The “premiumization” of the budgetary smartphone segment led to Decline of the entry -level smartphone walk. Today, most smartphones buyers for the first time or telephone engines opt for high -end budget smartphones for better camera quality, displays and battery life. This has also allowed most smartphones buyers to justify the 5G tax now that 5G networks are operational in most of the country’s major cities.
With the entry -level segment already hungry for features and most of the phones that are struggling to offer a fluid (or tolerable) software experience, there has just been a handful of launches in recent years in this space, which will once again encourage buyers to reach out for more expensive devices. That said, Xiaomi’s short story launching a new smartphone in this highly designed segment at the end of 2024 has always been a shock. But as mentioned in my first impressions, it aims to deliver something new and different, which could see this phone in the hands of smartphones buyers for the first time.
So what exactly does the Redmi A4 5G do differently? Let’s find out!
Redmi A4 5G Design
Xiaomi’s Redmi A4 5G does not seem like a typical entry -level smartphone. It is available in two finishes: Sparkle Purple and Starry Black. We have received the Sparkle Purple finish for examination, and it looks like a modern budgetary smartphone. The purple color has a metal finish on its rear panel, while the raised circular camera module has a fine argyle pattern. The two panels are made of glass, while the median environment sandwich is made of polycarbonate but has a very good finish. Since its rear panel is not made of plastic, it is not a magnet of dust or smudget either. This is a very different approach compared to the basic plastic options available from other brands at this price.
The Redmi A4 5G looks elegant for an entry -level smartphone
The phone is not too heavy or not too light at 212 g, and Xiaomi also offers an IP52 basic note, but keep in mind that the damage due to immersion or exposure to water are not covered by the warranty.
Given its 6.88 inch display, which is already quite large, the thick borders that surround it, especially below, add to its volume, which makes it difficult to function a hand.
My only criticism on its impressive design (for an entry -level smartphone) is the top display notch, which appears a little dated.
Redmi A4 5G Performance
Its large display, despite the best efforts to scale hyperos, does not seem as clear as we will find on most budgetary smartphones. This is due to its HD + resolution and its size, which makes the text a little soft. I always like the way Hyperos draws the best party from what is available using a heavier font and good scaling to avoid jaggies.
The Redmi A4 5G has too many preinstalled third -party applications and games
The display of the Redmi A4 5G is sufficiently shiny inside but only sufficiently shiny outside. Seeing him in direct light from the sun was embarrassing, and his angles of vision are terrible, especially when you do it outside because it seems that there is a pre-ligning private life. Inside, the contrast falls quickly when seen outside the center.
Surprisingly, Xiaomi offers a solid Widevine L1 certification with this device, so the media and the content in OTT applications appear as possible as possible, even if the screen cannot take care of the full HD reading resolution.
The display of the Redmi A4 5G appears well when seen before and in the center (above), but tilt it a little and it works as a private life guard (bottom)
The SOC Qualcomm Snapdragon 4S Gen 2 has managed the software well, provided that I forced the refreshment rate of the screen at 120 Hz. Keep it at Auto, which rocks between 60 Hz, 90 Hz and 120 Hz, the software appears a little stuttering during the scroll. A 120 Hz screen at its price is also unknown, even if its only goal is to serve a more fluid software experience.
With only 4 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage, I did not expect a perfectly fluid software experience. Although the MEMC technology of the screen (high refresh rate) makes scrolling smoothly, there are notable hiccups, especially when you switch between applications or even the launch of applications, where you will have to wait a second or two more for an application. Restarts of the app are also very common and rarely remain in memory for a long time.
Despite the overwhelming selection by the application and third -party game software, users can fortunately uninstall them all. Stuck on Android 14, I like that the Police Mi without Hyperos will be forced on all applications and maintains the coherent user experience, whether you are in a third -party application or browser. The rest of the software is generally Xiaomi, which also means spam notifications of the Getapps application.
Offering a maximum speed of 2.0 GHz, the processor is not really designed to operate but has certain advantages in the battery department. I have run a few landmarks and you can take a look at the results below, which are typical of a smartphone at this price.
| Product | Redmi A4 5G | MOTO G35 5G |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 4S Gen 2 (4nm) | UNISOC T760 (6nm) |
| Display resolution | HD + | FHD + |
| ANTUTU V10 | 3.87 157 | 4.70.387 |
| PCMARK WORK 3.0 | 8,782 | 11,755 |
| Geekbench v6 single | 839 | 741 |
| Geekbench v6 multi- | 1 919 | 2,290 |
| GFXB T-REX | 55 | 55 |
| GFXB Manhattan 3.1 | 28 | 29 |
| GFXB car chase | 15 | 16 |
| 3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL | 1,560 | 2,629 |
| 3DM Slingshot | 2,409 | 3,603 |
| 3dm Life Sauvage | 647 | 1 351 |
| 3DM wild unlimited life | Ftr | 1,335 |
The phone is not designed for the game, but I still tried to perform a few games. Something as basic as Asphalt 9 Legends: Unit paused on the loading screen itself. It was with default graphic settings (defined at low and 30 IPS). Emptying the RAM by closing all the other applications allowed me to launch the game successfully. However, even after the launch, the gameplay was far from smooth and hung up even during navigation in the menus. Occasional games like metro surfers and the lot worked very well.
The Redmi A4 5G offers FM radio functionality via its 3.5 mm headphone jack
A very discussed subject on this phone is its selection of 5G bands available. Unfortunately, Xiaomi only opted with autonomous 5G networks (SA: N1 / N3 / N5 / N8 / N28 / N40 / N78) and not Non-Standalone networks (NSA). Many will find it unsatisfactory, because Jio is the only operator in the country who supports 5G autonomous networks. If you are an Airtel subscriber, you will not be able to access the 4G / LTE bands with much slower data speeds.
Whether watching films or answering calls, I found that the lower speaker was loud enough, even if it seemed a little tiny. Unlike most smartphones at this price, you get a fingerprint reader, which worked as planned during the exam period. FM radio is also available via 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Despite a large camera module, only one of these cameras is accessible to the user. The 50 -megapixel primary camera with its f / 1.8 sufficiently shiny opening managed passable photos with a decent dynamic range which was weak on the details and seemed quite soft even in daylight! The use of 2x digital zoom has worsened image quality, so it is preferable to avoid.
Redmi A4 5G Primary Camera Daylight and Low-Light Camera Samples (press images to develop)
5 megapixel selfies offer fair quality in broad daylight with decent on -board detection and visible noise. The photos of the portrait mode captured with the primary camera seem clear but with blown backgrounds, which was also a problem with the selfie camera.
Redmi A4 5G selfie camera sample (Press the image to develop)
The low light photos of the two cameras cannot be used because they lack texture and details, appearing mainly flat. The phone is maximum at 1080p (30 IPS) when recording the video. It does not make much more details or resolution with a visible noise and is also quite trembling during the panoramic.
The battery life is average for your entry -level smartphone, managing 19 hours and 32 minutes in our video loop test. In daily use, the phone lasted a whole day and a little more because I was mainly limited to occasional use given its game and camera capacities. The device took approximately 2 hours using the 33w charger provided in the box, which is capped at 18W.
Verdict Redmi A4 5G
Xiaomi has proven its point of view that it is possible to deliver a 5G smartphone under RS. 9,000. However, the big condition here is 5G connectivity, because it only supports the Autonomous Network of JIO. If you are an Airtel subscriber, you can forget the USP of the phone because it will only connect to 4G networks offered by the operator.
A power user that manages many applications, multitasses and requires a quality camera and an exceptional battery life may not find the exciting Redmi A4 5G. The phone is mainly intended for a first smartphone user whose needs are limited to calls and basic social media.
Keeping this in mind, Redmi A4 5G from Xiaomi does things a little differently by packing all the essential elements in an attractive factor of form. This seems to be an attractive phone if you have a tight budget and you cannot spend on RS. 9,000. Alternatively, Motorola also offers its G35 5G motorcycle (review) to an additional RS. 2,000, which offers better equipment and a little more power.
