Xiaomi Rolls out Redmi Note 3, Its First Phone With A Fingerprint Scanner

Widening the focus of its young payment platform, China’s Xiaomi has introduced fingerprint scanners on its range of affordable smartphones for the first time after it rolled-out the third-generation Redmi Note in Beijing.

The sensor is located on the backside of the Redmi Note 3, is the most prominent feature of the new 5.5-inch phablet, which will be sold for 899 RMB ($140) and will first debut in China. Also, the phone comes in a metallic casing while Xiaomi has increased the device’s battery to a larger capacity of 4000mAh.

Beneath, the phone is powered by a Helio X10 chip from MediaTek. With dimension of 8.65mm thick and,mass 164g,which is 4g heavier than previous Redmi Note 2,unveiled just three months earlier. The Redmi Note 3 includes a similar 13-megapixel front camera and 5-megapixel rear camera like its predecessor.


This phone may be the first among many from Xiaomi to have a fingerprint scanner, but its unveiling signals Xiaomi’s trip into the payments space in a very big way.The sensor can also be used to unlock the phone without using a passcode,just like similar devices from other companies, that’s just the beginning.

Way back in July, Xiaomi released Mi Wallet, a new platform that exceed  services like Apple Wallet or Apple Pay with additional features to allow payments, bank account management and other financial services for Xiaomi phone owners. Presently, Xiaomi is increasing the base for the mobile payment service,which could be a vital component  of Mi Wallet.

Skeletal Mi Wallet service is available worldwide,some specific components such as mobile payment is restricted to China presently. Since Xaiomi sold 60 million devices in 2014, and it is aims to attain 80 million this year, its entry into mobile payments sector could help it achieve this target.

The firm also rolled-out its second generation tablet, the Mi Pad 2. Now with metallic body, like the Redmi Note 3, Xiaomi said the new Mi Pad is 18 percent slimmer and 38g lighter than the previous model.It also comes in a new “Champagne Gold” color option.

In details, the Mi Pad has improved over its previous Nvidia internals, with the gen-two model powered by Intel Atom X5-Z8500 processor having an Intel Atom 64-bit CPU. It comes with a 7.9-inch display, 8 and 5-megapixel cameras at the back and front, and a 6190mAh battery. It supports USB Type-C port.

                                                          Mi Pad 2

The Mi Pad 2 is retailed at 999 RMB (about $155) or 1,299 RMB (about $200) for 16GB and 64GB models, respectively. Interestingly, the  64GB version may be available as a Windows 10 device from next month — making it a quite inexpensive entry  into Microsoft’s latest operating system.