Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime Review in 5 Points

Xiaomi launched its Redmi 3S smartphone last month in India in the sub-Rs. 10,000 segment. The Chinese company in its attempt to strengthen its position in the segment unveiled two variants of the Redmi smartphone: the Redmi 3S, priced at Rs. 6,999, and the Redmi 3S Prime, which is available at Rs. 8,999.

We got a chance to review the Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime, which offers more RAM, more storage space, and a fingerprint scanner for a small price increase. The Redmi 3S Prime smartphone is available via Flipkart and Mi.com. If you are thinking of buying the Redmi 3S Prime, make sure you read our review before you complete the transaction. In case, you won't be unable to go through our entire review, here's our short review of the Redmi 3S Prime.

1. Looks good, built well
The Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime looks like a mini Redmi Note 3 from nearly every angle. It sports an all-metal body which means that the device itself feels premium regardless of the price tag it carries. At 144 grams, the Redmi 3S is slightly heavy for a budget device, but the curved sides make it easy to grip. The extra weight can safely be put down to the massive battery inside the smartphone.

2. Quick and accurate fingerprint sensor
One of the major differences between the Redmi 3S and the Redmi 3S Prime is the former doesn't include a fingerprint scanner. The round sensor at the back is easy to reach and use. During our review period, we had no trouble unlocking the device at any time using the fingerprint scanner. The fingerprint scanner on the Redmi 3S Prime worked well even with wet fingers.

3. Impressive battery life
One of the biggest highlights of the Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime has to be the 4100mAh battery and we were definitely impressed with battery backup of the handset. The non-removable 4100mAh battery even with heavy usage managed to last through an entire day, with a good percentage of juice still left in the battery.

4. Heating issues with camera use
Camera performance of the Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime was satisfactory. We were especially impressed with indoor shots in well-lit conditions. The low-light shots were however slightly washed out. The phone did heat up a bit while using the camera app, but it never became too uncomfortable to use. Notably, there was no heating while charging the phone or talking on calls.

5. Hybrid SIM slot
The Redmi 3S Prime uses a hybrid SIM slot which means it accepts one Micro-SIM and another Nano-SIM or microSD card for storage. Unfortunately, this means that users will have to choose between a second SIM and a microSD card.

That's our quick summary of the Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime. Do read our in-depth review for rest of the details.