Redmi 7A review: Xiaomi brings its A-game to the entry-level segment

In this day and of iterative updates, launching a new smartphone is easier said than done. stakes are even higher in case X, Y or Z product has tasted success - it becomes tough to follow act. Redmi 6A is a classic example. It’s t that Redmi 6A was a b phone – it was quite good, and Xiaomi has numbers to back it. It’s just that it wasn’t as good as Redmi 5A before it.  

With Redmi 7A, it seems, Xiaomi has gone back to drawing board and tried to fix things for good. result is a smartphone that’s better in almost every way, over its predecessor, so much so that Xiaomi has confidence to offer a 2-year warranty on Redmi 7A – which is a first for any Xiaomi product in India. 

Redmi 7A has a better design, faster performance, improved cameras, and a battery that refuses to die. All this and Xiaomi has still mand to price it same as outgoing Redmi 6A. Xiaomi has launched Redmi 7A in India at a starting price of Rs 5,999 for base variant with 2GB RAM and 16GB stor, while top-end variant of phone with 2GB RAM and 32GB stor will cost Rs 6,199. For a limited period – until July end – Xiaomi will be selling Redmi 7A at a reduced price of Rs 5,799 and Rs 5,999 respectively – to commemorate its 5-year anniversary in country. 

A cute and comfy design 

Xiaomi has come a long way, but if re’s one thing that has remained constant – it’s company’s knack for making good-looking, well-built products. That and fact that Xiaomi still mans to surprise with its ability to pack high-end features in products that should cost more in an alternate universe – t in this universe though. But more on that later.  

Redmi 7A is a good-looking, well-built product too. But if you were expecting change à la Xiaomi’s or budget offerings, namely Redmi 7 and Redmi Y3, that’s t happening. Inste, what you get is an all-plastic unibody shell in blue, black and gold colours – sort of like Redmi Go. plastic grually wraps around front and has this smooth matte finish that feels good in hands. Redmi 7A is surely a big step-up from Redmi 6A in terms of design and build quality.  

re’s ar thing that has changed though – for better or for worse is something that will depend on how you perceive your ideal smartphone to be. Redmi 7A is thicker and heavier than Redmi 6A, and while it’s nice to see Xiaomi putting a larger battery inside it, it doesn’t help that re are or Xiaomi phones with big batteries and slim chassis. You can’t even say, that’s what you get at entry-level pricing, because Realme C2 has a similarly sized battery and yet, it’s lighter. 

Xiaomi makes up for it by applying a layer of na-coating material on top of its new phone which makes it first phone in its category to have some sort of splash-resistance. te that Xiaomi’s isn’t using watertight seals or P2i hydrophobic coating here, but, claims Redmi 7A can survive accidental spill better than competing products.  

A reliable performer for first-time smartphone users 

Xiaomi opting for a MediaTek processor in Redmi 6A raised many eyebrows – company has h a good run with Qualcomm for as long as one can remember, especially in India, after all. Redmi 7A sees Xiaomi going back to Qualcomm, one more time, and results – as expected – are markedly better. 

More precisely, Redmi 7A is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 processor paired with 2GB RAM and up to 32GB stor which is furr expandable via a dedicated micro-SD card slot. Straight off bat let me tell you that, 2GB RAM does t make cut for Android anymore – brands should simply start phasing it out alrey. And it does t help that Xiaomi does t have a 3GB RAM option, at all. Realme does with Realme C2 but n Xiaomi can always bring price difference argument to table – which seems fair. 

While I like core hardware – Redmi 7A is most powerful phone you can get at its price point, but also, Realme C2 with a MediaTek Helio P22 is t very far behind – 2GB RAM is limiting. 

w that we have that out of way, let’s talk about performance. It’s quite good actually, provided you’re aware of its limitations. Redmi 7A is t a multitasking beast or a phone you can play demanding games on – which means, phone will slow down every time you have too many apps opened at same time, and don’t even think about playing PUBG on this one. For everything else, for basics like making phone calls, WhatsApp-ing, video calling, scrolling through social media and web browsing, and playing light games like Candy Crush, Redmi 7A should have your back. 

