1. Redmi Note 9 Pro

You can never overemphasize the importance of Redmi’s Note series lineup. These smartphones have brought to Xiaomi massive global momentum. Over Redmi Note 4’s product cycle, over 10 million smartphones were sold. Last year, Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 7 Pro became the highest-selling smartphone in the category for Rs. 10,000 and higher.

Of course, other smartphone makers on the market have been keeping an eye on the rise of Xiaomi and have launched a strong counteroffensive. Until now, Realme is Xiaomi’s strongest competitor and has established quite a portfolio with truly great products that can match and even beat Xiaomi sometimes.

The smartphone was launched on March 17, 2020, with a starting price of Rs 13,999. 

2. Display

Xiaomi has really been updating its smartphone designs in recent years, switching from boring metal backs to luxurious high-end glass sandwiches. With the Redmi Note 9 Pro, Xiaomi added to the new Aura design a refinement, aiming to provide more balance as well as ease of use. And we have a hefty phone as a result, with a unibody glass design. The phone truly looks more expensive and high-end than its price tag.

In terms of design, the most distinctive element has to be the phone’s back panel. Xiaomi gets rid of the gradient and replaces it with a glossy pane of Gorilla Glass 5. OF course, the panel will attract fingerprint and scuff, which is really a shame.

Similar to the Redmi Note 8 Pr, you can find the camera module in the center of the phone. However, rather than being placed at a vertical arrangement, Xiaomi put all four sensors in a raised rectangular section. The flash is right below it.

Although the camera module protrudes out considerably, it doesn’t rock much when you put the phone a table. Except for the camera setup, the back panel is quite minimal and classy. Xiaomi covered the back as well as the cameras with Gorilla Glass 5. Around the lenses, there is a slight lip to avoid scratching.

While the phone has a premium finish, you can’t deny the fact that it is a heavy phone. While Xiaomi adds a bigger display and a beefy battery, you will struggle to fit the phone in your pocket. The back is also slippery. Once you put it on any surface, it will start sliding off. Thankfully, there is a silicone case that comes with the phone.

From the start, the Redmi Note series has already been known for big displays. With the Redmi Note 9 Pro, there is no difference. The smartphone houses a 6.67-inch screen, the biggest display ever in the series. Playing games or viewing videos on this bigger screen is surely a lot more immersive and enjoyable.

The display is an LCD panel with a 2,400 x 1,080 resolution. The max brightness is adequate; however, stronger outdoor sunlight can no doubt overpower it. Since it is an LCD, you can’t expect the contrast levels and the blacks to be perfect. You won’t probably distinguish the blacks and the greys. Otherwise, the color rendition is quite spot-on.

Occasional light bleeding as well as non-uniformity is noticed across the display, especially when you view darker content.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro is the first in the lineup to have a punch-hole notch that was previously only for more high-end devices. The notch is placed a little bit lower than other devices. That is why it looks uncomfortable.

Although the display is not terrible, it lags behind in one key aspect, which is the refresh rate. Both the Poco X2 and the Realme 6, which are the direct competitors of the Redmi Note 9 Pro have higher refresh rates.

3. Chip

With these mid-rangers, performance has never been something that users have to worry about. And there is no exception with the Redmi Note 9 Pro. The smartphone is powered by the Snapdragon 720G chipset. The Redmi Note 9 Pro is one of the world’s smartphones to sport the new chipset that has six Kryo Silver cores and two Kryo Gold cores. The graphics are taken care of by Adreno 618.

The use of the new chipset marks the Remi Note series’ return to Qualcomm. Although the Helio G90T could handle gaming, it caused heating and battery drain. Meanwhile, the 8nm Snapdragon 720G offers a perfect balance between battery life and performance. However, for GPU-driven tasks like gaming, it does fall behind.

For regular usages like using social media, apps, and others, you can’t expect more. There were literally no stutters as well as unusually long loading times. If you can, get the 6GB variant instead of the 4GB RAM.

With the Redmi Note 9 Pro, gaming was quite an enjoyable experience with the smooth and consistent gameplay. For heavier games like PUBG Mobile, it can’t beat the MediaTek Helio G90T with its beefier GPU.

4. RAM

The Redmi Note 9 Pro comes in two variants. One has 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage, which is a bit small. The other one offers 6GB RAM with 128GB internal storage, which is acceptable.

5. Battery

The Redmi Note series has always been known for its reliable and long battery life. With the Note 9 Pro, Xiaomi decided to take things to a whole new level with a beefy 5,020mAh battery. The smartphone can last over 10 hours, even with heavy gaming.

So that actually justifies its slow charging. The smartphone’s 18W Type-C charger needs 2.5 hours to charge the phone fully. But it is understandable considering how massive the battery is. A faster 33W charger comes with the phone for faster charging.

6. Camera

The Redmi Note 9 Pro comes with a quad-camera setup with one main 48MP sensor, one 8MP ultrawide lens, one 5MP macro lens, and one 2MP depth lens.

The primary camera delivers better results than expected decent dynamic range, accurate colors, and temperature. In many shots, the noise was visible. And the Night mode can barely improve that.

The ultrawide lens is also great; however, it struggles with detail limitations and dynamic range. In low-light conditions, matters got worse.