Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Performance
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 425 chipset, coupled with a quad-core CPU clocked at 1.4GHz forms the beating heart of the Redmi Go. It is backed by 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage which can further be expanded by up to 128GB via microSD card. There’s a dedicated microSD card slot on the Redmi Go which is a welcome addition.
During our use, the phone felt snappier and smooth which performing general actions. The stock Android loaded onto the phone does make things easier as it is specially optimized for entry-level phones. In addition, the Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition) supports Google’s Go suite of apps which are light on the storage and are equally well optimized to run smoothly. The phone comes pre-loaded with a couple of third-party apps such as Amazon, Facebook Lite and Mint Browser. These along with Google’s Go apps cannot be uninstalled from the phone.
We did notice one odd thing about the Redmi Go. It does not come with the stock Android launcher and instead runs Mint Launcher. While the Mint launcher allows users to customize the phone with themes and icon packs, we’re not sure whether it affects long-term performance. Having said that, we would not have been on this crossroad if the company would have gone with the default launcher in the first place.
While the Mint Launcher offers more customizations than usual, it is a tradeoff that limits the stock Android experience. In the case of Mint Launcher, there isn’t any functional issue with it and it runs smoothly even with the limited hardware at its disposal.
Redmi Go does not support PUBG Mobile yet but less graphics-intensive titles run with ease. The phone should suffice the expectations of a casual user but anything more than that would be overselling it. Loading it up with music and videos will surely slow the phone down which is why usage pattern should be kept in mind while going for the Redmi Go. It does the basics right which is what it is supposed to.
Battery
Redmi Go draws power from a 3,000mAh battery which is claimed to provide up to 10 days of standby time and upto 12 hours worth of calls or 78 hours of music and 5 hours of video playback. In our use, the phone got us through the day on optimal use with over half’s day’s worth of juice which is great.
At the price point, consumers are usually looking for a battery performance that mimics what we get on a feature phone. The Redmi Go as such makes for a great option if battery life is a priority.
Verdict
With a big 5-inch display, decent cameras, tried and tested efficiency of the Snapdragon 425 coupled with Android Oreo (Go Edition) and 3,000mAh battery, the Redmi Go is the perfect package to be your first smartphone.
The Redmi Go lands at a spot which makes it ideal for those venturing into the smartphone segment for the first time and who are on the lookout for a secondary phone.
Image Credits: TechRadar India
