Redmi Note 5 Pro: The worthy upgrade for Redmi Note 4 users

Xiaomi has always been the king of value for money and when it comes to smartphones priced under RM1,000, it is hard not to recommend the Redmi Note 4. It offers top-notch specs and a decent build at a price that’s hard to beat. When the Redmi 5 Plus was introduced a couple of months back, the specs are roughly the same as the current Redmi Note 4.

For those looking for a proper upgrade, Xiaomi has officially announced its latest Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro. The event took place in India, which is Xiaomi’s biggest market outside of China.

Redmi Note 5 Pro

The Redmi Note 5 Pro is the top model in the Redmi Note series. Following the current trend, it gets a 5.99″ FullHD+ display in an 18:9 display aspect ratio. Under the hood, the Redmi Note 5 Pro is the first to use Qualcomm’s 14nm Snapdragon 636 processor that utilises Kyro 260 CPU cores. This offers a more flagship-like performance and it scored over 109,000 points on Antutu, which is 59% higher than the Redmi Note 4.

On top of that, you can get the Redmi Note 5 Pro with up to 6GB of high-performance LPDDR4X RAM. There’s also a 4GB LPDD4X version and both RAM variants come with 64GB of eMMC 5.0 storage. If you need more, it also accepts microSD expansion on its hybrid dual-SIM tray.

In the photography department, the Redmi Note 5 Pro is the first in the Redmi Note series to come with dual-cameras. Over at the rear, you get this iPhone X style camera bump which houses a 12MP f/2.2 main camera and a secondary 5MP f/2.0 shooter for depth of field effects. The new sensor has a larger 1.25-micron pixel size which is said to perform better in low light compared to the Redmi Note 4.

For selfies, it gets a high-resolution 20MP main camera using Sony’s IMX 376 sensor. This is the same sensor that’s found on the OnePlus 5T’s secondary main camera and on the Vivo V5’s selfie shooter. For low-light situations, Xiaomi has included an LED selfie light. On top of that, the Redmi Note 5 Pro will also support Face Unlock via an OTA update that will be pushed sometime in March.

In terms of connectivity, it will support 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 and there’s also an infrared blaster which you can use as a universal remote. Powering the Redmi Note 5 Pro is a 4,000mAh battery but it still charges via MicroUSB. It supports QuickCharge 2.0 charging but Xiaomi is only bundling a standard 5V/2A brick. Out of the box, it still runs on Android 7.0 Nougat with MIUI 9 skin on top.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro is officially priced at 16,999INR (about RM1,040) for the 6GB RAM version, while the 4GB RAM model is going for 13,999INR (about RM857). As a comparison, the Mi A1 was launched in India at 14,999INR (about RM911) and it was launched in Malaysia with an RM1,099 price tag.

Redmi Note 5

For those on a budget, there’s the standard Redmi Note 5 which retains all the good stuff that came with the current Redmi Note 4. It still gets a full metal body and it’s also thinner at 8.05mm.

The display is similar to the Redmi Note 5 Pro with a 5.99″ FullHD+ display and under the hood, it runs on a familiar Snapdragon 625 processor. You can have it with either 3GB or 4GB of RAM which comes with 32GB and 64GB of storage respectively.

Over at the rear, it comes with a 12MP f/2.2 main camera with dual-LED flash, while the front gets a 5MP selfie camera that comes with its own selfie light. It supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2 and it also comes with an infrared blaster. Like the current model, it has a 4,000mAh battery and it charges via MicroUSB.

The Redmi Note 5 is going for 9,999INR (about RM612) for the 3GB RAM + 32GB storage model and 11,999INR (about RM734) for the higher-spec 4GB RAM + 64GB storage option. Looking at the specs, the Redmi Note 5 is quite identical to the Redmi 5 Plus which has gone on sale in Malaysia. The 3GB RAM + 32GB storage model is priced at RM749, while the higher-spec 4GB RAM + 64GB storage option will be coming soon at a later date.