Metal-clad Xiaomi Redmi 3 to be launched next week

UPDATE: The Redmi 3 will also feature a 4100 mAh battery.

A while back we highlighted an interesting entry into the Chinese certification authority, TENAA, which looked like a metal bodied Redmi 3. Now, on Xiaomi’s official Weibo account, the company released an image confirming our suspicions.

What’s more, they’ve also included a release date!

From the picture, Xiaomi has set 12 January 2016 as the official release date for the device. That’s next Tuesday. The image also confirms that the device will sport a 5-inch display as well as a full metal body with what appears to be a gorgeous plaid laser-etched design on the back.

Beyond that, Xiaomi hasn’t confirmed any of the other specifications but if we’re going off the TENAA entry, the device should have a 1.5GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. That 5″ screen should also be a 720p HD screen and the device will likely run Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

For camera optics, the Redmi 3 should have a 13MP primary camera paired with a 5MP front camera combo. On paper, this is a significant boost over the Redmi 2, pushing this into the mid-range category. We can only hope that the price will not follow suit.

Right now, the price of the Redmi 2 is CNY699 (around RM467), but this metal-clad device should be at least a touch higher. It is important to note that it should not be higher than the bigger Redmi Note 3 that starts from CNY899 (around RM601).

Popular Youtuber MKBHD once said that good phones are getting cheap while cheap phones are getting good and we share that sentiment. This is definitely something that is catching on because it seems that even Xiaomi realised they can’t continue making plasticky budget phones anymore.

The only unfortunate thing is that this move to metal will most likely bring a higher price tag, which we’re sure many would frown upon. Keep in mind that this device will probably take a few months to reach our shores. What do you guys think, would you pay more for this Redmi?

[SOURCE, VIA]