Redmi Note 9 Pro
The amazing Redmi Note 9 Pro launched in India, and its starting price of Rs. 12,999 is really low because Xiaomi made a very interesting decisions in terms of positioning and features. It isn't easy to remain before the sport , and therefore the Redmi Note 9 Pro goes up against the formidable Realme 6 and Samsung M30s.
Previous models, most notably the Redmi Note 8 Pro 17,499 (Review), have been defined by their positioning above the standard Redmi series and the aspirational features they offer. While prices are still very reasonable, Xiaomi has made a habit of delivering things that people will be tempted to spend a little more money on, such large displays, best performance batteries, multiple cameras, premium styling, and class-leading specifications.
The Redmi latest new mobile in low price is that the Redmi Note 9 Pro 13,999 doesn't offer many of today's most buzzworthy features – a 90Hz display, extremely fast charging, and high-resolution cameras. This phone is more about core specifications and therefore the overall usage experience. In a stimulating shuffle, though, a number of these features are often found during a new higher-tier device, the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max.
So what's in a name? Does this repositioning mean that the Redmi Note 9 Pro may be a disappointment, or can it live up to its illustrious predecessors' standards? Let's find out.
Redmi Note 9 Pro Design
By any standard, the Redmi Note 9 Pro is a smartphone phone. At 8.8mm thick and 209g in weight, many people will find this device bulky and unwieldy. That's where Xiaomi's new ‘Aura Balance' design philosophy comes in – the company says that weight is distributed perfectly evenly and the exterior design is symmetrical to make usage more comfortable. We found one-handed use difficult but not impossible.
In terms of looks, Xiaomi launched with three simple colors – Interstellar Black, Glacier White, and Aurora Blue. You won't find any gradients or patterns here, though the appearance is anything but subtle. Our Aurora Blue unit was bright and vibrant, with a really shiny, reflective rear panel. You'll see light play across the surface when using this phone, giving the feeling of depth. Thankfully the rear panel isn't too slippery, but it does pick up fingerprints as soon as you touch it.
Xiaomi has come up with a particular new camera bump design which plays into the theme of symmetry. Even the flash is centred below the four camera lenses. This is a pleasant design touch which will set the Redmi Note 9 series apart and make this phone and its siblings recognisable. The camera module does stick out quite a bit though.
The front side and rear side of the Redmi Note 9 Pro are both side made using Gorilla Glass 5, while the frame is polycarbonate. The most distinctive feature on the front is of course the new embedded selfie camera, which is centred at the top of the screen. It is somewhat distracting, and the screen's backlighting is a little uneven around it. Interestingly, we noted that the image of the Redmi Note 9 Pro on the duvet of its box seems to point out a smaller hole and narrow chin than the device actually has. That said, the phone still looks modern and definitely defies expectations for its price category.
The next interesting design touch is the side-mounted fingerprint sensor, which is embedded into the power button. This sits in a slight recess on the right of the phone which lined up fairly well with the thumb of our right hand. You'll find this inconvenient if you're left-handed, and we'd suggest registering multiple fingers so you can unlock this phone whether it's in your hand or lying on a table.
Xiaomi says that this approach was chosen because it's quicker than an in-display sensor and more convenient than having one on the back, plus it doesn't disrupt the design of the rear panel. This is definitely a trend in the budget segment right now, though. We also have to note that the choice of an LCD screen rather than AMOLED plays into how an in-display sensor can be implemented.
The volume buttons are placed awkwardly above the sensor, and aren't easy to reach while on a call. On the left, there's a tray with slots for two Nano-SIMs and a microSD card. Xiaomi's trademark infrared emitter is on the highest , and may be wont to control several home appliances. There's the usual USB Type-C port, 3.5mm audio socket, and speaker on the bottom. Many people will be happy to note that there is in fact a notification and charging LED hidden in the earpiece.
Xiaomi has done well in terms of design, and the Redmi Note 9 Pro does feel fresh without actually changing too much for a phone in this segment. There's also a P2i coating for splash resistance, though of course no proper waterproofing.
