Xiaomi announced their affordable Redmi 3S in India in 2016 and the phone comes in two variants – Redmi 3S and Redmi 3S Prime, or you may know it as Mi 2016032.

According to Xiaomi, the phones are enhanced versions of Redmi 3 and are entirely made in India.

The Mi 2016032 that we are about to review today will set you back Rs 8,999 and comes equipped with a fingerprint sensor.

We will also show you how to how to flash mi model 2016032 so read on to know what steps you should take.  

Design

Smartphones under Rs 10,000 can look and feel just like premium handsets and Redmi 3S can attest. Xiaomi has gone out of its way to make the handset looks good with metal unibody designs.

Mi 2016032 is inspired by Redmi Note 3, which used to be among the best-looking smartphones on the market.

The phone is also very comfortable to use. The curved back and the full metal body make the phone fit snugly into your hand.

While the phone might feel like a bit too small, the 4,100mAh battery makes for another appeal.

The phone features a 5-inch IPS display with small bezels and buttons at the buttons of the screen. On the opposite side there are an earpiece, light sensor, and a 5MP camera.

On the right you will find the SIM card tray while the power button and the volume rockers are on the right. The microUSB port is at the bottom and there is an IR blaster and a headphone jack at the top.

On the back of the phone, there is a LED flash and a camera.

Hardware

Both Redmi 3S and mi 2016032 model are powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 CPU paired with an Adreno 505 GPU.

Redmi 3S Prime comes with onboard storage of 32GB and RAM of 3GB. The hybrid-microSD card slot allows you to expand the storage to 128GB.

Mi 2016032 runs on MIUI 7 based on Android 6.0.

The phone sports a 13MP camera on the back with aperture of f/2.0, video recording of 1080p, and HDR mode. For selfie, users can rely on the 5MP camera on the front with the ability to record 1080p videos. The handset draws power from a 4,100mAh battery.

Connectivity-wise, users will have Bluetooth, Micro-USB, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, GPRS/ EDGE, GPS/ A-GPS, and VoLTE.

Users have the choice to acquire the phone in Gold, Grey, and Silver.

Display

Mi 2016032 features a 5-inch 720p display, which isn’t very impressive given the popularity of Full HD screens. However, in day-to-day use, the screen doesn’t cause any concerns for quality and performance.

The 294ppi pixel density works perfectly with the 5-inch screen, offering vibrant colors and good visibility even under sunlight.

The settings allow you to change the contrast level and the colors as per your liking. The Reading mode will change to a warmer tone if you use the phone in the dark.

Performance

Mi 2016032 is India’s first phone to have Qualcomm 430 chipset. While the processor isn’t Qualcomm’s best offer, it can handle day-to-day tasks with ease. The phone can even play games and edit photos.

There was no stutter or lag with multitasking or gaming. Even with titles like Marvel Alliance 2 and Asphalt 8 Nitro, which can challenge mid-range phones, the phone can still play them to certain extent. Frame rate drops is hard to avoid but this’s a budget phone after all.

Surprisingly, the phone didn’t heat up much when handling heavy tasks. Its heat dissipation ability is even better than that of Redmi Note 3.

Camera

The 13MP camera is responsive and fast with decent performance in environments with enough light. It has good color production and the pictures pack enough details.

However, low-light performance is a problem for Mi 2016032. Indoor shots are noisy but again, this’s a budget phone so there is no complaint here.

The camera app offers Xiaomi’s usual modes like Beautify, Manual Mode, Panorama, HDR, and 12 filters.

Battery

One of the highlights of the phone is how well the battery performs. The small size of the Mi 2016032 doesn’t prevent Xiaomi from giving it a big 4,100mAh.

The phone can easily hold up for a full day even with video playback, games, and web browsing.

One of the reasons why users can have such a long battery life is the fact that the phone has a low resolution screen and a Snapdragon 430 processor.

If you only use the phone to surf the web, play simple games, browsing Facebook or WhatsApp, Mi 2016032 can last to the second day on one charge.

The phone is easy to recommend for users who want a decent budget handset for everyday use with an amazing battery life.

How to Flash Mi 2016032 MIUI 9

So here is how to flash mi model 2016032:

Step 1: Download mi 2016032 flash file.

Step 2: Connect the handset in the Fastboot mode.

Step 3: Open Minimal ADB & Fastboot tool.

Step 4: In Minimal ADB & Fastboot tool, enter Fastboot devices. In Enter Command, type in: fastboot oem edl.

Now you will see Qualcomm HS USB QLoader 9008 port under Device Manger.

Step 5: Run MI Flash Tool

Step 6: move the Flash File to Desktop.

Step 7: Now assign Folder path.

Step 8: Refresh and choose Flash button.