[Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Questions & Answers] Wilderone:
Hi All,

My Redmi Note 4 Review after 2 days:.

Sorry I know it's long winded but once I got started writing about this device well....

l wasn't expecting my device to be delivered this week as no tracking events were showing since ordering on the 29th Nov but to my surprise my package arrived Thursday morning from DHL.

So it took 10 days from placing the order with To2c.com to delivery to my door, So their service & delivery was very good IMO.

So In very short order I peeled the packaging open to reveal the RN4 box along with 2 gifts, a tempered glass screen protector & clear Tpu gel case cover all very well protected with bubble wrap & in perfect condition.

They let me know last week that the other 2 cases I had ordered with the phone are being despatched from their other warehouse so they will arrive in a separate package unfortunately but the freebie gel case is pretty decent until they arrive.

I find it's always difficult buying anything online that you can't physically touch & especially when it comes to higher dollar digital items even more so.

I went straight into unlocking the phone & in so I installed the China Dev fastboot ROM & using SP flash tools went through the unlocking procedure, I have to say that reading & reading forums & double checking everything here makes the whole process much easier.

I then went in & flashed Cofface TWRP but ran into a problem with Chinese language when booting into it... Eventually solved I flashed the China Stable & played with that for a while, I was actually waiting for CosmicDan's CosmicTweaks latest rendition to be released but decided to install the Xiaomi.EU 8.1.3.0 Stable ROM in the interim.

So far I think this is the best ROM I have tested so I'll stick with that for now.

I did have some trouble installing OpenGapps or Gapps in general via TWRP as the Xiaomi.Eu ROM only has the prerequisites I believe?? It has Google Play but no Gmail, Maps, Calendar etc.

So onto the Review:

I can tell you that the pictures of this phone really don't do it justice, it feels & looks like a top quality phone at least worth double it's price tag even before firing it up.

The aesthetic of the phone feels of really high quality materials & its nicely formed back & sides fit well into my hand, it does feel a little heavy but that's in comparison to my old phone & when I say heavy its more like a well built "Solid" heavy.

The display is nice, crisp & clear, the on screen scrolling is buttery smooth & the glass is not too glossy as to show reflections too badly.

I'm coming from a 5" display but the extra 0.5 inches really feels a lot bigger & I love this extra real estate.

I find the outdoor visibility quite good, not great but acceptable.

The multitasking/memory management seems very good (currently on Xiaomi.eu 8.1.3.0 Stable ROM) but I'm not a huge power user either & it easily seems to keep up with all I can throw at it.

Apps launch quickly & the MIUI is very snappy overall it operates without any lag.

I m happy to stick with MIUI as it feels nice & looks good.

The Camera is decent & I'm not a pro when it comes to photography & couldnt tell the difference in any comparison photos tbh but it will easily do me for my day to day life photos.

The fingerprint reader is a marvel, I've never had one but I've heard great things about the one on this device, I can say it's awesome & I love it, it's so accurate, responsive & it effortlessly unlocks the device everytime.

I think the placement is perfect & I found within hours I was picking up the phone & my finger just slips into the reader & bingo!!!

Cons:

Automatic brightness really sucks & it was really evident right out the box & was the same with all the ROM's I had flashed, I now have installed Velis Auto Brightness (a thanks to CosmicDan) & it's a lot better.

Charging speed is a little slow but I'm coming from a fast charge VOOC device so that's to be expected here given the price.

The WLAN seems to disable on restart & have to re-enable it on each start, I really haven't looked into it just yet tbh but it may be something quite simple.

There are some small bugs with the Xiaomi.Eu 8.1.3.0 Stable ROM all of which are known but not really worth worrying about IMO.

Google play store downloads seems slow as noted by another member & I have found the same, but it's only on initial app setup of the Phone that it's a drag.

In finishing up I really like everything about it, I'm really happy I did the research & read all the reviews because I made a great choice.

In summary, I think if you are in the market for a new a new phone, you like the design, the specs & are happy to change ROM's in search of a stable daily driver OS then I highly recommend it.

Yes yes I think it's possible to love a phone, well I sleep next to it don't I?

I will do a follow up review of the accessories that came with the device shortly.