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Aug 02, 2023

Xiaomi Mi 3 (US Mobile) Review

The Mi 3 is the first phone from Xiaomi to launch with a US carrier (US Mobile(Opens in a new window), a T-Mobile MVNO). While it isn't a particularly notable phone, it does come at a rather notable

The Mi 3 is the first phone from Xiaomi to launch with a US carrier (US Mobile(Opens in a new window), a T-Mobile MVNO). While it isn't a particularly notable phone, it does come at a rather notable price: $139 unlocked (16GB). The Mi 3 is actually a flagship from way back in 2013, so it's outdated in terms of hardware and software, but it still holds up well as far as performance is concerned. It's a decent choice for US Mobile customers, but there is one big drawback: The Mi 3 lacks network bands for 4G LTE, so it's stuck running at 3G speeds.

Editors' Note: The Xiaomi Mi 3 was provided to PCMag by US Mobile, which is now in the midst of a multi-party dispute over whether it should or can sell this phone. At the moment, US Mobile is not selling the phone, but the device may return to the market in the future. We decided to run this review to show what you'd get if Xiaomi's devices were indeed available in the US.

Xiaomi, Network, and PlansAccording to IDC, Xiaomi is one of the top five smartphone makers in the world, but you wouldn't know that in the US. Xiaomi entered the US market last year on a limited scale, selling accessories, power banks, headphones, and other devices from its online store, but phones were notably absent.

The Mi 3 is being sold through US Mobile, an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) that piggybacks on T-Mobile's network. The plan selection is a la carte, meaning you can choose the calling, data, and text amounts that suit you. If you're a data heavy user like me, and don't make many voice calls or send many texts, then you can get 100 minutes, 100 texts and 5GB of data for $42 a month. A good in-between plan for more modest data users gets you 500 minutes, 500 texts, and 500MB for $24 per month. If you max everything out, you can get 5,000 minutes, unlimited texting, and 5GB of data for $59 per month. Compared with other inexpensive prepaid phone carriers, US Mobile offers some of the lowest-cost phone and plan combos you can get.

In terms of connectivity, T-Mobile ranked second nationwide in our 2015 Fastest Mobile Networks tests for LTE connectivity. It also came out on top for 3G performance, which is what really matters here since the Mi 3 lacks US LTE bands; the phone has GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) and HSDPA (850/900/1900/2100MHz) bands, which limits you to single-digit download and upload speeds. I tested the Mi 3 in Jersey City, NJ and saw average data speeds around 5Mbps down and 2Mbps up. That's enough to browse the web and hail an Uber, but it could make for spotty streaming on Spotify or YouTube.

It's worth noting that the Mi 3 requires an old-fashioned full-size SIM card (not terribly surprising, given the phone's 2013 origins). Fortunately, US Mobile has a triple-cut SIM that can easily be broken down from a full-size card to a micro or nano SIM.

Voice calls are solid. Noise cancellation is effective at dampening background noise, while transmissions sound clear on both ends.

The Mi 3 also has dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC. But no matter what I tried, the phone couldnt find PCMag's 5GHz FiOS test router. Even when standing next to the router with the phone set to "5GHz only," I was unable to connect.

Design, Features, and DisplayThe Mi 3 harkens back to a time before most new phones were phablet-sized. It measures 5.7 by 2.9 by 0.3 inches (HWD) and weighs 5.11 ounces, making it relatively light and compact. It's easy to use one-handed, with a squarish design and rounded edges. The Mi 3 is still a bit bigger than the OnePlus X ($199.00 at Plusnet Mobile)(Opens in a new window) (5.5 by 2.7 by 0.3 inches; 4.86 ounces), another compact device with similar hardware. The Google Nexus 5X ($89.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , meanwhile, measures 5.8 by 2.9 by 0.3 inches and 4.8 ounces, putting all three in roughly the same size category.

