You remember 2017? It was a weird, transitional year for smartphones. Samsung was still recovering from the Note 7 disaster, and Apple was about to drop the iPhone X and change how much we were willing to pay for a glass brick. But in the mid-range and budget markets, something else was happening. The Redmi 4 and Redmi Note 4 arrived, and honestly, they basically ate the competition alive.
Xiaomi wasn't a household name everywhere yet. Not like now. Back then, they were the "Apple of China" disruptors, and these two devices were the heavy hitters that cemented their reputation for giving you way more than you paid for. If you had one, you knew. You likely bought it because some tech-savvy friend told you it had a "Snapdragon 625" and a battery that wouldn't quit.
They weren't perfect. But they were exactly what the world needed at that specific moment.
The Redmi Note 4 was the real MVP
Let's talk about the Note first. The Redmi Note 4 wasn't just a phone; it was a phenomenon, especially in markets like India where it sold millions of units faster than Xiaomi could manufacture them.
The build was a big deal. Before this, budget phones felt like cheap plastic toys that creaked if you squeezed them too hard. The Note 4 brought a premium-feeling aluminum unibody to a price point where that was unheard of. It felt dense. Serious. It had these 2.5D curved glass edges that made swiping feel smooth, which sounds like a small detail but made a massive difference in daily use.
The Snapdragon 625 magic
People still talk about the Snapdragon 625 with a sort of nostalgic reverence. Why? Because it hit the "Goldilocks" zone. It wasn't the fastest chip on the planet—not even close—but it was built on a 14nm process. That meant it was incredibly efficient.
Combined with the massive 4,100mAh battery, the Redmi Note 4 became a legendary "two-day phone." You could thrash it with social media, GPS, and light gaming, and you’d still have 30% left when you went to bed. In a world where people were carrying power banks everywhere, this was a revelation. It didn't overheat much either. It just... worked.
The display was a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS panel. It was bright enough for outdoor use, though the colors were a bit muted compared to the AMOLED screens we're spoiled with today. But for the price? Nobody was complaining.
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What about the smaller Redmi 4?
The standard Redmi 4 (often called the Redmi 4X in some regions, though they had slight internal differences) was the smaller sibling. It was for the people who didn't want a "phablet"—back when we still used that word.
It had a 5-inch screen. Tiny by today's standards, right? But it was incredibly pocketable.
Xiaomi didn't skimp on the battery here, either. They somehow crammed a 4,100mAh cell into that small chassis. Because the screen was only 720p and the processor (usually a Snapdragon 435) was less power-hungry, the battery life was arguably even better than the Note. It was the ultimate "backup" phone that ended up becoming many people's primary device.
The confusion of versions
Xiaomi has always been kinda messy with naming. You had the Redmi 4, the Redmi 4A (the super cheap one), and the Redmi 4 Prime.
- The Redmi 4A had a plastic body and no fingerprint sensor. It was the "my first smartphone" choice.
- The Redmi 4 Prime was the sleeper hit. It had the 5-inch screen but used the same Snapdragon 625 from the Note 4 and a 1080p display. It was basically a "Mini" flagship before anyone was really doing that well.
If you bought the wrong one, you were stuck with a significantly slower experience. It was a minefield for the average buyer.
The software struggle: MIUI 8 and 9
If there was one thing that divided people, it was the software. MIUI.
Some loved the customization. You could change themes, lock apps with fingerprints, and use "Dual Apps" to have two WhatsApp accounts on one phone. This was years before Google added similar features to stock Android.
But it was heavy.
The Redmi 4 and Redmi Note 4 launched with MIUI 8 based on Android Marshmallow or Nougat. It had a habit of killing background apps to save battery, which meant you sometimes missed notifications. And the ads... oh, the ads. Xiaomi started baking "recommendations" into the system apps to keep the hardware prices low. It was a trade-off. You got a $600-feeling phone for $150, but you had to click "skip" on an ad in the File Manager once in a while.
