Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro
The bestselling Xiaomi series gets a design and performance upgrade
Generation after generation, Xiaomi has bettered its Redmi Note series to offer consumers a perfect combination of performance and value for money. However, with so many options in the 10-20k market, can the new Redmi Note 9 Pro fight the competition and maintain its lead in the segment. Let’s find out.
Introduced first with the Redmi Note 7, the Aura Design finds its way into the new Redmi Note 9 series as well. Called as the Aura Balance design, it’s more refined from the previous iterations. The back is all glass and features a quad camera setup in a square design positioned right in the center, which is a refreshing change in a sea of phones with a vertical camera design. The cameras protrude at the back but are protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 along with the glass back. Xiaomi sells the phone in three colours with Aurora Blue being the flashiest one but if you are looking for a toned-down hue, there’s Interstellar Black and Glacier White. Another change is the side-mounted fingerprint sensor that is conveniently placed to work as a power button. As far as other ports and keys go, there’s volume rocker right above the power/fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C port and 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom, a SIM+microSD slot on the left and the handy IR blaster still makes the cut at the top. The body is also coated with P2i to protect the phone from water splashes and accidental spills.
On the front is a large 6.67-inch display that ditches the notch for an in-screen front-facing camera. The 20:9 screen supports Full HD+ resolution and comes with colour temperature adjustment, reading mode and dark mode. Handling the performance is Qualcomm’s 8nm Snapdragon 720G and 6GB or 8GB of RAM. Like most mid-range phones, the Redmi Note 9 Pro handles most apps and games like a champ. MIUI 11 delivers a tried-and-tested experience but still suffers from unwanted notifications that sometimes leave an unpleasant taste.
The phone’s quad-camera setup comprises a 48MP GM2 sensor, 8MP ultra-wide, 5MP macro and 2MP depth sensor. When it comes to camera performance, the phone can take decent pictures in daylight conditions with good dynamic range but the performance takes a hit in low-light conditions. Portraits turn out to be good and also allows to adjust the bokeh effect in real-time with a handy slider. The camera app is also equipped with various modes like macro, night, panorama and pro mode.
One of the star features of the phone is its battery. The 5020mAh battery delivers a stellar battery life that easily gives you more than a day’s worth of use with moderate to heavy use. It is also one of the first phones to come with NavIC support - ISRO-developed navigation system. While the phone comes with other navigation systems, with NavIC on board, the phone can get a quicker and accurate location fix.