Come to think of it, that’s plan – Xiaomi’s A-series phones have always served as a reliable entry-point for first time smartphone users looking to make a switch from a feature phone, without burning a hole in ir pocket. And Redmi 7A should serve that target audience well. 

Solid battery life, duh! 

Battery life is ar area where you can say Xiaomi can’t go wrong – Redmi 6A with its seemingly tiny 3,000mAh battery was slouch eir. But, confidence that a 4,000mAh battery brings along, well, that’s hard to beat. We all like big batteries, don’t we? Redmi 7A has a 4,000mAh battery, so, yay? 

Jokes aside, Redmi 7A is easily a one and a half to two-day phone depending on your us – you'll just have to figure out what you’ll do with all that battery life, to say least. Being a budget phone means re’s fast charging – this one takes just over two hours for a full charge.  

best camera phone you can get at its low price point 

I kw, that’s a big statement but Redmi 7A is a good start. Smartphone cameras are getting better – it's high time that entry-level phones get ir due too.  

Unlike Redmi 7A China variant, Redmi 7A that will be sold in India has a 12MP rear camera with Sony’s IMX486 im sensor – same sensor that’s found in company’s more expensive Mi A2 and Redmi te 7 phones. So technically, Redmi 7A has good camera hardware.  

While one can argue, smartphone cameras are t all about hardware, you do need a good sensor so your software can do remarkable things with it – with photos it captures. You can tweak software; you can’t change hardware.  

Which is where  Sony IMX486 sensor becomes a key selling point for Redmi 7A. w I am t saying that Redmi 7A can capture Mi A2-like photos – it can’t - but it can surely capture better photos than any or phone at its price point, particularly in ideal lighting situations. And Xiaomi can probably make it better in future, through software updates. t to mention, it should also push rivals to do better – which is when, it would be a win-win for everybody. 

As for Redmi 7A, its 12MP rear camera can capture some good-looking photos in good light with good detail and colours that are mostly true to source – if a little oversaturated. Dynamic range could have been better, but all in all, Redmi 7A should suffice all your social media posting needs, well. Tricky and low light does take better of it – which is when it produces soft and mushy photos with ise – but, what you get here is better than anything else in market right w. 

re's one area where Realme C2 trumps Redmi 7A though – its dedicated 2MP secondary camera shoots better portraits. software-induced bokeh you get with Redmi 7A simply fails to make cut. 

same is true about Redmi 7A’s 5MP front camera – it is aver at best, although it does take marginally better selfies in low light thanks to its wider aperture. 

Wish it were a little more modern though 

While I love Redmi 7A’s cute and comfy form factor, I can’t help but point out that Xiaomi’s phone somehow seems frozen in past in one aspect – even though all its budget phones have moved ahe. At a time when Xiaomi’s own Redmi 7 and Redmi Y3, and rival phones like Realme C2, are offering a dew-drop tch display for maximum real estate, Redmi 7A comes with a 5.45-inch 720p+ LCD display with 18:9 aspect ratio – same as Redmi 6A.  

Top that with its aver brightness levels, and Redmi 7A’s screen starts to falter when you’re out and about in direct sunlight. Also, while Realme C2 gets Corning Gorilla Glass 3, Redmi 7A has protection at all.  

Should you buy Xiaomi Redmi 7A? 

Entry-level phones are getting better. Redmi 7A is a classic example. Redmi 7A is a -nsense entry-level phone that you can bet your hard-earned money on. It looks good, feels good, metes out good performance, shoots nice photos in good light, and has a battery that refuses to die. But it’s t perfect – smartphone is. Its display is its weakest link and fact that Xiaomi w serves s across lengths and breths of its MIUI software doesn’t bode well with many. You can of course look at Realme C2 as a viable alternative, but Xiaomi has a trump card up its sleeve – a 2-year warranty that or brand offers.

Photos by Saurabh Singh