The Redmi Note series is one of the most successful lineups for Xiaomi‘s sub-brand (although they are now an “independent” company—just like Poco). Regardless, the value-for-money proposition of the Note series can’t really be denied. And now, they’re introducing 5G to the series with two new models for the China market, along with a 4G-enabled variant as well: the Redmi Note 9 5G series.
In case you’re feeling a little confused, no, this isn’t the same Redmi Note 9 that was announced for the global market earlier this year. Here’s what you need to know about the latest Redmi Note.
Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G specs
The Redmi Note 9 Pro comes with some serious specs under the hood. You’re looking at a 6.67″ Full HD+ LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, and Xiaomi says that an adaptive display will adjust the refresh rate in a range between 30Hz and 120Hz, which should help with battery consumption. Under the hood is a 5G-enabled Snapdragon 750G chipset, with RAM of up to 8GB and 256GB of UFS2.2 storage available.
The camera setup appears to be one of the highlights of the phone, too. The Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G features a 108MP main camera, using Samsung’s new ISOCELL HM2 camera sensor (1/1.52″), which uses the similar pixel binning technology that we’ve seen on Samsung phones in the past. Xiaomi also promises better low light performance, with the sensor’s dual native ISO technology working with a new night mode to offer better shots in the dark.
The rest of the setup is made up of an 8MP ultra-wide camera, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor for bokeh shots. Unfortunately, there isn’t a telephoto lens, which means there isn’t any optical zoom capabilities. Up front, you get a 16MP camera for selfies that sits in a centrally-placed hole-punch cutout.
To sustain the device, the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G comes with a 4,820mAh battery which can be charged with a 33W fast-charger. Xiaomi promises a full charge in just under an hour, although there isn’t any support for wireless charging here. What you do get, however, includes an IP53 rating, stereo speakers, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Oh, and you get a 3.5mm headphone jack (yay).
Redmi Note 9 5G specs
Moving down a rung, the Redmi Note 9 5G still offers some decent specs. Perhaps the biggest difference here is the MediaTek Dimensity 800U chipset, which Xiaomi promises to be twice as fast as the Redmi Note 8’s Snapdragon 665. Again, you get up to 256GB of UFS 2.2 paired with up to 8GB of RAM.
You’re missing out on a 120Hz refresh rate, however, although you still get a 6.53″ Full HD+ LCD screen. On the back of the phone is a 48MP main sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide shooter, and a 2MP macro lens. Meanwhile, the Redmi Note 9 5G also comes with a 13MP selfie camera—which again, sits in a hole-punch cutout up front.
Redmi’s latest mid-ranger comes with a large 5,000mAh battery, which you can charge via USB-C at up to 18W. Just like the Pro, this model also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack and stereo speakers, while there is even 5G+5G dual sim support—which isn’t available on the Pro.
Redmi Note 9 4G
Don’t confuse this with the older Redmi Note 9, despite the fact that… it has a near-identical name. Here, you’re looking at a Snapdragon 662 SoC under the hood, along with up to 128GB of UFS2.2 storage. In fact, the Redmi Note 9 4G appears to be a rebadge of the recently-released Poco M3—despite Poco’s claims of independence from the Xiaomi family.
This means that you’re getting the same huge 6,000mAh battery, which you can charge at up to 18W. Additionally, the Redmi Note 9 4G also comes with a 6.53″ Full HD+ display, although this pushes a 60Hz refresh rate, while you get configurations of up to 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. If that isn’t enough, the storage can be expanded via microSD at up to 512GB.
The main difference between the Poco M3 and the Redmi Note 9 4G is its design—primarily, that camera bump. Gone is the gigantic bump (similar to the Cyberpunk 2077 edition of the OnePlus 8T) of the Poco M3, with the Redmi Note 9 4G having a more conventional looking camera module on the rear.
The triple camera setup is slightly different, too. While you get the same 48MP main camera and 2MP depth sensor, the Redmi Note 9 4G replaces the macro lens with an 8MP ultra-wide angle shooter—which should be a lot more useful, in my opinion. Up front, the 8MP selfie camera sits in a rather dated-looking teardrop notch, as opposed to the hole-punch cutouts of its 5G-enabled cousins.
Again, this comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack and stereo speakers.
Price and availability
At the moment, Xiaomi has only announced the new Redmi Note 9 series in China, and there isn’t any word on global (or Malaysian) availability just yet. In any case, the phones will begin shipping from the 1st of December 2020, with official pricing as follows:
Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G – 6GB RAM, 128GB storage – CNY 1,599 (~RM989)
Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G – 8GB RAM, 128GB storage – CNY 1,799 (~RM1,113)
Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G – 8GB RAM, 256GB storage – CNY 1,999 (~RM1,237)
Redmi Note 9 5G – 6GB RAM, 128GB storage – CNY 1,299 (~RM804)
Redmi Note 9 5G – 8GB RAM, 128GB storage – CNY 1,499 (~RM927)
Redmi Note 9 5G – 8GB RAM, 256GB storage – CNY 1,699 (~RM1,051)
Redmi Note 9 4G – 4GB RAM, 128GB storage – CNY 999 (~RM618)
Redmi Note 9 4G – 6GB RAM, 128GB storage – CNY 1,099 (~RM680)
Redmi Note 9 4G – 8GB RAM, 128GB storage – CNY 1,299 (~RM803)
So, what do you think? From first impressions, it looks like the Redmi Note series will continue to be one of the best value-for-money offerings in the market, although we’ll have to get our hands on an actual set to make a reasoned judgement. For now, you can stay updated on the latest coverage on SoyaCincau.com, and remember to leave your thoughts in the comments section down below.
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