Redmi note 9 pro : buy or not -review
Redmi Note 9 Pro (Glacier White, 4GB RAM, 64GB Storage) - Latest Snapdragon 720G & Gorilla Glass 5 Protection
I would give you my honest experience..
Got the Note 9 Pro in Galcier White Colour on first sale itself. I skipped Note 8 Pro. Swift Delivery with Amazon. After spending a few weeks with it, here's my experience. I keep switching phones often and let's see if Note 9 Pro is the ideal phone.
Yes, you can play PUBG Mobile with Smooth & Ultra (40 fps) Combination and HD & High Maximum but the game is not properly optimized as it is a new chipset. I played PUBG for 2 straight weeks on Smooth and Ultra Graphic settings and noticed the game freezing in classic and other modes for a few seconds in almost every match.. Earlier I used to play PUBG in Smooth & Extreme (60fps) option on my previous phone so playing in Ultra (40fps) on Note 9 Pro feels little downgrade. Gameplay was smooth for most of the part but frame freezes quite frequently which made the gameplay not so enjoyable. Didn't notice any heating issues. Temp was mostly under control. Another problem I encountered with PUBG is the low sound output from the earphone (Ant Audio W56 or any other) plugged in. Xiaomi should rectify this issue ASAP!
Update: Low Volume Level in earphones has been fixed after OTA update.
Though didn't notice a faster location locking using NavIC. Cellularr Network Strength I found is little low in my experience, because the same SIM Cards inserted in my other phone used to provide better network reception, as a result, the download speeds are somewhat lower on Note 9 Pro. Will test further and update here.
Design:
Awesome design. I like the center placed punch hole camera, it gives a overall sense of symmetry. The Aura Balanced Design is premium. Glass Front & Back With Curved Edges. Plastic Frame. Phone comes with a silicon back cover in the box and a plastic screen guard pre applied on the screen. Looks really nice with the white colour but due to 20:9 aspect ratio and large screen, it is a tall phone, quite difficult to handle single handedly even with my big enough hands. Also I now need to buy jeans with bigger pockets because in my wardrobe I couldn't find a jeans that could accommodate this phone comfortably. Although It is a nice premium looking design but not practical due to being tall which hinders one handed usage. Also the camera bump is protruding a few millimetres but Xiaomi claims that the Camera module is also coated with Gorilla Glass 5 Protection so it should be scratch resistant to some extent.Display:
Screen being an IPS LCD Full HD+ Panel is large at 6.67 inches with 20:9 aspect ratio, is tall and not too wide. Bezels around are very slim and the chin is minimal. Screen to body ratio is impressive. It's certainly big or tall in vertical terms. Quality wise the screen is good, brightness is satisfactory for indoor and outdoor usage but the screen is not as vivid or lively as AMOLED screens. Viewing angles are good. Little bit colourshifting can be noticed when viewing from different angles. No higher refresh rate though which everyone kinda expected. Touch response is good, not too fast or too slow even when playing PUBG. Brightness could've been more for better outdoor visibility under direct sunlight. Reading mode is there to filter harmful bluelight. Overall, display quality is good and satisfactory.
Sound Output:
Sound quality is clear and loud through the speaker, thought lacking on bass and instruments. Call quality is loud and clear as well. Earphone output is little disappointing. I have premium sounding earphones which sounded better on my previous phone but the sound output via the 3.5mm jack is quite low on the Redmi Note 9 Pro so you've to crank up the volume and let's not talk about the richness of the sound which is completely lacking. While playing PUBG Mobile with Earphone plugged in, I could barely hear the footsteps in the game and had to crank up the volume to max. Everyone should report this earphone sound quality issue to Xiaomi. Update: Low Volume Level in earphones has been fixed after OTA update but the richness in audio is still lacking.Performance:
Performance is fine even on the 4 GB 64 GB Variant. Didn't see any lag or shutter while performing normal day to day tasks, thanks to Snapdragon 720G Chipset built on a power efficient 8nm Process. Now the big question, can it handle PUBG?Yes, you can play PUBG Mobile with Smooth & Ultra (40 fps) Combination and HD & High Maximum but the game is not properly optimized as it is a new chipset. I played PUBG for 2 straight weeks on Smooth and Ultra Graphic settings and noticed the game freezing in classic and other modes for a few seconds in almost every match.. Earlier I used to play PUBG in Smooth & Extreme (60fps) option on my previous phone so playing in Ultra (40fps) on Note 9 Pro feels little downgrade. Gameplay was smooth for most of the part but frame freezes quite frequently which made the gameplay not so enjoyable. Didn't notice any heating issues. Temp was mostly under control. Another problem I encountered with PUBG is the low sound output from the earphone (Ant Audio W56 or any other) plugged in. Xiaomi should rectify this issue ASAP!
Update: Low Volume Level in earphones has been fixed after OTA update.
