (f/2.2 on the Redmi 4 Prime; f/2.0 on the Redmi 3S Prime) main camera sensor, supporting phase detection autofocus and HDR. The Redmi 3S Prime comes with a LED flash, while the Redmi 4 Prime has a dual LED flash. The camera is capable of recording 1080p@30fps videos on both models. The selfie camera is also the same on both phones. It has 5 MP and can record 1080p videos.
Battery, Software
The battery is of the same capacity (4100 mAh) on the both models, offering at least two days of usage. Also, both Redmi 4 Prime and the Redmi 3S Prime run under Android Marshmallow-based MIUI 8. The fingerprint sensor is featured on both devices.
Conclusion
The Redmi 4 Prime brings a Snapdragon 625, a 1080p display, and a better design, everything else is the same as on the Redmi 3S Prime. The Redmi 4 Prime costs around $132 (Rs 8,850), but is only available in China at the moment. The Redmi 3S Prime can be found for Rs 9,000 ($135), basically the same price as the Redmi 4 Prime. If you want to buy a solid smartphone for under $150, and can wait a bit until Redmi 4 Prime becomes internationally available, pick it up. 1080p screen and Snapdragon 625 are two huge reasons to wait a bit for the new model since it costs the same as the Redmi 3S Prime that comes with a 720p display and a Snapdragon 430.