Why they still matter in tech history
We see a lot of "flagship killers" come and go. But the Redmi 4 and Redmi Note 4 were "entry-level killers." They forced other manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola to stop selling overpriced junk in the budget segment.
They also sparked a massive custom ROM community. Because the hardware was so solid and so many people owned them, developers on sites like XDA went wild. You could find builds of LineageOS or Pixel Experience that kept these phones running smoothly long after Xiaomi stopped official updates. It's not uncommon to find a Note 4 today still being used as a music player or a smart home controller.
The Camera: The one "okay" thing
Let's be honest. The cameras weren't great.
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The 13MP rear sensor on the Note 4 was fine in broad daylight. You could get some decent shots for Instagram. But as soon as the sun went down? Noise. Everywhere. It lacked OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), so videos were shaky unless you had hands like a surgeon.
But again, context is everything. At that price, the fact that it had a functioning camera at all was sometimes the bar. Xiaomi focused on the battery and the build because they knew that's what people actually cared about in their daily grind.
Comparing the specs (The "at a glance" reality)
If you look at the numbers, you can see why the Note was the "Pro" choice.
The Note 4 gave you that 5.5-inch Full HD experience. It felt like a media machine. The standard Redmi 4 felt like a tool. It was utilitarian.
One big difference was the charging. Neither had "fast charging" by modern standards. You were looking at 10W charging. Filling that 4,100mAh battery took forever—usually over two hours. You learned to charge it overnight. But since it lasted all day, it didn't really matter.
Common issues users faced
It wasn't all sunshine. The Redmi 4 series had some quirks.
- Ghost Touching: Some Note 4 units developed a mind of their own where the screen would register taps that weren't happening.
- Micro-USB: Even in 2017, we were starting to see USB-C. Xiaomi stuck with the old Micro-USB port to save costs. It felt dated even then.
- The "Yellow Screen": Different batches used different panel manufacturers (Tianma vs. BOE). Some screens were noticeably warmer/yellower than others. It was a lottery.
How to handle a Redmi 4 or Note 4 today
Maybe you found one in a drawer. Or maybe you're looking for a dirt-cheap device for a specific project.
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Don't expect it to run modern apps like a champ. Modern versions of Facebook and Chrome are incredibly heavy. However, if you're willing to tinker, these are still great devices.
- Flash a Light ROM: Getting rid of MIUI and installing a "de-bloated" version of Android 10 or 11 (via custom ROMs) makes a night-and-day difference in speed.
- Check the Battery: If it's been sitting for years, the battery might be swollen. Replacing it is actually fairly easy compared to modern "glass sandwich" phones because the back pops off with a bit of prying.
- Use as a Dedicated Tool: They make excellent dedicated GPS units for bikes or permanent dashboards for Home Assistant.
Actionable steps for buyers and hobbyists
If you are dealing with these devices now, focus on three things:
Verify the Chipset
If you're buying one used, make sure it’s the Snapdragon version. Some regions had a MediaTek Helio X20 version of the Note 4. It was faster in short bursts but had terrible battery life and tended to overheat. The Snapdragon 625 is the one you want for longevity.
Update the Firmware
Before you do anything, ensure you’ve updated to the last official MIUI 11 build. It fixed a lot of the security vulnerabilities that existed in the earlier software versions.
Check for Counterfeits
Back in the day, these were so popular that fake versions actually existed. Check the "About Phone" section and verify the IMEI on Xiaomi's official portal. If the camera looks significantly worse than "average," it might be a knock-off.
The Redmi 4 and Redmi Note 4 proved that you didn't need to spend a month's rent to get a phone that didn't feel like a compromise. They were the peak of Xiaomi's "value king" era. While we've moved on to 120Hz screens and 100W charging, the DNA of these phones—big battery, metal build, honest pricing—is still what people look for in a great budget device today.