Redmi Note 9 Pro specifications and software
Redmi Note series phones typically have impressive specifications, and Xiaomi has gone with a bigger screen and battery than ever before. You get a 6.67-inch full-HD+ (1080x2400-pixel) screen which features a tall ratio to accommodate the front camera. What might surprise many fans who follow current trends, because it is a standard 60Hz panel and doesn't have a 90Hz refresh rate like some other recently launched devices, most notably the Realme 6 (Review).
Xiaomi claims that there aren't many apps that take advantage of a high refresh rate, people can't really tell the difference, it isn't worth the battery life tradeoff, and the Snapdragon 720G SoC isn't powerful enough. We don't necessarily agree with all these points, but we do have to remember that some compromises are to be expected at Rs. 12,999.
The Snapdragon 720G is a modern SoC with best two high-performance 2.3GHz cores and six power-efficient 1.8GHz cores, all manufactured on an 8nm process which is said to result in best power efficiency and lower heat dissipation. Buyers will note that the Redmi Note 8 Pro's support for Amazon's Alexa alongside Google Assistant has been dropped – Xiaomi tells us that this relied on specific capabilities of the best MediaTek processor used for the previous model.
redmi note 9 pro top redmi note 9 pro
There's an IR emitter on the top, and the speaker, Type-C, and 3.5mm ports on the bottom
Xiaomi has noted that this is often the primary time we're seeing a 7xx-series Snapdragon processor during a Redmi Note series device at this price. It's a predictable move considering the arms race manufacturers are in, but calls into question Qualcomm's strategy of launching the 7xx-series as a premium tier to offset the downward migration of the 6xx-series.
Other highlights include NavIC support along with standard GPS, dual-band Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5, and all the standard sensors. Along with the 18W charger and USB Type-C cable, you get only a SIM eject tool and plastic case in the box along with this phone – the blue and white variants will ship with a clear case while the black one will get a smoky translucent one.
MIUI 11 runs on top of Android 10, and our review unit had the February security patch. Sadly, bloatware and promotional content remain parts of Xiaomi's business strategy. The company does say that users can remove and/or disable some of these features but we did see lots of spammy notifications.
There's no app drawer, but you do get some level of UI customisation. Swiping up on the homescreen launches the MI browser which also lets you search for installed apps. This is somewhat convenient but we wish we could reassign this shortcut. There's a Dark Mode, downloadable UI themes, and Google's Digital Wellbeing settings. You can clone apps and store sensitive data in a Second Space for privacy, and type quick replies to messages from within the notification popups for some apps.
Redmi Note 9 Pro performance and battery life review
At this point, with the kind of hardware used at even the low end of the market, there isn't much that can be said about everyday usage. The Redmi Note 9 Pro is more than powerful enough to handle anything from basic calls and messaging all the way up to heavy 3D gaming, with no trouble whatsoever. Multitasking was also smooth and trouble-free. If you're used to a higher display refresh rate you might find that missing, but most people shouldn't really mind – other than the feeling of missing out on something.
Ergonomically, this isn't the easiest phone to use, as we've said. The large screen does work nicely for videos and games, but the size and placement of the camera bump make holding the Redmi Note 9 Pro in landscape while playing games just a little uncomfortable. Holding it up to take long calls could also get fatiguing. The side-mounted fingerprint sensor and face recognition were both quick and effective in our experience.
The screen is reasonably bright and crisp. Colours do look vibrant, and there are some adjustments in the Settings app if you want to play with them. We did find the camera hole a little distracting when watching videos full-screen. Some apps are designed to mask notches at the top of the screen with a black band, and these might need to be updated to account for the size and placement of camera holes like the one on this phone. We weren't very impressed with the speaker though – sound was loud, but harsh and tinny.
