Content

1. Positioning
2. TECH SPECS
3. Equipment
4. Appearance
5. Display
6. Battery
7. Camera
8. Performance
9. Communication capabilities
10. Shell MIUI 11
11. Impressions and competitors

Positioning

The main model of the refreshed 9 series, with which Xiaomi is trying to change the perception of the Redmi brand. In 2013, Xiaomi introduced the Redmi brand as a line of smartphones more affordable than the original Mi-series. The new brand was needed for two reasons. Firstly, cheaper components were used there, which hypothetically implied a higher scrap rate. And Xiaomi did not want to spoil the image. Secondly, Xiaomi initially understood that playing a product of the first price is a disastrous undertaking. And Redmi was needed so that Xiaomi would not be associated with cheap smartphones.

The story turned out differently. It turned out that the level of technical development is quite high and defects, even in smartphones with cheap components, are rare. And buyers, having tried Redmi, realized that smartphones are cheaper, but not much worse than the flagship MI models. Then Xiaomi began to actively develop the brand, launching whole lines of smart technology. And among smartphones Redmi there are models for different price segments. The Redmi Note line in the company’s portfolio is responsible for the mid-price segment.

However, buyers cannot be fooled. They are used to the fact that Redmi is always cheap. And it really was when the company worked in the lower price segments. With the creation of more powerful and quality products, the price tag has significantly moved north. Redmi Note 9 Pro is not only the most advanced of the series smartphones, but also the most expensive. The price of 23 rubles was a shock for domestic buyers. Not everyone knows, but the Redmi lineup also has premium K-series smartphones with the corresponding price, so in the countries where they are sold, consumers have an easier time responding to the Redmi Note 990 Pro.

The main selling features of Redmi Note 9 Pro:

• A flagship-grade quad camera system. The 64MP main module allows you to capture incredible images, and with an ultra wide-angle camera, macro camera and depth sensor, you will always be ready to shoot in any conditions.
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G Chipset.
• A battery with a capacity of 5020 mAh (standard) and ultra-fast 30 W charging, you will forget about what a dead smartphone is.
• The linear vibration motor is capable of producing up to 150 vibration options for different types of notifications.
• Premium design.

TECH SPECS
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G (8nm), Octa-core (2 × 2.3 GHz Kryo 465 Gold & 6 × 1.8 GHz Kryo 465 Silver), Adreno 618 graphics
Operating system	Android 10, shell MIUI 11
Memory	6GB / 128GB, UFC 2.1, separate microSD slot
Screen	6,67 inches, IPS LCD, 1080 x 2400 pixels, aspect ratio 20: 9, dot density 395 ppi, brightness 450 nits, HDR10, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Battery	Li-Po 5020 mAh, fast charging 30W
Main camera	64 MP, f / 1.9, 26mm (wide), 1 / 1.72 ″, 0.8μm, PDAF 8 MP, f / 2.2, 119 ° (ultra wide angle), 1 / 4.0 ″, 1.12μm 5 MP, f / 2.4, (macro), 1 / 5.0 ″, 1.12μm, AF 2 MP, f / 2.4, (depth) Video recording: 2160p @ 30fps, 1080p @ 30/60 / 120fps, 720p @ 960fps, gyro-EIS stabilization
Front camera	16 MP, f / 2.5, (wide), 1.0μm
SIM card	2 Nano-SIM
Network and data transmission	GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, NavIC, infrared port, NFC, USB 2.0, Type-C 1.0
SENSORS	fingerprint scanner (side), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass
Other	there is an FM radio, there is a 3.5 mm jack, splash protection, NFC, there is an LED notification indicator
Materials	Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and plastic frame
dimensions	165.8 x 76.7 x 8.8 mm, weight 209 g

Equipment

The complete set is standard. Taking into account the price, we could have at least put a keychain or a set of stickers in the box. In short, at least some nice exclusive little things that emphasize the premium status of the smartphone. Surprise, marketing touches like these have a positive impact on perception. It is for this reason that Apple sticks so persistently in the apple stickers. So, in the box:

• Smartphone
• 22.5W charging adapter
• USB Type-C wire
• Silicone case
• Clip for SIM tray
• Documentation

Appearance

• Front panel: 6.67 inches, IPS LCD, 1080 x 2400 pixels, aspect ratio 20: 9, dot density 395 ppi, brightness 450 nits, HDR10, Corning Gorilla Glass 5, factory film pasted on the screen, speaker mesh at the top, notification light
• Back panel: 4 photomodules, flash
• Right side: volume rocker, power button combined with a fingerprint scanner
• Left-hand side: slot for 2 nano-SIM and microSD
• Upper butt: microphone, IrDa sensor
• Bottom end: 3.5 mm jack, USB Type-C with OTG function, microphone, speaker

The design of Redmi Note 9 Pro was approached thoughtfully. No flashy colors. The colors are calm and rich. Even the overly daring green was slightly dimmed by adding a stripe pattern to the lid. They sent me a white (or rather, pearlescent) device for testing. The frame of the smartphone is plastic, but the front and back surfaces are covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

Due to the large screen (6.67 inches) and the weight of 209 grams, the smartphone feels massive in the hand. Although the protective case does not greatly increase the dimensions, it begins to seem that the smartphone is huge. I cannot say that this is bad. I would describe the tactile impression of a smartphone as “it feels like THING”! At one time, reviews often used the cliché “pleasant heaviness”. Here she is.

