Xiaomi Redmi 6A Review

• Overview
• Design and Build Quality
• Display
• Performance
• Software and User Interface
• Camera
• Battery Life
• Connectivity and Networking
• Additional Features
• Comparison with Other Related Phones
• Pros and Cons
• Conclusion

Overview

The Xiaomi Redmi 6A is an affordable smartphone that packs a punch with its impressive features. With a sleek design and a 5.45-inch IPS LCD display, this phone offers a great viewing experience. Running on Android 8.1 (Oreo) with the option for an upgrade to Android 10, along with the MIUI 12, it ensures a smooth and user-friendly interface. The phone is powered by a Mediatek MT6761 Helio A22 chipset and a quad-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU, providing decent performance for everyday tasks. It comes with options for 16GB or 32GB of internal storage and 2GB or 3GB of RAM, allowing for ample storage and smooth multitasking. The 13MP main camera captures detailed photos, while the 5MP front camera is perfect for selfies. With its affordable price and various color options, the Xiaomi Redmi 6A is a great choice for budget-conscious buyers.

Design and Build Quality

The Xiaomi Redmi 6A showcases a sleek and modern design, featuring a plastic back, plastic frame, and a glass front. With its compact form factor and dimensions of 147.5 x 71.5 x 8.3 mm, it offers great portability and comfortable one-handed usability. The device weighs just 145g, making it lightweight and easy to carry around. The 5.45-inch IPS LCD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio provides an immersive viewing experience, while the slim bezels enhance the aesthetics of the device.

In terms of build quality, the Redmi 6A impresses with its robustness and sturdiness. The materials used in its construction ensure durability, and the fit and finish are commendable. The back panel has a smooth texture, offering a comfortable grip. The finishing touches on the device give it a premium look and feel, despite its budget-friendly price.

The buttons and controls are well-placed and responsive, providing a satisfying user experience. The frame of the device adds to its overall strength and durability. The Redmi 6A is available in various colors, including Black, Grey, Blue, Gold, and Rose Gold, allowing users to choose a design that suits their preferences.

Overall, the Xiaomi Redmi 6A boasts an aesthetically pleasing design with attention to detail in its construction. It combines a sleek design, premium look and feel, and sturdy build quality, making it an attractive choice for users seeking a budget-friendly smartphone without compromising on style and durability.

Display

The Xiaomi Redmi 6A features a 5.45-inch IPS LCD display with a screen-to-body ratio of approximately 72.7%. The display has a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels, offering a pixel density of around 295 ppi. While it may not boast the highest resolution or pixel density compared to higher-end smartphones, it still provides a decent viewing experience for its price range. The aspect ratio of 18:9 adds to the immersive feel of the display.

In terms of color accuracy and vibrancy, the Redmi 6A's display performs adequately, delivering vibrant and punchy colors. The brightness levels are decent, allowing for good visibility even in outdoor conditions. However, it may struggle in direct sunlight due to the lack of an anti-reflective coating.

The device does not feature Gorilla Glass protection, which means it may be more prone to scratches and cracks compared to smartphones with Gorilla Glass. It is advisable to use a screen protector for added protection.

The touch responsiveness of the display is generally smooth and accurate, allowing for seamless navigation and usage. The viewing angles are also decent, ensuring that content remains visible and clear when viewed from different angles.

While the Redmi 6A does not offer features like HDR or wide color gamut support, it does come with a blue light filter to reduce eye strain during prolonged usage. The adaptive brightness feature helps in automatically adjusting the screen brightness based on ambient lighting conditions.

Overall, the display of the Xiaomi Redmi 6A is suitable for everyday tasks such as web browsing, social media, and multimedia consumption. It may not offer the most advanced display technologies, but it provides a satisfactory viewing experience considering its affordable price point.

Performance

The Xiaomi Redmi 6A offers decent performance for its price range. Powered by the Mediatek MT6761 Helio A22 chipset and a quad-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU, it provides sufficient processing power for everyday tasks. The GPU, PowerVR GE8320, ensures smooth graphics rendering and enhances the overall gaming experience.

In terms of CPU benchmarks, the Redmi 6A performs reasonably well. It achieves a score of 61660 on AnTuTu v7, indicating its capability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. This processor efficiency contributes to a smooth user experience and lag-free performance during multitasking scenarios.

