Updated : Xiaomi Redmi 3 is officially announced

Update (January 11) : Redmi 3 goes official

After a long period of rumor, Xiaomi Redmi 3 is now officially announced. Technical specification is little different than our expectation and rumor.  We expected Redmi 3 to arrive with Snapdragon 617 SoC, but this is not the case.

Xiaomi Redmi 3 features Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor (1.5 GHz quad-core + 1.2 GHz quad-core), 5-inch display with 1280 x 720 pixels resolution, 2GB RAM + 16GB Internal Storage or 3GB RAM + 32GB Internal Storage (expandable with MicroSD card up to 128GB), 4100 mAh battery, 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front camera. Finger Print Scanner is also available, but with 32GB version Redmi 3 only.

The dimension of the device is 139.3 X 69.6 X 8.5 mm, and it weighs 144 grams. It also supports 2 SIM cards (Micro+Nano), but you secondary SIM slot can be used to insert either MicroSD card or Nano SIM.

Redmi 3 comes in three colors; Gold, Silver and Space Gray. Device features metal body with plaid design on the back, but those who don’t like this can order Classic Gold that features non-plaid design.

Xiaomi Redmi 3 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM will be sold for 699 Chinese Yuan (around $106), and 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM version will cost 899 Chines Yuan (around $136).

 

Rumors and expectations

Update (January 6)

Xiaomi has posted a teased image on their official Weibo Page confirming the launch of Redmi 3. According to their teaser poster Xiaomi Redmi 3 will be launched on 12 January. They have also mentioned that device will feature a full metal body with plaid design on its back that is visible in the picture. Xiaomi also confirmed the device to feature a 5-inch display. Rest of the tech specs we have already mentioned below that was leaked by Tenaa.

Update (December 31)

Earlier we found a suspected Xiaomi Redmi 3 on GeekBench3 that showed up with Snapdragon 617 Chipset, but only 6 cores were exposed. However, a Xiaomi Smartphone has been certified by Tenaa on 28 December with 2015815 model, and we expect this to be Redmi 3. According to Tenaa detail Redmi 3 will have these specs;

Redmi 3 Technical Specifications

Dimension : 139.3 × 69.6 × 8.5 mm

Weight : 143 grams

Display : 5 inches

Resolution : 1280 X 720 Pixels

RAM : 2GB

ROM : 16GB (Supports MicroSD up to 32GB)

CPU : Octa-core 1.5 GHz (Snapdragon 617 as showed in benchmark)

Rear Camera : 13-megapixel

Front Camera : 5-megapixel

It seems Xiaomi has said goodbye to plastic body now. They are using metal body even in low-end and mid-range models. Redmi 3 picture shows it with Metal Body as well. Have a look at its images here;

Update ends ……..

Xiaomi has launched many devices this year, and now they are getting ready for 2016. Xiaomi may launch some smartphones in early 2016; Mi 5, Mi Note 2 and and a couple of mid-range phones.

Xiaomi is testing a model with code named as Kenzo. Xiaomi Kenzo GeekBench 3 benchmark report shows it with MSM8952 CPU, 2GB of RAM and the device is running Android Lollipop 5.1.1. In the bench mark test, Redmi 3 / Xiaomi Kenzo scored 3440 in multi-core performance and 1407 in single-core.

There is something surprising that is hard to believe. MSM8952 is known as Snapdragon 617 CPU, and it is an an octa-core processor. However, Xiaomi Kenzo with MSM8952 chip showed up with 6-core (hexa-core) processor that was clocked at 1.4 GHz. Is Snapdragon 808 (MSM8992) changed in to MSM8952 due to any error or GeekBench showed only active cores while running benchmark test? Who knows!

What does Kenzo Mean? Why we think it’s Xiaomi Redmi 3

Kenzo is a Japanese given name, that has various meaning. You can see the screenshots below to understand

I hope you understand now how Kenzo could be Xiaomi Redmi 3.

Xiaomi Redmi 2 was a budget phone, so you can expect the same with Redmi 3, but it would cost little more. In terms of tech specs, we have already seen 2GB RAM, Snapdragon 617 Processor, and Android Lollipop OS. Rest of specs could be as; 5-inch Full HD display, 13-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, 16GB ROM (expandable with MicroSD), and the device will support dual-SIM with dual standby. Specs sound like Xiaomi Mi 4i, but this is what we expect if it is launched with Snapdragon 617.