Redmi Note 9 Pro Review: Most Balanced Mid-Range Smartphone

By Correspondent On Mar 31, 2020

Redmi Note line of smartphones is known for offering stable performance at affordable pricing. I have personally used the Redmi Note 3, Redmi Note 5, Redmi Note 5 Pro, and now after a few years of break, I got a chance to check out the latest Redmi Note 9 Pro.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro is available in two variants. The base model offers 4GB RAM and 64GB storage and the high-end model offers 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. I have been testing the high-end variant of the Redmi Note 9 Pro from the last few weeks and here is the full review of the latest Note in the market.

Smartphones at this price usually look dull and boring, probably with a semi-metal unibody design or a polycarbonate finish. With the Redmi Note 7, the company introduced the aura design and the Redmi Note 9 Pro does feature a triple Corning Gorilla Glass 5, where the display, back panel, and the camera layout is protected by the same. The frame of the smartphone is still made using plastic, which is a bit susceptible to scratches.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro has a massive 6.67-inch IPS LCD screen, making it one of the biggest Redmi Note smartphones ever. The display offers a native resolution of 2400 x 1080p (FHD+) with rounded-off corners on all four sides and a punch-hole cutout at the top center portion of the screen, which the company calls it as a Dot Display. The screen on the Redmi Note 9 Pro offers a peak brightness of 450nits and supports HDR streaming on YouTube, but not on Netflix. Similarly, the display offers a 1500:1 contrast ratio with 84 percent NTSC color gamut coverage.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro has a quad-camera setup at the back with a 48MP primary sensor, which might seem like a downgrade considering the Redmi Note 8 Pro comes with a 64MP primary sensor. If you want a 64MP camera, then consider the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max.

The phone has an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture and 112 field-of-view, which lets the phone capture larger scenes. However, the color-science of the ultra-wide angle camera is a bit different from the primary camera. This sensor works well in day-light scenes. In low-light and dark environments, the photos taken on the ultra-wide angle lens look noisy and grainy.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro has one of the best macro lenses on a mid-tier smartphone. The 5MP sensor with support for auto-focus and 2cm focus distance can take some great photos with a lot of detail. If you like to take macro shots, then the Redmi Note 9 Pro will leave you impressed.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro has a single 16MP selfie camera, which offers various software tweaks that helps you get a perfect selfie. By default, the beauty mode for the selfie camera is turner on, so make sure to disable the same for more natural-looking selfies. The Selfie camera on the Redmi Note 9 Pro can also record 1080p videos at 30fps and slow-motion videos at 120fps. There is also a video beauty mode, which will be useful for vloggers.