Xiaomi Redmi 6A Review — Cheaper Alternative To Redmi 6
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Appearance - 6/10
6/10
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Features - 6/10
6/10
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Materials - 6/10
6/10
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Performance - 6/10
6/10
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Portability - 9/10
9/10
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Value - 7/10
7/10
Summary
A straightforward entry-level smartphone that does its job.
Overall
6.7/10Pros
+ Small build
+ Battery is surprisingly good
+ It wont break your bank account
Cons
– Limited downloads due to low internal storage
– Lag occasionally
– Camera performance
– Speaker grille not ideally located
Introduction
Previously, we’ve reviewed the Redmi 6 device. This time around, the Redmi 6A is the one getting the spotlight. So how does the two compare to one another? Let’s get started with the review now shall we?
Unboxing
Basically you’ll be getting the same items as the Redmi 6. There’s the phone, a SIM-ejector pin, micro-USB cable as well as the power brick. Simple to say the least.
Appearance
The front part of the Redmi 6A is identical to the Redmi 6. You’ve got the single front camera as well as the proximity sensor.
On the right hand side, you’ve got the power button as well as the volume rockers. As for the opposite side, there’s the SIM-tray and microSD tray located at.
Down below of the device, there’s the microUSB port to charge the device as well as a microphone hole. On top, there’s the secondary microphone hole and a 3.5mm port.
Similar to the Redmi 6, the speaker grille is situated at the lower-back of the device. With the Redmi 6A, you will be getting a single lens instead of the dual lens that is offered on its sibling.
Specifications
[table style=”table-bordered”]
| CPU/Chipset: | Mediatek Helio A22 Quad-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 |
| GPU: | PowerVR GE8320 |
| RAM: | 2GB |
| Display: | 5.45″, IPS LCD 720p 18:9 ratio display |
| Storage: | 16GB (expandable via microSD up to 256GB) |
| Camera: | Main Camera(s) 13 MP, f/2.2 PDAF, Single tone LED flash, HDR, Panorama Front Camera 5MP f/2.2 |
| OS: | Android 8.1 Oreo (MIUI 9) |
| Connectivity: | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ Bluetooth 4.2 |
| SIM: | Dual SIM |
| Battery: | Li-Ion 3000 mAh (non-removable) |
| Dimensions: | 147.5 x 71.5 x 8.3 mm |
| Weight: | 145 g |
[/table]
Performance
Coming in with a lower Helio A22 chipset than the Redmi 6, it’s expected that it would perform below its sibling in the Antutu test here.
Again, nothing was out of expectation in terms of performance here. Despite that, it managed to beat the Neffos X9 (MT6750) which we’ve reviewed recently.
The Redmi 6A managed to beat the Lenovo K8 here in terms of work performance which uses a MT6790 chip.
In terms of battery life, this is where the Redmi 6A shocked me. It managed to squeeze 10 hours and 3 minutes on the PCMark battery life test, surpassing the Redmi 6’s score by a substantial amount.
As for my own personal usage with the device, it performed very well. Battery life is good. I’d recharge the device only after two days of usage. Despite that, I was only using the phone for your everyday task such as messaging, checking social media updates and so.
User Experience
I’m not going to lie, I was not expecting much from the Xiaomi Redmi 6A, just simply because of the specifications that it offers. Well it did surprise me with its battery life. As for the charging time for the device, it is the exact same that I’ve gotten for the Redmi 6.
Other than that, the phone offers quite a similar experience to its Redmi 6 brother. Although it’s worth noting that the 6A only pack a single rear camera compared to the dual setup that the Redmi 6 offers.
The UI is very simple and easy to get around with no bloatware to be found, well at least from my opinion. The small internal storage got me thinking of what specifically should I use it for? At the end of the day, I decided to just utilize the phone simply for messaging as well as using it for your mainstream social media browsing (Facebook, Instagram, etc).
Again, don’t expect much from the camera side of things from the phone. It is quite limited in terms of what you can shoot with it. Being a low-priced phone, low-light photography is noisy. That being said, image quality in better lighting is ‘OK’ although you can see where it falls short when you zoom-in to pictures.
Similar the issue that I was annoyed with the Redmi 6, the 6A also featured the speaker grille on the back. As I’ve wrote previously, I wished that they would’ve implemented it at the chin of the phone or at the top. Due to its location, the sound that comes out from the speaker becomes muffled and you wouldn’t want that now would you?
Conclusion
Honestly speaking, if I was looking for an entry-level smartphone, I would get this. Yes, I do know that the its Redmi 6 sibling offers slightly more and it is far from being perfect. Despite that, the Redmi 6A fills in the criteria for a smartphone with basic usage. Plus the battery life is really good, even compared to the Redmi 6. For just RM399, I think the Redmi 6A is good enough for those who want a simple phone for messaging and battery life. That would be perfect as a gift for maybe your parents?
We would like to thank Mi Malaysia for providing us this Redmi 6A for the review. You can click on the link down below to purchase the device on Lazada while also supporting us:
