Xiaomi has started 2016 with the release of its Redmi Note 3, a phone that was launched in China last year. The major difference being that the Redmi Note 3 in India will be housing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 chipset whereas the one in China was launched with the MediaTek Helio X10 processor. Apart from being the first Xiaomi phone with a full metal body, this is also Xiaomi’s first foray into fingerprint scanner sporting handsets.The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 sports an all metal body and has rounded edges along the sides. Turn around the phone and the resemblance to the rear side on the Meizu MX5 is uncanny. The round fingerprint scanner is located just below the 16MP camera on the rear side and they are aligned to be placed in the centre. The dual LED flash unit is located in between the camera and the fingerprint scanner. The base has the speaker section and there’s a slight protrusion chin just below to ensure there is a gap between speaker section and the flat surface its placed on.Looking around the device, on the left hand edge you have the dual SIM card slots, at the base there is a microUSB charging and data transfer port, on the right hand edge you have the volume rocker and power standby buttons. The top edge has the 3.5mm audio jack and an infrared blaster for controlling IR home appliances. The front has a 5.5inch display which has a tendency to collect smudges.Thanks to the sand blasted matte finish on the rear side, you get a good grip on the phone. One handed option is inconvenient.The in hand feel of the phone is good as there are no sharp edges around the phone. Everything is nicely rounded. There’s even a chrome strip running around the edges which is slightly raised, so that it helps the display from touching the table if it is placed face down. Now these are minor touches, but quite thoughtful. Even the volume rocker and power/standby buttons are metallic with chamfered edges and a good feedback.
