Redmi 3S looks to be an amazing VFM phone.The base model at 7k is a great deal as i don't care about fingerprint sensor and extra storage.Best thing is 4100 mah battery.For me its battery life above all else that's why i'm so interested in this phone.
But there are a few things im concerned about.
1.How long will Xiomi provide official software support and updates? Will it get Android 7.0?
2.How is the quality of after sales service?
I've been considering Lumia 550 as the price has dropped to around 6k.Also Redmi 4 has already been leaked so wait for that instead?
Leaked images of Xiaomi Redmi 4 suggest fingerprint sensor, metal body | Digit.i
1) 99% no but Xiaomi does give incremental updates and improvements pertaining to MiUI. And those improvements are for real, not just UI or gibberish. They also give you latest Android Security patch which matters most. You can't really expect best specifications and then a major upgrade to the next major upgrade of Android in such budget. Tell me which other company does that.
2) Very bad. It used to be ok but in recent times, the availability of parts has gone down the drain. Any small part replacement will take at least 45 days. I submitted my headphones a week ago and I was told that I'd get the replacement in 2 months in "best case", otherwise 3-4 months may also take. They say that parts are not arriving from Xiaomi.
Even after such bad ASS, I'd still go for it. Just because no other phone can fulfill my needs. It is not only about the specification I'm going after. I've used Redmi 1S since it arrived in India. It really has evolved into a mature phone. Hardware wise, only the 3.5mm jack was of inferior quality, otherwise everything is very good and really durable. 2 yrs and still going strong.