Xiaomi Unveils The Redmi Note 3, Its First Phone With A Fingerprint Scanner

Xiaomi Unveils The Redmi Note 3, Its First Phone With A Fingerprint Scanner

Increasing the focus on its nascent payment service, China’s Xiaomi has brought a fingerprint scanner to its range of affordable smartphones for the first time after it unveiled the third-generation Redmi Note in Beijing today.

The sensor, which is located on the reverse of the Redmi Note 3, is the most striking feature of the new 5.5-inch phablet, which will retail for 899 RMB ($140) and will initially debut in China. Also of note, the phone comes with a metallic body for the first time while Xiaomi has increased the device’s battery to a whopping 4000mAh capacity.

Under the hood, the phone is powered by a Helio X10 chip from MediaTek. It comes in at 8.65mm thick and, at 164g, is 4g heavier than the previous Redmi Note 2, which was unveiled just three months ago. The Redmi Note 3 also includes the same 13-megapixel front camera and five-megapixel rear camera as its predecessor.

This device is likely to be the first of many from Xiaomi to get a fingerprint scanner, but its unveiling today marks Xiaomi’s step into the payments space in a potentially major way. While the sensor can be used to unlock the phone without a passcode, like those on devices from other companies, that’s just the start.

Back in July, Xiaomi fully released Mi Wallet, a new feature that goes beyond services like Apple Wallet or Apple Pay to allow payments, bank account management and other financial services for Xiaomi device owners. Now, Xiaomi is widening the base for the mobile payment service that could be an important part of Mi Wallet.