Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 preorders start on Gear Best; priced at US$179 plus free shipping

Xiaomi unveiled its newest fully metal-clad smartphone, the Redmi Note 3, on Nov. 24 at a launch event held in China. The handset currently available in China can now be purchased by customers worldwide through Gear Best, a well-known Chinese retailer.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is a midrange smartphone that’s been built with full-metal design to deliver premium appeal. It’s a phablet with a 5.5-inch display that carries support for full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels along with a pixel density of 403 ppi. It offers a screen-to-body ratio of 72.4 percent.

The Helio X10 chipset is the power driver of this handset. It features an octa-core CPU that works at a processing speed of 2 GHz. The handset is available in two RAM variants. The 2 GB RAM variant comes with an internal storage of 16 GB. The 3 GB RAM model is available with 32 GB of native storage.

It comes preinstalled with Android 5.1 Lollipop that has been customized by MIUI 7.0 software from Xiaomi. There is no external storage slot on the Redmi Note 3.

The rear side of the handset is fitted with 13 MP camera. Redmi Note 3 is available with features like dual-LED flash and autofocus. The front-facing camera is of 5 MP. The handset also comes equipped with a fingerprint scanner.

The Redmi Note 3 is 8.65 mm thick and it weighs 164 grams. It is packed with a massive battery of 4,000 mAh capacity. Since it carries support for fast charging, 50 percent of the battery can be recharged in ome hour.

Gear Best has listed the 16 GB and 32 GB edition of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 with preorder price tags of $179 (AU$248) and $209 (AU$290). Shipment of the handset will begin after the pre-sale offer expires on Dec. 23. Gear Best is also providing free shipping to Redmi Note 3 buyers across the world.

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