REDMI A4: The Redmi A4 5G aims to redefine entry-level smartphones by offering 5G connectivity and a sleek design at a budget-friendly price. While its goal is admirable, it’s essential to understand what this device brings to the table—and its limitations—before making a purchase.
Design & Build
The Redmi A4 5G impresses with its stylish looks, available in Sparkle Purple and Starry Black. The Sparkle Purple variant, with its metallic glass back and argyle-patterned camera bump, gives off a premium vibe rarely seen in this price range. Unlike standard plastic designs offered by competitors, its glass back avoids the grimy look that comes from smudges or fingerprints. At 212g, it’s heavier than expected but feels solid in hand. It also comes with an IP52 rating, protecting against light splashes—though keep in mind this doesn’t cover submersion or heavy water exposure.
Unfortunately, the thick bezels surrounding its 6.88-inch display make it bulkier, and the slightly dated display notch might disappoint those who prefer more modern aesthetics.
Display Quality
The Redmi A4 5G sports a large HD+ display, but it has its drawbacks. Text and visuals can appear a bit soft due to its lower resolution; however, Xiaomi’s HyperOS does its best to optimize scaling and font weight to improve readability. Indoors, the display brightness is sufficient, but outdoors, it becomes a challenge. Viewing angles are limited, and it feels like a privacy screen is pre-installed, making side-view visibility quite poor.
The display does come with Widevine L1 certification, allowing content from OTT platforms to be viewed in sharp detail, albeit without Full HD playback capabilities. And here’s a surprise: a 120Hz refresh rate! While rare at this price point, it ensures smoother scrolling for a better overall experience.
Performance
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 chipset, the Redmi A4 5G performs adequately for basic tasks like browsing, chatting, and social media scrolling. However, with only 4GB of RAM, multitasking feels limited, and app switching often results in restarts. Expect minor delays when loading apps or performing heavier tasks.
While casual games like Subway Surfers run well, the experience isn’t as smooth for graphics-intensive games like Asphalt 9, which face frequent lags—even at low settings. This phone is clearly designed for lighter use rather than power-intensive applications.
The software experience is functional, thanks to Xiaomi’s HyperOS, but users need to deal with the barrage of pre-installed third-party apps. The good news? These can all be uninstalled, though spammy notifications might still persist from certain built-in apps.
Camera Performance
The Redmi A4 5G features a single usable camera in its massive module—a 50MP primary shooter. While it performs decently enough in well-lit conditions, detail levels are low, and textures look soft. Zooming in using the camera’s digital zoom further reduces the quality.
Selfies are satisfactory in daylight but suffer from noise, while portrait mode struggles with blown-out backgrounds. Low-light photography is where the camera falters the most, delivering grainy images with minimal detail. Video recording is also underwhelming, maxing out at 1080p at 30fps, without stabilization, resulting in shaky footage.
Battery & Charging
Equipped with a 5,160mAh battery, the Redmi A4 5G delivers average stamina for an entry-level device. During casual use, it lasts a day and a bit more. However, those hoping for quick top-ups might be disappointed—the 33W charger in the box is capped at 18W, taking roughly two hours for a full charge.
Network & Connectivity
Here’s where things get tricky. The Redmi A4 5G only supports standalone (SA) 5G networks, meaning Airtel subscribers won’t get any 5G benefits. If you’re with Jio, however, the 5G functionality works perfectly.
Additional connectivity perks include an FM radio feature through the 3.5mm headphone jack, which is a rare inclusion these days.
Conclusion
Xiaomi’s Redmi A4 5G shakes up the entry-level market by offering a 5G smartphone under ₹9,000. It’s best suited for first-time smartphone users or those looking for a budget-friendly device for light daily tasks like calling, social media, and basic browsing. However, power users, gamers, and photography enthusiasts will likely feel underwhelmed by its performance and limitations.
If you’re willing to stretch your budget, competitors like the Moto G35 5G offer better all-around performance for a slightly higher price point. That said, for its intended audience, the Redmi A4 5G nails the essentials while looking good doing so.
Is it perfect? No. But if you’re after affordability, 5G (for Jio users), and a splash of style, it might just be the budget smartphone you’re looking for.