The phone has an aluminum-and-magnesium internal frame that's covered in black graphite. It feels like plastic to me, albeit very sturdy plastic. There's a set of capacitive buttons below the display, as well as silver volume and power buttons on the right side. The bottom is home to a tinny speaker and a micro USB port.

The Mi 3 lacks a microSD card slot, leaving you with just 16GB of storage, which isn't much if you like to listen to locally stored music, take a lot of pictures, or play a lot of games. Phones like the OnePlus X, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 4.7 ($94.75 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , and the Motorola Moto G ($129.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) all allow for expandable memory so this is a significant downside.

On the other hand, the 5-inch 1,920-by-1,080-pixel IPS LCD here would feel at home on another phone that's twice the price. It has good viewing angles and gets bright enough to use in direct sunlight. It also boasts a crisp 441 pixels per inch—the same pixel density as the OnePlus X—though the latter produces richer blacks, while the Mi 3 has colder whites and blues.

Processor, Battery, and CameraThe Mi 3 is supposed to have a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, but all of benchmark programs I used to test the phone insist that it's running a Snapdragon 801. In any case, the Mi 3 performed very well in testing. It scored 39,341 on the AnTuTu benchmark for overall system performance, which is almost identical to the Snapdragon 801-powered OnePlus X (39,787). PCMark's work performance test and GFXBench's Manhattan and T-Rex tests also yield similar results on both phones.

Gameplay on the Adreno 330 GPU is surprisingly capable, judging from the time I spent playing Asphalt 8 and GTA: San Andreas. Both games were smooth and responsive, free from lag or dropped frames. However, the Mi 3 tends to heat up significantly after about 30 minutes of gaming (especially if you have Performance mode on, which allows games to push). While this doesn't seem to cause any gameplay issues, it definitely gets a bit warm to the touch.

Battery life is a bit disappointing taking the 3,050mAh battery into account. The phone clocked 3 hours and 55 minutes of screen time while streaming a full-screen video at maximum brightness over 3G. The OnePlus X (5 hours and 14 minutes) and the Nexus 5X (6 hours and 32 minutes) both last a lot longer. Since there's no removable battery, you might want to carry a battery pack with you.

The Mi 3 has a surprisingly capable 13-megapixel rear-facing camera. It's fast-to-focus, and takes generally clear shots with good color reproduction. Occasionally the auto-exposure goes haywire and oversaturates the photo, but you can fix that by tapping to focus. In side-by-side photo comparisons, the OnePlus X edges out the Mi 3, but it's a close call. The camera also shoots 1080p video at 30 frames per second. Recording is smooth and stable, though once again you'll sometimes need to focus manually. The 2-megapixel front-facing camera works well in proper lighting, but under low-light conditions it struggles with grain and noise.

Software and ConclusionsThe dated Android 4.4 KitKat OS reminds you that this is an older phone. That said, the phone's Android security patch is dated December 2015, which is reasonably recent and should keep you safe from Stagefright.

See How We Test Cell Phones

I've never been a fan UI skins designed to make Android look more like iOS, which is precisely what Xiaomi does here. This does away with the app drawer, leaving all of your apps splashed across the home screens, like the iPhone. Thankfully, that's about as far as the customizations go, and they don't have an impact on performance. In addition, there's no bloatware, so you get 11.27GB of available storage after the system load.

Although there's nothing particularly special about the Xiaomi Mi 3, $139 for a capable Android phone is hard to beat. Since US Mobile uses T-Mobile's network, though, you do have plenty of unlocked options to choose from. The Idol 3 4.7 gets you LTE connectivity at the cost of a 720p display, while the OnePlus X also offers LTE, though it lacks bands that will get you the best performance. The Moto G gets you much longer battery life, more recent Android software, and LTE, although its processor isn't quite as powerful. You're going to face a lot of trade-offs in the price range, which makes the Mi 3 an appealing option if you can live without LTE and are looking to spend as little as possible.

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