Redmi Note 9 Review: Helio G85 SoC, 5020 mAh Battery and AI Quad Camera

Following the success of Redmi Note 9 Pro and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, Xiaomi has added another more affordable phone to its lineup, Redmi Note 9. It is a perfect combo of a powerful 5020 mAh battery, a solid MediaTek Helio G85 chipset, and an impressive AI quad-camera setup, equipped with quick charging. An IPS LCD capacitive 6.53 inches FHD+ DotDisplay, with a stunning screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels and a P2i-protected splashproof feature is another selling point of this phone.

The smartphone operates on android 10 plus MIUI 11 and offers 4/8 GB RAM with 64/128 GB internal storage. It has a bezel-less display protected by a v5 Corning Gorilla Glass. It doesn’t look far away from its cousins Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, Redmi Note Note 9 Pro, except for the punch-hole cutout in the corner in Note 9.

Redmi Note 9 Design and Display

The slightly curved back of Redmi Note 9 seems like glass due to its sleek and glossy look, but it is actually built of plastic. The screen is protected by v5 Corning Gorilla Glass. The punch-hole cutout for the 13 MP selfie shooter is tucked away in the upper left corner making it easy to distinguish from other editions in the Redmi Note series.

It has a 6.53 inches FHD+ DotDisplay with 1080 x 2340 pixels screen resolution with the aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and the screen to body ratio of 84.37% offering cinematic view. It has decent brightness and fine contrast for this budget. However, it’s brightness falls behind the competition as it can go up to only 369 nits with a slider, but auto mode can take it up to 416 nits.

There is also an IR blaster at the top that helps you control certain appliances like a TV through your phone. Alongside that, a secondary noise-canceling microphone is placed. At the bottom, there is a good old 3.5mm headphone jack, main microphone, and USB Type-C port and a single speaker. The power button and volume rockers are placed on the right side making it handier. Dual sim-tray, which the company claims to be flash resistant along with a slot for microSD is on the left side.

The quad-camera setup on the sleek rear gives the smartphone an elegant look. A fingerprint sensor is situated just below the rear cameras. This smartphone comes in three beautiful colors, Forest Green, Midnight Grey, and Polar White.

Discover Full Specifications of Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Lite

Chipset

It runs on upgraded power-efficient Helio G85 chipset, octa-core processor (2GHz Cortex A75 Dual Core + 2GHz Cortex A55 Hexa Core) unlike Snapdragon chips in Redmi Note 9 Pro and Note 9 Pro Max. Mali-G52 GPU supports comprehensive multitasking.

Fret not about running out of storage as you have 64 or 128 GB internal plus can expand your memory up to 512 GB with the dedicated slot for microSD.

Battery and Connectivity

It has a powerful 5020mAh in-built Lithium polymer battery, equipped with 22.5W fast charging technology. Battery life is just as great as in its sibling phones with an outstanding endurance rating of 125 hours. The unique feature this smartphone offers is it can be used as a power bank for other devices in case of emergencies. It supports WIFI / Wi-Fi Direct 802.11 a/b/g/n and supports Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE.

Camera

The rear camera consists of a 48 MP primary sensor (wide) + 8 MP (ultrawide) + 2 MP (macro) + 2 MP depth sensor. 13MP AI front camera, a picture-perfect selfie camera, which supports portrait mode, AI beautify, and short film shooting. It supports 1080p video at 30 fps by both back and selfie cameras.

Under good light conditions, you can capture photos with a nice natural tone, decent dynamic range, and good subject separation. The night mode of the main sensor is fantastic for the price as it comes with vastly improved sharpness and dynamic range. The autofocus of the macro camera is great to get close-up shots. It is the cheapest option in the Xiaomi Note series.

Redmi Note 9 Full Specifications

DISPLAY

Size: 6.53 inches (~83.5% screen-to-body ratio)

Type: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors

Resolution: 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~395 ppi density)

Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 5

Brightness: 369 nits nits typ. (416 max)

BODY

Dimensions: 162.3 x 77.2 x 8.9 mm (6.39 x 3.04 x 0.35 in)

Build: Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic frame

Weight: 199 g (7.02 oz)

SIM: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)

Water-repellent coating

PLATFORM

Chipset: MediaTek Helio G85 (12nm)

CPU: Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)

OS: Android 10, MIUI 11

GPU: Mali-G52 MC2

STORAGE

Internal Memory ( Variant ): 4/64 GB , 4/128 GB and 6/128 GB

Dedicated slot for micro SDXC Card

CAMERA

MAIN CAMERA Quad

48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF

8 MP, f/2.2, 118˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm

2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)

2 MP, f/2.4, (macro), AF

Features: LED flash, HDR, panorama

Video: 1080p at 30fps

SELFIE CAMERA (Single)

13 MP, f/2.3, 29mm (standard), 1/3.1″, 1.12µm

Features: HDR, panorama

Video: 1080p at 30fps

NETWORK

Technology: GSM / HSPA / LTE

4G bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41

3G bands: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100

2G bands: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2

Speed: HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A

SOUND

3.5mm jack and loudspeaker

COMMUNICATION

WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot

Bluetooth: 5.0, A2DP, LE

GPS: Yes (A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS)

Infrared port and Radio

USB: 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector

SENSORS

Fingerprint (rear-mounted)

Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass

BATTERY

Li-Po 5020 mAh, non-removable

Charging: Fast charging 18W & Reverse charging 9W

OTHERS

Colors: Forest Green, Midnight Grey, & Polar White

Models: M2003J15SC, M2003J15SG, M2003J15SS

LAUNCH

Released: May 2020

Released in Nepal: June 2020

Status: Available

Redmi Note 9 PRICE IN NEPAL

Rs 20,999 (4GB + 64GB)

Rs 22,999 (4GB + 128GB)

Rs 24,999 (6GB/128GB)