When it comes to gaming capabilities, the Redmi 6A is capable of handling casual and less demanding games. The GPU benchmarks show that it can handle basic gaming with ease, although more graphically intensive games may experience some limitations. The graphics scores on GFXBench indicate that it can handle games with low to medium graphics requirements.

Furthermore, the Redmi 6A showcases satisfactory thermal management. It efficiently dissipates heat during extended gaming sessions, preventing overheating issues that could affect performance.

In terms of benchmark tests, the Redmi 6A performs reasonably well. It achieves a score of 2450 on GeekBench v4.4, which is indicative of its overall performance. Synthetic benchmarks provide useful information about the device's performance metrics, and the Redmi 6A fares well in this regard.

Overall, the Xiaomi Redmi 6A offers a smooth user experience, especially for everyday tasks like web browsing, social media, and light gaming. While it may not be the best choice for heavy gaming or resource-intensive applications, it provides satisfactory performance for its price range. Its system optimization and thermal management contribute to a lag-free experience, ensuring app loading speeds and multitasking efficiency.

Software and User Interface

The Xiaomi Redmi 6A runs on Android 8.1 (Oreo) operating system, with a planned upgrade to Android 10 and MIUI 12. This version of Android provides a smooth and user-friendly interface. The MIUI 12 customization adds a unique touch to the user experience, allowing users to personalize their device according to their preferences. The software also offers a range of pre-installed apps that come in handy for everyday use. However, some users have reported the presence of bloatware, which are unwanted or unnecessary apps that take up storage space. While these bloatware apps can be uninstalled, it is worth noting that they may initially occupy some storage. Nonetheless, the overall software performance of the Redmi 6A is commendable, with the device scoring well in benchmark tests such as AnTuTu and GeekBench. With regular software updates and planned upgrades, Xiaomi ensures that the Redmi 6A stays up to date with the latest features and security patches. Overall, the software on the Xiaomi Redmi 6A provides a user-friendly experience with customizable options, although some users may want to remove the pre-installed bloatware to optimize storage.

Camera

The Xiaomi Redmi 6A comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera, which is quite impressive for a budget smartphone. The rear camera has an aperture of f/2.2 and features phase detection autofocus (PDAF) for quick and accurate focusing. It also has LED flash, HDR, and panorama modes, allowing users to capture a wide range of scenes and add more depth and detail to their photos.

In terms of image quality, the Redmi 6A performs well in daylight photography, producing images with natural colors and good sharpness. The camera's dynamic range is decent, capturing a good amount of detail in both highlight and shadow areas. However, in low-light conditions, the camera struggles a bit, as expected from a budget device. The noise reduction algorithm does its best to reduce noise, but there is still some loss of detail and an increase in graininess.

The Redmi 6A also offers some useful camera features such as portrait mode, which uses software algorithms to create a bokeh effect and blur the background, giving a professional look to portraits. It also has HDR and panorama modes for capturing wider scenes and pro mode for manual control over settings like ISO and shutter speed.

When it comes to video recording, the Redmi 6A can shoot 1080p videos at 30fps. While it doesn't support 4K video recording, the quality of the recorded videos is decent, and the camera also offers video stabilization for smoother footage. Additionally, it has slow-motion video and time-lapse modes, allowing users to get creative with their video recordings.

Overall, the camera of the Xiaomi Redmi 6A is quite impressive considering its budget price. It performs well in daylight photography and offers some useful features for capturing memorable moments. However, low-light performance could be improved, and it lacks some advanced features like 4K video recording.

Battery Life

The Xiaomi Redmi 6A is equipped with a non-removable Li-Ion 3000mAh battery, which provides a decent battery life. Users can expect a satisfactory standby time and screen-on time, allowing for uninterrupted usage throughout the day. The device does not support fast charging or wireless charging options, but the battery charges at a reasonable speed using the microUSB 2.0 port. The power efficiency of the Redmi 6A is commendable, as it optimizes battery usage to maximize longevity. The device also offers battery optimization features and a battery saver mode to further enhance battery performance. Overall, the Redmi 6A provides a reliable battery backup for everyday use, and its battery capacity is suitable for moderate usage.

Connectivity and Networking

The Xiaomi Redmi 6A offers a range of connectivity options to keep users connected wherever they go. It supports 4G LTE network compatibility, allowing for fast data speeds and reliable connectivity. Users can also take advantage of the dual SIM feature, which enables them to use two SIM cards simultaneously. This is particularly useful for those who want to separate their personal and work contacts or for travelers who want to use a local SIM card while abroad.

