Redmi A3 review: A budget phone with a bold design

If you're in the market for a very affordable and feature-packed smartphone or need a secondary phone, you are at the right place. The title would have already made it clear, yes, I’m talking about the Redmi A3. The latest budget offering is priced at just 12,000 rupees for the 3/64 GB variant, and 13,000 rupees for the 4/128 GB variant. For this price, Redmi has gone with a stunning design, and the unit I have with me has a leather-like back texture. Additionally, Redmi has provided Android 14 here with the Helio G36 chipset, which is a decent performer for this price range. When you hear all these specs, it sounds too good to be true, so how does the actual phone fare? Is it the best budget phone? Let’s find that out in my Redmi A3 review. Before heading in, let's take a look at the specifications of the Redmi A3.

Redmi A3 Specifications:

• Display: 6.71-inch LCD panel, HD+ resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass 3
• Chipset: MediaTek Helio G36 4G (12nm)
• Memory: 3/4/6GB LPDDR4X
• Storage: 64/128GB eMMC 5.1 (expandable up to 1TB)
• Software & UI: Android 14 (2 years of OS updates)
• Rear Camera: Dual (with LED flash); – 8MP f/1.8 primary lens – 0.08 auxiliary sensor
• Front Camera: 5MP f/2.2 (water-drop)
• Battery: 5000mAh with 10W USB-C Charging
• Color Options: Lake Blue, Olive Green, Midnight Black
• Price in Nepal: NPR 11,999 (3/64GB), NPR 12,999 (4/128GB)
• Check out the full specifications of the Redmi A3 here.

Buy Redmi A3 Here

Redmi A3 Review

A bold design

• 168.3 mm x 76.3 mm x 8.3 mm (192 / 199 gm)
• Leather/Glass Back, Plastic frames

Let's start with the design – which is one of its main USP. I mean, just look at this! Would you believe this is a phone priced at 12,000? The camera module is bold and looks premium as compared to other phones in this segment. If you were to compare it to Xiaomi's flagship phone, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, the camera module looks similar – so I can say, there's been no compromise in terms of looks. Moreover, the leather-like finish gives it a premium feel on my Olive Green variant. But if you are someone who prefers a glass back, you can choose the Midnight Black and Star Blue color options as well. 

Display

• 6.52” HD+ IPS LCD display
• 90Hz refresh rate

In terms of display, Redmi has opted for a dewdrop notch screen. I know, it's understandable for a budget phone to opt for this notch. But Tecno's Spark Go 2024 brings a hole-punch panel in the very same segment and it looks better. Apart from that, this is a decent 6.71-inch IPS LCD panel with HD+ resolution. It's good enough for watching YouTube videos, scrolling through Facebook, or browsing Instagram reels considering the price. One improvement over the previous model, the Redmi A2, is the inclusion of a 90Hz refresh rate display instead of the static 60Hz. However, don't expect a super smooth scrolling experience as it's a budget phone. At times, I did feel it's a bit sluggish, apps take a bit of time to load, and switching between them isn't always seamless. However, compared to the previous 60Hz screen, it's an improvement. I hope upcoming updates will further optimize the 90Hz refresh rate. Another thing to note is that Redmi has only provided a peak brightness of 500 nits and during my usage period, I found the screen under direct sunlight to be not bright enough.

Performance

• MediaTek Helio G36 4G (12nm)
• Octa-core (4×2.2 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53
• PowerVR GE8320 GPU

As for the processor, Redmi has opted for the same one used in the Redmi A2/A2+, the Mediatek Helio G36, which is an octa-core chip. For day-to-day usage, the phone performs decently. Basic games like Subway Surfers and Temple Run run smoothly. But sometimes, it does feel a bit sluggish, especially during multitasking.

Software and UI

• Android 14

Talking about the software, surprisingly, this phone boots Android 14 out of the box. Why surprisingly? Because even Xiaomi's recently launched entire Note 13 Series ships with Android 13 out of the box. Redmi A3 deserves some praise in terms of software updates. Xiaomi has promised 2 years of OS updates and 3 years of security patches, which is commendable for a budget phone. Unlike its predecessors, which came with stock Android Go Edition, Redmi A3 comes with full-fledged Android 14. However, it's not entirely stock Android as you'll still find some MIUI elements here and there, like in the status bar and camera app. Plus, the software info also mentions MIUI, which is a bit strange. Given its budget nature, it's not the smoothest device, but if it were running Android Go Edition like its predecessor, it might have been more forgiving on this chip.

Camera

• Dual (8MP + 0.08 MP depth)
• 5MP selfie

This phone comes with a dual-camera setup, featuring an 8-megapixel main camera and a less useful 0.08 MP auxiliary lens. There's also a 5MP selfie shooter on the front.

Daylight

Considering the price, I didn't have high expectations for the camera, and as expected, it delivers average photos. Photos taken under daylight conditions look decent, but zooming in reveals a lack of detail, which is understandable for an 8MP camera.

Lowlight

Similarly, night-time photos are quite basic, lacking a dedicated night mode option.

Portraits

When it comes to portraits, you get decent enough results for a budget phone. I really don't wanna complain a lot here.

Selfies

Plus, the 5MP selfie camera does a decent job for casual selfies and video calls.

Videography

Video recording tops out at 1080p 30fps, and there's no stabilization, which is expected at this price point. But again, for a budget phone, it's decent.

Battery

• Non-removable Li-Po 5000mAh battery
• 10W charging

The Redmi A3 packs a 5000mAh battery, which lasted me about 1.5 days with my usage. Light users can easily stretch it to 2 days. However, it supports only 10W charging, which takes around 2 hours to fully charge! Yes, 2 hours! It would have been nice to see at least 18W fast charging support. The good news is that Redmi has finally bid farewell to the old-fashioned Micro USB port in favor of a USB Type-C port, which is a welcome change. Plus, it supports dual 4G and microSD card expansion. It also supports Band 20 for 4G, ensuring compatibility in rural areas.

Redmi A3 Review: Conclusion

Overall, Redmi has delivered a decent player in the budget segment with the A3. Its bold design, Gorilla Glass 3 protection, and out-of-the-box Android 14 experience are its strong points. Plus, it offers decent camera performance and acceptable overall performance. So if you're looking for a secondary smartphone, this should work fine! And its target audience is slightly older folks who don't need a high-performance device. And for first-time smartphone users, the Helio G36's performance should be adequate. In conclusion, for those on a tight budget and not looking for high performance, the Redmi A3 is a good option at just 12,000 rupees. But if you can spare a bit more from your budget, for just 2,000 more, you can go for the Redmi 13C, which offers better performance and specs.

Redmi A3 Review: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Bold design
• 90Hz display
• Boots on Android 14
• Decent performance

Cons

• UI can be more optimized
• Only 10W charging