Cameras:
Talking about the camera quality, I am not impressed with the Note 9 Pro. The quality is average, default 12 MP shots from the main camera lack details when zoomed in and look oversharpened along with a warm colour tone and noise and other post processing artefacts quite visible even in good lighting conditions. HDR is a hit or miss most of the time. There's a new option in the camera app to boost colours similar to Chroma Boost feature found in Realme Smartphones. 48 MP shots look a little better especially in terms of details in comparison to default 12 MP Shots. Front camera quality is average as well. To be honest, I'm little disappointed with the camera output but it's not a major issue as I have a Nokia 808 PureView as my go to Camera Phone since 2014. You could install GCam Mod for better quality output as Camera 2 API is supported out of the box.Connectivity:
Had no issues with WiFi or Bluetooth. It has support for NavIC, India's own satelite for navigation. No issues with location services.Though didn't notice a faster location locking using NavIC. Cellularr Network Strength I found is little low in my experience, because the same SIM Cards inserted in my other phone used to provide better network reception, as a result, the download speeds are somewhat lower on Note 9 Pro. Will test further and update here.
Battery
is rated at 5020 mAh and Xiaomi is providing 18W Charger in the box. If we remember a year ago, 18W was considered fast but this time it has a larger capacity battery than previous Note series smartphones. A full charge normally takes more than 2 hours which is not bad for a 5000 mAh battery. Everyone this time expected Xiaomi to provide a charger rated at 22W or more. The global variant ships with a 22W Charger. Why Xiaomi? Battery can get you more than a day depending on your usage so it shouldn't be a problem. It's good for long gaming sessions as well.
So to sum it up, I would say it's a good phone for the price except for a few things.
CGG 5 Protection Both Sides.
Nice Display Quality.
Good Sound Via Loudspeaker.
IR Blaster.
Good Performance.
Less Heating.
Very Good Battery Backup.
Protruding Camera Module.
No 90 Hz Refresh Rate.
Average Cameras
PUBG Mobile Not Optimized
Network Reception & Download Speeds Should Be Improved.
Some really important features worth mentioning:
It has 2 SIM Card Slots with a dedicated MicroSD Slot so it's a good decision on part of Redmi/Xiaomi. The charging port is Type C which I appreciate. Fingerprint Sensor is mounted on the Side Power Button and it's fast to unlock the phone. You have the option to choose whether to press the power button or just touch on it to unlock the phone. IR Blaster is another nifty feature to control various electronic appliances. It works well with my Set Top Box so no need of reaching the remote everytime I want to switch channels or lower the volume. Fortunately there is a notification LED next to the earpiece, though you only get a single white colour. Still I consider the notification LED as an essential feature.Os:
It's running MIUI 11 on top of Android 10. I liked MIUI during Redmi Note 3 times when it was a clean UI and had no Ads or content recommendations feature inbuilt. Still It's packed with features and offers a lot of customization though the amount of bloatware is ridiculous. Thankfully almost all of them can be uninstalled which I recommend. Content recommendations and ads can be partially turned off. Just don't like that there's no option to uninstall the Mi Browser.So to sum it up, I would say it's a good phone for the price except for a few things.
Pros:
1. 48MP Quad Camera (with Samsung GM2 Sensor) captures amazing pictures, both outdoor as well as indoor.
- Even in low light conditions, photo looks cool.
- Selfie looks more natural, not over beautification like oppo,vivo.
2. 6.67 inch FHD+ dot display looks good.
3. Dedicated Memory card slot.
4. 5020 mAH li-polymer battery - it easily lasts for more than a day with average usage.
- With 18w charger, it takes less than 2 hrs for full charge.
5. P2i splash-proof nano-coating
6. Notification LED
7. IR Blaster
*NavIC for navigation, but haven't noticed any difference than GPS.
Premium Design.- Even in low light conditions, photo looks cool.
- Selfie looks more natural, not over beautification like oppo,vivo.
2. 6.67 inch FHD+ dot display looks good.
3. Dedicated Memory card slot.
4. 5020 mAH li-polymer battery - it easily lasts for more than a day with average usage.
- With 18w charger, it takes less than 2 hrs for full charge.
5. P2i splash-proof nano-coating
6. Notification LED
7. IR Blaster
*NavIC for navigation, but haven't noticed any difference than GPS.
CGG 5 Protection Both Sides.
Nice Display Quality.
Good Sound Via Loudspeaker.
IR Blaster.
Good Performance.
Less Heating.
Very Good Battery Backup.
Cons:
1. 60 Hz display (vs 90 Hz display of Realme 6) : Difference is noticable, while playing games.
2. For PUBG, RN9Pro frame rate setting limited to Ultra, on other hand, Realme6 supports up to Extreme.
In short, Gaming is better on Realme 6 with MediaTek G90T.
Quite Tall So One Handed Usage Is An Issue.2. For PUBG, RN9Pro frame rate setting limited to Ultra, on other hand, Realme6 supports up to Extreme.
In short, Gaming is better on Realme 6 with MediaTek G90T.
Protruding Camera Module.
No 90 Hz Refresh Rate.
Average Cameras
PUBG Mobile Not Optimized
Network Reception & Download Speeds Should Be Improved.
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