As for benchmarks, there were no surprises. The Latest Redmi note 9 pro offer Snapdragon 720G best class-leading performance for a budget phone. We tested scores of 279,978 in AnTuTu as well as 568 and 1,761 in Geekbench's single-core and multi-core tests respectively. 3DMark gave us 3,665 points in its Slingshot Unlimited test, and GFXBench's Manhattan 3.1 and Car Chase game simulations ran at 27fps and 15fps respectively.
PUBG Mobile defaulted to the High quality preset. We played a few rounds for about 20 minutes and found that the Redmi Note 9 Pro did get a little warm, contrary to Xiaomi's claims. The phone never got too uncomfortable but we didn't want to play for too much longer. Graphics were consistently smooth though, and gameplay was enjoyable. Asphalt 9: Legends didn't give us any trouble either.
We were eager to test this phone's battery. With ordinary use, we were very pleased to see the Redmi Note 9 Pro easily lasting through a full day and nearly half of the second day before needing a recharge. During this time we played some games, streamed video, and took lots of photos and videos. Our HD loop video test ran for 16 hours, 2 minutes which is good but not as great as we were expecting, considering that some competitors in this space can boast of scores that cross 20 hours.
Redmi Note 9 Pro Cameras
The squared-off camera bump on the rear might also surprise some Redmi Note series fans. The primary shooter has a 48-megapixel resolution and f/1.79 aperture, and uses the new Samsung Isocell GM2 sensor. You don't get a 64-megapixel camera just like the one on the Redmi Note 8 Pro or other recent value-segment phones. That's primarily a results of the Redmi Note 9 Pro addressing a lower market tier with its lower prices – you are doing get a 64-megapixel camera with the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max.
Next to it you'll find an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera, which is pretty standard for this price level. The 2-megapixel depth sensor in the lower row is also basic and commonplace. What is interesting is the fact that the macro camera has a 5-megapixel resolution, which should be a nice bump up from the barely-useful 2-megapixel ones we've seen in most phones of late.
The front camera has a 16-megapixel resolution, and once again the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max offers a step up to 32 megapixels. Slow-mo up to 120fps is possible as well. There's AI beautification which is on by default.
The camera app is straightforward for the most part, but there are some quirks. For instance, you have to open a submenu to find the Macro camera icon. There are 0.6x, 1x and 2x zoom selectors right above the shutter button – the first two switch between the wide-angle and standard cameras, but the zoom is all digital.
Starting with daytime photos, we found the primary camera to be reasonably good, but it doesn't break any new ground in terms of quality or flexibility. Close-ups looked good and details were clear in foreground subjects. Distant objects were also well represented if there was adequate light and textures weren't too complex. The wide-angle camera isn't too bad, but quality definitely suffers. Despite promising distortion correction, there's still some fairly obvious warping at the sides of frames.
The 5-megapixel macro camera does deliver much higher quality shots than we've seen from most other macro cameras, and the camera app makes it obvious when you're holding the phone at the correct distance to lock focus. Many of our attempts still come out looking dull though, often with washed-out colours and poorly balanced exposures.
Starting with daytime photos, we found the primary camera to be reasonably good, but it doesn't break any new ground in terms of quality or flexibility. Close-ups looked good and details were clear in foreground subjects. Distant objects were also well represented if there was adequate light and textures weren't too complex. The wide-angle camera isn't too bad, but quality definitely suffers. Despite promising distortion correction, there's still some fairly obvious warping at the sides of frames.
The 5-megapixel macro camera does deliver much higher quality shots than we've seen from most other macro cameras, and the camera app makes it obvious when you're holding the phone at the correct distance to lock focus. Many of our attempts still come out looking dull though, often with washed-out colours and poorly balanced exposures.
Video shot at 1080p looked fine, with good stabilisation. Our only complaint was that our test footage was a little overexposed. At 4K, colours went completely out of whack and our sample shots had an overpowering, unnatural red tone. The shimmer effect was pretty bad in the dark when shooting at 1080p. The same situation was evident at night – 1080p footage was not usable if we were moving, but we managed to capture usable footage if we stood still.
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