In terms of wireless connectivity, the Redmi 6A supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n standards, ensuring compatibility with most Wi-Fi networks. This allows users to connect to the internet at home, the office, or in public places with ease. Additionally, the device supports Bluetooth 4.2, which enables seamless pairing with other Bluetooth-enabled devices such as headphones, speakers, and smartwatches.

While the Redmi 6A does not have NFC capabilities or support for wireless charging, it does feature a microUSB 2.0 port for charging and data transfer. This standard USB connection is widely supported and allows for easy connectivity with computers and other devices.

For navigation purposes, the Redmi 6A comes with GPS, GLONASS, and BDS positioning systems, ensuring accurate location tracking and reliable navigation. Users can also create a mobile hotspot using their device, allowing them to share their internet connection with other devices, such as laptops or tablets.

Overall, the Xiaomi Redmi 6A offers a good range of connectivity options, including dual SIM support, 4G LTE compatibility, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. While it may lack some advanced features like NFC and USB-C, it provides the essential connectivity functionalities that most users require.

Additional Features

Additional Features of Xiaomi Redmi 6A:

- Standout features: The Xiaomi Redmi 6A offers impressive features that make it a standout device in its price range. With its sleek design and compact size, it is easy to handle and carry.

- Water resistance and dust resistance: Unfortunately, the Xiaomi Redmi 6A does not come with water resistance or dust resistance capabilities. It is important to handle the device with care and avoid exposing it to water or dusty environments.

- Advanced sensors: The Xiaomi Redmi 6A is equipped with a range of sensors, including an accelerometer and a proximity sensor. These sensors enhance the functionality of the device by providing accurate measurements and detecting the user's movements and proximity to the device.

- Battery life: The Xiaomi Redmi 6A boasts a powerful 3000mAh battery that provides long-lasting usage. With its efficient power management, users can enjoy extended periods of usage without worrying about running out of battery.

- Connectivity options: The Xiaomi Redmi 6A offers various connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, and GPS. These features ensure seamless connectivity and enable users to stay connected wherever they go.

Overall, the Xiaomi Redmi 6A offers a range of features that cater to the needs of budget-conscious users. While it may lack certain advanced features like water resistance and wireless charging, it provides a reliable and efficient performance at an affordable price point.

Comparison with Other Related Phones

The Xiaomi Redmi 6A is a budget-friendly smartphone that offers decent features and specifications at an affordable price point. When comparing it with other related devices in the market, such as the Samsung Galaxy J2 Core and the Nokia 2.2, several key differences and similarities can be observed.

In terms of specifications, the Redmi 6A boasts a 5.45-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels. This is similar to the display size of the Galaxy J2 Core but slightly smaller than the Nokia 2.2, which has a 5.71-inch display. However, all three devices offer an 18:9 aspect ratio, providing a more immersive viewing experience.

In the performance department, the Redmi 6A is equipped with a Mediatek MT6761 Helio A22 chipset and a quad-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU. While it may not be as powerful as the Galaxy J2 Core's Exynos 7570 Quad or the Nokia 2.2's MediaTek Helio A22, it still offers smooth performance for everyday tasks.

When it comes to camera capabilities, the Redmi 6A features a 13 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front camera. The Galaxy J2 Core and Nokia 2.2, on the other hand, both have an 8 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front camera. While the Redmi 6A has a higher resolution rear camera, the overall image quality may vary depending on other factors such as software optimization.

In terms of pricing, the Redmi 6A is priced at around 110 EUR, making it a very affordable option for budget-conscious consumers. The Galaxy J2 Core and Nokia 2.2 are also competitively priced in a similar range, offering value for money in the entry-level segment.

Overall, the Redmi 6A competes well with other devices in its price range, offering a good balance of features and affordability. While it may not have the most powerful specifications or the highest camera resolution, it still provides a solid user experience for those on a tight budget.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Xiaomi Redmi 6A offers an affordable entry-level smartphone experience with decent features. Its compact design, lightweight build, and 5.45-inch IPS LCD display make it comfortable to hold and use. The phone runs on Android 8.1 with planned upgrades, ensuring a smooth user interface. The 13MP rear camera captures decent photos, while the 5MP front camera is suitable for basic selfies. Additionally, the 3000mAh battery provides sufficient power for everyday usage. However, the limited storage options and average performance may be a drawback for some users. Overall, the Xiaomi Redmi 6A is a budget-friendly option for those seeking a reliable smartphone with essential features.