On paper, the new Redmi Go phone seems a bit weak. Especially compared to the company’s recently launched Redmi Note 7 (Review) and Redmi Note 7 Pro (Review) smartphones. But also remember that the phone has been launched at a price of less than Rs 5,000. The biggest drawback of the phones in this segment is the low resolution screen. These processors are also not powerful and the cameras are useless. Phones in this range are also very weak in build quality.
Can Xiaomi replicate its prowess in the entry-level smartphone segment? Is the Rs 4,499 Redmi Go meant for users looking to upgrade from feature phones to smartphones? Let’s find out…
Redmi Go design
Redmi Go is a very simple looking phone. But it feels more premium than its price. You can’t guess just by looking at it that it is so affordable. The body is made of plastic. The back is curved. It doesn’t bend. It doesn’t feel fragile.
The Redmi Go has a 16:9 screen on the front panel. It is equipped with capacitive Android buttons. But the borders are very wide. This will remind you of the old phones. Because today budget phones have upgraded to 18:9 or taller screens. We have no complaints with the design of the phone. But the capacitive buttons are not backlit, so it is not easy to find them in the dark.
The screen is 5 inches. Despite the wide borders, Redmi Go is very compact and it is not difficult to use it with one hand. The phone is light due to its weight of 137 grams. It will appeal to users who like a small phone.
There are two trays on the left side. One has a slot for a nano-SIM and a microSD card and the other has a slot for a nano-SIM. Interestingly, even the more expensive Xiaomi phones come with a hybrid SIM slot. But this phone has a separate microSD card slot. The power and volume buttons are on the right side. There is a micro-USB port at the bottom. The speaker grill is also here. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top. There is a single camera setup at the back. There is no notification LED in this phone.
Redmi Go is available in Black and Vibrant Blue finish colours. We got the Black unit for review and it does not get fingerprints easily. Xiaomi has achieved a great balance between price and design in this phone.
Redmi Go specifications and software
Considering the price, the processor and screen go in favor of Redmi Go. It uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, which is quite old. In recent times, it has been a part of many phones in the price range of Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000. Such as Infinix Hot 6 Pro, 10.or D2 and Nokia 2.1. Samsung launched Samsung Galaxy J6 + last year for Rs 15,990. The clock speed of the processor given in the handset is 1.4 GHz.
The screen resolution of Redmi Go is 720×1280 pixels. In this price range, you usually get to see displays with a resolution of 480×854 pixels or 540×960 pixels. The 5-inch screen is very sharp. The colors are a bit muted. Viewing angles are excellent.
On the other hand, 1GB RAM and 8GB inbuilt storage is disappointing. The low RAM may be optimized for Android Go UI. But many apps require more RAM. Talking about storage, a separate microSD card slot makes up for this shortcoming. It has support for 128GB storage. It takes no time to run out of 8GB storage.
A 3000 mAh battery has been provided. Which will last just fine. Because the hardware is not very powerful. There is no support for quick charging. You can use two 4G SIM cards, but only one SIM will work on 4G network at a time. It has support for Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.1, FM radio and GPS.
There is an 8 megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture on the rear. There is a 5 megapixel camera with f/2.2 aperture on the front panel. You will be able to record videos up to 1080 pixels with both the cameras.
Xiaomi has provided ambient light, accelerometer and proximity sensors in the phone. But there is no gyroscope or compass. There is no fingerprint sensor or face recognition in the phone.
Xiaomi has used Android Go in this phone, but the version is Android 8.1. This means that it runs on less RAM and also consumes less storage in the phone. Google has also optimized many of its apps. You will get apps like YouTube Go, Maps Go, Gmail Go and Assistant Go. But you will get the normal versions of Chrome and Google Photos.
Redmi Go performance, camera and battery
The hardware on the Redmi Go is pretty basic for general use. The processor is decent, but the 1GB RAM is a hindrance. The phone pauses a lot when you open a menu in an app or scroll through the Google Play Store. Apps take longer to load at times. Overall, the experience of using this phone is similar to other handsets available under Rs 5,000.
The Go app has many fun functions. YouTube Go tells you how much data will be consumed to play each video. You can choose the video quality according to your need. You can save some videos. Which can be played again and again later.
Out of the box, only 58% of the 8GB storage was available for use in our Redmi Go review unit. This means that you will not be able to store games with heavy graphics on this phone. By the way, we would suggest all our readers to use microSD in this phone.
We tried playing PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9: Legends on this phone. Both these games are not made for this phone. Asphalt 8: Airborne did run, but the effects were disabled. But the game was playable. Games with less powerful graphics run fine on the phone.
Generally, the camera of a low-cost phone is not powerful. Redmi Go is no different. There are not many features provided in the app. HDR and some basic color filters are available. In manual mode, you will be able to control white balance, ISO, shutter speed and focus. There is no panorama mode either, let alone portrait mode.
The photos we took in daylight were okay, except on the phone’s screen. The photos were not as vibrant as we expected. After checking them in full-size on the computer, we found that the colors popped a little more. But the lack of quality was clearly visible. Textures look artificial. The edges of the object did not always seem fully defined. There was also a lack of detail. The camera works well in shooting against light. But HDR is not automatic and there are complaints of shutter lag. Even the low-cost phones launched recently do a decent job in close-up shots. But this is not the case with Redmi Go.
As far as photos taken in the dark are concerned, most of the shots we took were noisy and grainy. Objects were not well defined and there were complaints of motion blur as well. The good thing is that objects in the shots are easily identified. Even if they don’t look good. You can use photos taken with the Redmi Go’s camera on social media and messaging apps.
Videos are recorded jerky and the focus is also not stable. The quality is satisfactory in 1080p. Do not rely on Redmi Go to capture important moments of your life. Beautification is available in the front camera. But the quality is very basic.
The 3000mAh battery easily lasted a full day. We charged the phone only the next morning. In our HD video loop test, the battery lasted 9 hours and 50 minutes.
Our verdict
The Redmi Go doesn’t grab as much attention as some of Xiaomi’s more expensive phones. But it does come with decent hardware considering its price. This is good news for those on a tight budget. We wish there was a variant with more RAM and storage.
At this price, the phone does not face much competition. But the ZenFone Lite L1 cannot be ignored. It was launched at Rs 6,999. But it is usually available on sale at Rs 4,999 on Flipkart. By spending just Rs 500 more, you get a powerful Snapdragon 430 processor, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB storage and many other features compared to Redmi Go.
In the end, if you can spend more, go for the Redmi 6A (Review) which will offer better performance and will also last longer.
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