With the introduction of the Redmi Note 13 series, Xiaomi has made a statement that the Note lineup is no longer about budget. The Note 13 Pro Plus is the most expensive phone in the line by far and belongs to the premium midrange segment.
This is not good news since the Indian market is still a price-sensitive one. Four out of 5 most sold phones in India in 2023 all started under NPR 12,999 – the price range that the newer Note fail to address.
This does not look good for Xiaomi, which slipped to third place in the overall market share in 2023.
There is a clear gap in the market, which it is trying to bridge with the A series. The Redmi A3 is not here yet, but given what we know so far, I’m really looking forward to its launch.
Xiaomi Redmi A Series Overview
Despite the similarity in the name, Redmi A is not a continuation of the now-discontinued Mi A series. In fact, it is the evolution of the Redmi Go.
The current A series phones focus on bringing core smartphone functionality on a budget. But Xiaomi is spicing things up with the Redmi A3.
The official specs sheet is not here yet, but the phone is confirmed to have features not seen in an Android Go phone prior.
90Hz Refresh Rate
First is the 90Hz display. While the phone is still expected to sport an HD+ LCD screen, it will now refresh 90 times a second.
The good thing is the Helio G36 chip that will be powering the Redmi A3 has support for a built-in higher refresh rate. It went unutilized in the Redmi A2, but that won’t be the case with its successor.
6GB RAM + Memory Expansion
Xiaomi is also adding more RAM options too. You will be able to configure Redmi A3 with up to 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM. Thus, you won’t run into the lagging problem from not having enough memory on board.
You will be able to turn the internal storage into virtual RAM in the lower memory configurations. For this, the phone will be available with up to 128GB of UFS 2.2 internal storage.
New Halo Design
And you might have noticed on the teaser poster, Xiaomi is also revamping the design language.
Lookswise, the Redmi A3 is heavily based on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra – the most advanced phone in the company’s offering until the announcement of the 14 Ultra later this month.
The green variant of Redmi A3 shown in the poster so far resembles the olive green variant of Xiaomi 13 Ultra.
It even has leather-like textures to enhance the hands-on feel. There will be two more color options at launch: Black and Blue.
Camera Setup
There is a massive circular camera module slapped on the back panel of the phone. It will enclose the dual camera setup of a 13MP primary and a depth sensor.
Over on the front, there will be an 8MP selfie shooter housed inside the waterdrop notch.
Type-C Charging
Finally, Redmi A3 will pack a 5,000mAh battery, just like its predecessor.
However, it will have Type-C charging instead of microUSB. The charging speed will be limited to 10W, which is still good given the phone will cost under INR 10,000 (~120)
