Review: Xiaomi Redmi 6A

I first posted about the Redmi 6 and 6A when it was launched in China last June. A month later, these two new phones along with their flagship Mi8 were announced here in the Philippines. I was sent evaluation units of these two phones, and today I will post my review of the Redmi 6A. Initially, the Redmi 5A was the most affordable smartphone with a 5-inch display, 16GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM for only P4,590. The Redmi 6A takes its place as the newest entry-level smartphone king.

REDMI 6A SPECS:

OS:Android 8.1 Oreo with MIUI 9
Processor:2.0 GHz MediaTek Helio A22 Quad-Core processor | IMG PowerVR
Display: 720 x 1440 5.45" HD+ IPS Display
Wireless Connections:LTE-A, Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, A-GPS, GLONASS
Memory:16 GB Internal Storage expandable with a Micro SD Card up to 256GB, 2GB RAM
Connectors:Micro USB 2.0
Cameras:13 Megapixels f/2.2 (Main Cameras), 5 Megapixels f/2.2 (Front)
SIM Card Slots:2x Nano SIM Cards required
Battery:3,000 mAh
SRP:RMB599

THE LOOKS AND FEEL

Redmi 6A

The Redmi 6A looks similar to the Redmi 5A, only longer by length. Like the previous Redmi, the phone seems to be made of plastic which is usual for entry-level phones. The metallic finish in the back cover makes the Redmi 6A look less of a cheap phone. Holding the 6A is lightweight and comfortable. It may look simple, but it can definitely do its job well.

Redmi 6A

The Redmi 6A can accommodate two Nano SIM Cards and an external memory card up to a capacity of 256GB. Unfortunately, one of the SIM card slots broke while trying to eject it from the phone. I hope this is an isolated issue and not a common one that would affect the other units.

THE DISPLAY

Redmi 6A

The improvement by the Redmi 6A over its predecessor is the bigger 5.45-inch screen display. It’s also one of the most affordable smartphones today with a 18:9 screen ratio. Colors look vivid and quite surprisingly I was able to watch a lot of videos with it during my review period.

THE PERFORMANCE

Redmi 6A

The Redmi 6A is powered by the new Helio A22 Quad-Core processor by Taiwanese giant MediaTek. It’s a low-cost chipset that provides CPU performance up to 30% faster and GPU up to 72% faster than the direct competitor. In real world usage, it was capable enough to do my usual tasks with my main smartphone. Even with 2GB of RAM, it was able to handle all my usual social networking and communication apps quite well. I don’t recall a time when my apps crashed.

Redmi 6A

I played a couple of games in the Redmi 6A: Mobile Legends and PUBG Mobile. Graphics were set to middle by default on Mobile Legends and I found it good enough to play the game. I didn’t bother to change it to the highest settings as “middle” is ought to be enough. Never encountered any hiccups whenever I played the game.

Redmi 6A

PUBG Mobile was surprisingly very playable at Smooth graphics settings (A.K.A. lowest settings) with medium framerate. Like Mobile Legends, I played PUBG Mobile with audio on at the lowest settings several times. It’s not really that smooth, but at least the game doesn’t lag. I moved it up to Balanced, also with medium frame rate just to see how far the Redmi 6A can go. It was still playable, though there were lags in the game once in a while. I also noticed the Redmi heating up under this setting.

THE CAMERA

Redmi 6A

Xiaomi prides itself for producing phones with great cameras. Knowing that the Redmi 6A is an entry-level phone, they still made sure that the camera quality is above par in its class. I have to agree. Check out the sample photos below:

Redmi 6A

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Redmi 6A

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Redmi 6A

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Redmi 6A

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Redmi 6A

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Redmi 6A

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Can you believe these were taken by an entry-level phone? These images look pretty decent.

THE BATTERY LIFE

Redmi 6A

The Redmi 6A packs a 3,000 mAh of juice which is common capacity nowadays. I’m averaging 9 hours of usage which still leaves me with 30% of juice left. Usage consists of usual social network apps, calls and instant messaging, occasional browsing, accumulated viewing of online videos for 30 mins. – 1 hour, and sometimes games for 30 minutes.

DR’S CONCLUSION

Redmi 6A

The phone is straightforward. No gimmicks, pure performance. This is what you get for the Redmi 6A which only costs P5,290. If you cannot stretch your smartphone budget beyond 5k, then the Redmi 6A should be the one for you.

PROS

  • Phone worked very well. No hiccups encountered even with 2GB of RAM.
  • Decent performance for gaming
  • Images are above par for its entry-level class
  • Very good battery life

CONS

  • Priced higher than the Redmi 5A
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