REVIEW 001 // SMARTPHONE // BUDGET TECH
XIAOMI REDMI A3 // UNBOXING // FIRST IMPRESSIONS
SEPTEMBER 2026
The Xiaomi Redmi A3 is one of the cheapest Android smartphones you can buy, which made it an interesting device for OpenBootLab. After unboxing it, I used the phone for around two months to see what it was actually like to live with before eventually experimenting with Linux and turning it into something a little less ordinary.
01 // WHY I BOUGHT IT
I bought the Redmi A3 around a year ago because I was curious about just how usable an extremely cheap smartphone could be. At the time, I paid around €59 per phone, which made me wonder whether you could actually live with a device this inexpensive as a normal daily phone. To make the experiment a bit more interesting, I actually bought two Redmi A3s, one for me and one for my wife. The idea was to use them normally and see how both of us would get along with such a cheap phone in everyday use.
Rather than judging the Redmi A3 only from its specifications, I wanted to find out where the compromises would actually start to show after living with it for a while.
02 // THE UNBOXING
The unboxing experience itself is pretty basic, which is exactly what I expected from a phone at this price. There is no premium presentation or anything unnecessary — you open the box, take out the phone, and get the essentials needed to start using it.
You can watch the full Redmi A3 unboxing on the OpenBootLab YouTube channel below:
What stood out more than the packaging was the phone itself. The Redmi A3 looked surprisingly good for something that cost around €59. The large circular camera module gives it a much more distinctive design than I expected from an entry-level device, and at first glance it really does not look like one of the cheapest smartphones on the market.
That first impression became even stronger once I picked it up, but I’ll get into that in the next section.
03 // FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The first thing that surprised me about the Redmi A3 was how good it actually felt for the price. I already had a Samsung Galaxy A14 to compare it with, and despite the Redmi being the cheaper device, the A3 somehow felt more premium in the hand. A big part of that comes from the design. The large circular camera module gives the phone a much more distinctive look than most entry-level devices, and the overall build does not immediately scream “€59 phone.”
Once you start using it, though, one of the first things you notice is just how large the screen bezels are. They make the phone look noticeably more budget-oriented from the front, especially compared with more expensive modern smartphones.
The display, performance and cameras are also fairly basic, but during those first few hours the Redmi A3 still made a much better impression than I expected.
That was what made me curious enough to use it for a longer period and find out whether the good first impression would survive everyday use.
04 // TWO MONTHS OF DAILY USE
After the initial impressions, I used the Redmi A3 as my normal phone for around two months. For light everyday tasks, it genuinely surprised me. Messaging, browsing, watching videos and using simple apps all worked well, and it often felt more responsive than my Samsung Galaxy A16. I also liked having a 3.5 mm headphone jack. It is a small feature, but one I still appreciate.
The limitations show up once you ask more from the phone. Using it for work, opening multiple documents, checking emails and switching between apps quickly slows it down. It works best when you keep things simple and focus on one task at a time. The camera is usable for basic photos, but not much more. It can record in Full HD, but the overall video quality is still quite basic.
One downside is the occasional promotional notification for random apps and games. They can be disabled, but you have to dig through a few settings to get rid of them. It is annoying, but it is also one of the ways Xiaomi can keep phones like this so cheap.
After two months, I was still more impressed than disappointed. For around €59, the Redmi A3 proved to be surprisingly capable as a basic everyday smartphone.
5 // THE VERDICT
The Redmi A3 is not a phone for heavy users, but for the price it does a lot better than I expected. For basic everyday use, it is responsive, the battery lasts well, the design feels more premium than the price suggests, and you still get useful features like the 3.5 mm headphone jack. The compromises are mostly where you would expect them: multitasking, camera quality and some annoying software promotions.
Phones like the Redmi A3 also make a lot of sense in markets where more expensive smartphones can represent a much bigger part of someone’s income. In those places, a very cheap phone that still covers the basics can be far more important than flagship-level performance. It can also be a great choice as a first phone for a child. For watching YouTube, playing simple kids’ games and basic communication, it does the job without spending a lot of money on a device that may get dropped or damaged.
Would I use it as my main phone long term? Probably not. But as a basic phone, backup device, first phone for a child or cheap platform for experiments, it makes a lot of sense.
And that is exactly why this Redmi A3 did not end up sitting in a drawer. I later started experimenting with running Linux on it using Termux, Debian and Proot. You can check out that Lab Note here.
06 // SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 6.71-inch IPS LCD, 90 Hz Resolution: 720 × 1650
Chipset: MediaTek Helio G36 CPU: Octa-core
RAM: 3 GB / 4 GB
Storage: 64 GB / 128 GB
Expandable Storage: microSD support
Rear Camera: 8 MP Front Camera: 5 MP
Video: Up to 1080p
Battery: 5000 mAh
Charging: 10 W Headphone
Jack: 3.5 mm
Connectivity: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Operating System: Android with Xiaomi software
Fingerprint Sensor: Side-mounted
USB: USB-C
Specifications may vary slightly depending on the region and configuration.
