Xiaomi's Redmi Turbo 3 is official: the mid-range ante is raised once again

As promised, April 10 brought the latest mid-range creation from Xiaomi: the Redmi Turbo 3. It's potent, it's bright, and it's expected to hit international markets under the Poco F6 moniker.

If we're about to talk about the Redmi Turbo 3, we have to clarify some things.

First things first, the Redmi Turbo 3 was going to be dubbed Redmi Note 13 Turbo, but things over at Xiaomi's headquarters changed.

See, the Redmi Note 12 Turbo – the previous phone – was known as Poco F5 internationally. So, there won't be a Redmi Note 13 Turbo this year – instead, the Redmi Turbo 3 is born.

Xiaomi's Redmi Turbo 3 shares a close design with a similar aesthetic to its predecessor (the Redmi Note 12 Turbo), featuring a sleek frame, softly rounded corners and dual camera rings. At a thickness of 7.8 mm and 179 grams, it's going to sit nicely in any hand.

The handset packs a generous 6.67-inch OLED display, framed by slim bezels, incorporating a fingerprint scanner within. Its screen delivers 1.5K resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and it reaches a peak brightness of 2,400 nits (via Gizmochina). Remember, that's only for a brief moment for a certain portion of the screen. Nevertheless, it sounds great!

For photography enthusiasts, the device is equipped with a versatile triple camera array, including a 50MP Sony LYT-600 main sensor with optical image stabilization, complemented by an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 20MP selfie camera. A standout feature is its AI-based object eraser, akin to the Pixel's Magic Eraser, allowing users to clean up their shots by removing undesired elements.

Powering the Redmi Turbo 3 is the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip, a slightly scaled-down (but powerful) version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, supported by up to 16GB of RAM and a maximum of 1TB storage. It boasts an extensive VC cooling area and Xiaomi's proprietary Ice Cooling technology for optimal thermal management during heavy use. The device is energized by a 5,000mAh battery with 90W fast charging capabilities.

Running on HyperOS over Android 14 OS, the phone introduces Air Gestures for touchless control.

In China, the Redmi Turbo 3 starts at CNY 1,999 (~$276) for the base 12/256GB variant. The 12/512GB and 16/512GB are priced at CNY 2,299 (~$317) and CNY 2,499 (~$345) respectively. The top-end 16GB of RAM. 1TB of storage model carries a price tag of CNY 2,799 (~$386).

The smartphone is offered in Ice Titanium, Green Blade, and Black Crystal colors. It will go on sale starting April 15.

Also, there's a Harry Potter version available!