The speaker is conveniently located. You don’t have to get out of hand, as is the case when the speaker is placed on the top end and you have to find a comfortable position for a telephone conversation.

The front camera is located exactly in the center. In the promotional material, Xiaomi takes great pride in its “symmetrical design”. It seems like the company put in a lot of effort to get the camera exactly in the middle. Although it’s a simple matter. I measured it with a ruler, circled it with a compass, and that’s it. For my taste, it’s best when the camera cutout is on the side. Draws less attention.

But for the fact that the main camera module is located in the center, thanks. For example, in Mi 10, the camera module is on the right, which is why the smartphone cannot lie flat on the table. However, the cover solves this problem.

The fingerprint scanner was placed in the power button on the side. Throwing of the company is understandable. If the scanner was placed on the back panel, like the Redmi Note 9, it would immediately fly in that an outdated solution is used in a smartphone for 23 thousand rubles. And the scanner under the screen, apparently, was no longer affordable. Here and put another screen, etc. For this reason, we decided to use the integration into the power button. Apparently they thought it was so good. Look, even Sony does that.

Display

The Redmi Note 9 Pro has a 6.67-inch screen, IPS LCD, 1080 x 2400 pixels, an aspect ratio of 20: 9, a pixel density of 395 ppi, a brightness of 450 nits, HDR10, Corning Gorilla Glass 5, a factory film is glued to the screen, a speaker mesh is at the top , notification light.

It can be seen that of all three devices – Redmi Note 9 (16 990 ₽), Redmi Note 9s (17 990 ₽) and Redmi Note 9 Pro (23 990 ₽) – Note 9 Pro has the highest quality screen. The specs claim a brightness of 450 nits, but that’s manual brightness. When you turn on auto brightness, the screen “accelerates”, according to my measurements, up to 610 nits. For comparison, the Redmi Note 9 is 470 nits and the Redmi Note 9s is 593 nits. This high brightness allows you to work comfortably with your smartphone even in bright sunlight.

Minimum brightness is 3.5 nits. This is an excellent indicator. IPS LCD screen. It has no flicker. Accordingly, in the dark, you can set the minimum brightness, and your eyes will get tired of the screen less, as is the case with high PWM. By the way, the screen is additionally certified by a German rating company: it has a minimum blue emission when the night mode is turned on. Blue light is believed to suppress the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, so in the evenings it is best to avoid screens or turn on night mode.

The screen has standard settings: brightness, auto brightness, dark mode, night mode (turning off the blue color), setting the temperature, you can hide the cutout.

Battery

In terms of battery life, the smartphone does not differ from 9s. However, it should be so. The batteries are the same (5 mAh) and the chipsets (Snapdragon 000G) are the same.

So:

• in video mode at maximum brightness and volume, in airplane mode – 16 hours
• in video mode via Wi-Fi ac 5.0 GHz at maximum brightness and volume, in airplane mode – 12 hours
• in Wi-Fi ac 5.0 GHz mode, Chrome browser, maximum brightness – 16 hours
• in game mode – 8.5 hours
• maximum load (calculated indicator running CPU Throttle for 100 threads for 1 hour with maximum screen brightness) – about 4.5 hours (4 hours 35 minutes).

The main difference between the older model is 30W fast charging. Xiaomi is great, they came up with an option to display charging with hundredths of a percent. Thus, connecting the charger, you see how the smartphone is rapidly gaining a charge. A full charge takes about an hour, but in 30 minutes, the smartphone is gaining almost 80%.

Camera

The smartphone has 4 main cameras: 64 MP, 8 MP ultra-wide-angle module, 5 MP macro camera and 2 MP depth sensor.

The cameras on the smartphone are really good. It’s hard to find fault here. Here are some examples of filming.

A couple of my favorite pictures. Assumption Cathedral of the Tula Kremlin in 64 MP. I was also impressed with how the Redmi Note 9 Pro handles in difficult conditions. For example, this photo is taken from the arch. Outside there is a bright sun and +30 degrees, inside there is a shadow. Both the cathedral and the details in the foreground look great.

An example of a selfie camera.

