Redmi Note 9, Note 9 Pro Unboxing, Quick Review: Redmi’s Budget Champions Cometh

Redmi Note 9, Note 9 Pro Unboxing, Quick Review: Redmi’s Budget Champions Cometh

Even more budget options from Redmi!

Xiaomi isn’t content to launch just one phone today, and right on the heels of the Mi Note 10 Lite are two more members of the Redmi family of phones.

If you were already a bit confused about what model to buy for your next budget mid-range phone, today’s launch isn’t likely to help you. The two phones look identical to each other (and to the already launched Redmi Note 9S), only differing slightly in the hardware used inside of them.

Packaging and contents

If you’ve seen a box for one Redmi Note 9, you’ve seen them all. The packaging for both devices looks pretty similar, though the way that the two models are displayed on the outside varies slightly.

The contents are the same though – you’re getting the phones, plus a charger, USB Type-C cable and documentation, as well as a free silicone case.

Same design, different internals

If you’ve already seen our hands-on for the Redmi Note 9S, you’ll get a sense of deja vu with the two phones we’re talking about today. Both the Redmi Note 9 and Redmi Note 9 Pro sport the same symmetrical design language of the Redmi Note 9S, thanks to that square, centrally-mounted rear camera as well as their curved sides and rounded corners.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro has an added visual flair of a subtle, two-tone gradation that makes it stand out more than its two siblings.

Diving into the nitty-gritty of it, the Redmi Note 9 has a fingerprint scanner on the rear, which is located right below the square quad-camera stack.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro on the other hand, has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner that’s integrated into the power button.

While the Redmi Note 9 Pro still retains a glass back, the Redmi Note 9’s rear panel gets downgraded to plastic to save costs.

There are a few more differences to be noted here, but they’re all relatively minor.

First, the display. The Redmi Note 9 has a smaller 6.53-inch full HD+ punch-hole display that has the 13-megapixel front camera tucked in the upper left side of the panel.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro on the other hand, has a slightly bigger 6.67-inch full HD+ resolution display with a punch-hole display housing a 16-megapixel front camera positioned in the upper center of the display.

As for the camera stack, both phones get an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, along with a 2-megapixel depth camera.

The Redmi Note 9 gets a 48-megapixel main shooter and a 2-megapixel macro camera, while the Redmi Note 9 gets a higher-resolution 64-megapixel sensor and an upgraded 5-megapixel macro camera. Both phones still benefit from Xiaomi’s AI tech, though it’ll be interesting to see how both sensors fare when presented with similar lighting conditions.

Hardware is obviously one of the main things that vary greatly with both phones. The Redmi Note 9 gets a more sedate MediaTek Helio G85 chipset, with the phone shipping with either 3GB/64GB or 4GB/128GB.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro on the other hand, gets Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 720G processor (the same one in the Redmi Note 9S), and a 6GB/64GB variant as well as a 6GB/128GB variant.

Both phones ship with Android 10 courtesy of MIUI 11 and both phones get massive 5020mAH batteries.

It’ll be interesting to see how both processors fare in terms of battery drain tests considering the differences in Qualcomm and MediaTek’s processors, but it’s a stretch to assume that both will probably last you around a day’s worth of use at the very least.

The phones aren’t equal though when it comes to charging speeds – the Redmi Note 9 Pro comes with a 33W fast charger out of the box, while the in-box charger of the Redmi Note 9 is only 22.5W.

 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 specs

  • MediaTek Helio G85 octa-core processor
  • Mali-G52 MC2 GPU
  • 3GB/4GB LPDDR4X RAM
  • 6.53-inch Full HD+ IPS display, Gorilla Glass 5 Protection, 19:5:9 aspect ratio
  • 64GB/128GB UFS 2.1 expandable internal storage
  • Quad rear cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.8 ISOCELL GM1 main camera with 6p lens; 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera; 2-megapixel f/2.4 depth-sensor; 2-megapixel f/2.4 macro camera; with LED, PDAF
  • 13-megapixel front camera
  • Dual SIM
  • 3G, LTE
  • 2×2 MiMo WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC
  • Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, face unlock, USB-C
  • 5020mAh battery with 18w wired charging
  • Android 10 with MIUI 11

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro (Global) specs

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G octa-core processor
  • Adreno 618 GPU
  • 6GB LPDDR4X RAM
  • 6.67-inch Full HD+ IPS display, Gorilla Glass 5 Protection, 20:9 aspect ratio
  • 64GB/128GB UFS 2.1 expandable internal storage
  • Quad rear cameras: 64-megapixel f/1.89 Samsung GW1 main camera with 6p lens; 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera; 2-megapixel f/2.4 depth-sensor; 5-megapixel f/2.4 macro camera; with LED, PDAF, RAW shooting, Pro Color, AI Portrait, 21:9 movie frame
  • 16-megapixel front camera
  • Dual SIM
  • 3G, LTE
  • 2×2 MiMo WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC
  • Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, face unlock, USB-C
  • 5020mAh battery with 30w wired charging
  • Android 10 with MIUI 11

The Redmi Note 9 starts at Php 7,990 for the 3GB/64GB version while the 4GB/128GB variant will go for Php 9,990.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro meanwhile will be priced at Php 12,490 for the 6GB/64GB variant, while the 6GB/128GB variant will go for Php 13,990.

As an added bonus, Xiaomi is slashing the price of the 3GB/64GB variant of the Redmi Note 9 by Php 500 if you buy it from the official Xiaomi Global store in Shoppee on May 27, 12AM.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro will also get a similar price cut (as well as the Redmi Note 9) when you buy the 6GB/64GB variant (and the 3GB/64GB variant) on June 4, 12AM in the Official Xiaomi Flagship Store in Lazada. Both items are already listed on the Lazada PH Xiaomi Shop but currently labeled as OUT OF STOCK. If you’re planning to buy come June 4, suggest you ADD TO WISHLIST already so you’re alerted when the offers are live.

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