Here is an example of how a macro camera works. Macro camera in a 5 MP smartphone with a pixel size of 1.12 microns and autofocus. A similar camera is found in the Redmi Note 9s. She is allowed to shoot from a distance of 3 cm and make really interesting and high-quality shots. The presence of a macro camera is a kind of trend last year, but then 2 MP cameras were installed. And this is too little. The result was low quality photos with an abundance of noise and poor color reproduction. Here are a couple of sample shots.

A couple of night shots.

A frame symbolizing all the bitterness of business from the coronavirus.

Performance

The smartphone runs on the Snapdragon 720G chipset, which means that the graphics are 10 percent overclocked compared to the regular version.

The Snapdragon 720G allows you to play any game on a high setting with a good frame rate. The heaviest game in terms of graphics (or optimization?) – Asphalt 9 – 30 fps.

Here, the talent of Xiaomi and Qualcomm engineers should be noted, since the Redmi Note 9 Pro is absolutely not subject to the effect of throttling, that is, the performance does not sag if you use the smartphone at the limit of its capabilities for a long time. This usually happens when running resource-demanding games like PUBG Mobile or Asphalt 9. Redmi Note 9 Pro gives a stable frame rate without a drop.

Separately, it should be noted that the Redmi Note 9 Pro uses modules of permanent and RAM of very high quality. Tests show that, for example, the speed of RAM is an incredible 20.9 thousand megabytes per second. Not every flagship can boast of this. When compared with other models of the 9th series, then Redmi Note 9 produces 11.5 thousand MB / s. A Redmi Note 9S – 19.2 MB / s.

In terms of screen brightness and memory speed, the Note 9 Pro produces slightly better results. Take a look at the AnTuTu benchmark results. The Redmi Note 9S and 9 Pro feature the same chipset. But the “pro” version received 276 thousand points, and the 9s – only 250 thousand. On the one hand, a 10% increase in productivity is not much. On the other hand, it explains why the “pro” version is more expensive.

Communication capabilities

Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, there is NFC and even an infrared port that allows you to use your smartphone as a remote control for TV and other equipment.

As for the phone, of course, no complaints. Voice transmission is excellent. The smartphone has 2 microphones, thanks to which there is noise reduction. If the wind is outside, then your interlocutor will not hear howls in the receiver. By the way, since we started talking, high-quality noise suppression during a conversation is a feature that we rarely notice. I fully appreciated it during quarantine, when, perhaps for the first time in my life, I began to regularly use a smartphone as a phone and a videophone. Now it’s not about the Note 9 Pro, but a trivial example. Video calling via WhatsApp, putting my phone on a table tripod, talking while I wash the dishes. The interlocutor barely hears the sound of water only when I say something. If you take a basic smartphone without a “noise reduction”, then it is impossible to talk, you have to shout over the noise of the water. Another example. Eldar loves to call on the go through a headset. For me, this is always a certain test. All the sounds of the street are heard, the sound is floating, you have to ask again. If he holds the phone to his ear, then in the receiver there is immediately silence, a clear loud voice, the feeling that he is standing next to me.

Shell MIUI 11

The smartphone runs on the proprietary MIUI 11 shell. Xiaomi promised that the smartphone will receive an update to MIUI 12. The full shell review can be found here. I recommend doing this, since the shell is interesting, with an abundance of various functions and settings.

Impressions and competitors

With Redmi Note 9 Pro, it turned out to take a new level. Xiaomi managed to make a high-quality device both in design and in filling. Great screen, smart chipset, good camera system. Without a twinge of conscience, a smartphone can be safely recommended for purchase. You can probably find fault with the fact that the fingerprint scanner is not under the screen, and the screen is not AMOLED, especially considering what cool screensavers for Always-On screens Xiaomi has.

I can also find fault with the excessive sociability of the branded shell, when initially semi-advertising offers climb out of all the cracks. For example, what is it worth when in the proprietary Gallery application, after watching your own videos, you are offered to watch a video on YouTube. Of course, all this can be turned off, but it will take time to find the desired item in the settings.

Otherwise, there are no complaints about the smartphone. This is an excellent example of a modern device. The main competitor for Redmi was the realme brand. For example, the realme 6 Pro 8/128 GB smartphone for 22 rubles, which offers slightly more than the hero of our review, including a dual front camera, a 990 Hz screen and more memory with the same chipset. On the realme side there is a “clean” shell. Realme is still taking its first steps and is still embarrassed to insert ads. Read our review.

Also, Samsung Galaxy A51 can be called a competitor. I don’t know how long the promotion will last, but now on the official Samsung website, the device can be bought for 16 rubles, that is, 990 cheaper, according to a promotional code (which I will not tell you, because you still decide that advertising). This is the price for the 3/4 GB model with in-screen fingerprint reader and NFC.

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