With more than 200 million units sold worldwide, the Redmi Note from Xiaomi is devoid of a doubt one of the most preferred smartphone lineups about. The concentrate with these phones has often been to provide the most ‘bang for your buck,’ and whilst that continues to this day, more than the final handful of years, the Redmi Note has sort of constructed on that foundation to provide more than one compelling option—in addition to the typical Note—for these who may well be hunting for one thing more ‘pro-grade.’ Evidently, it wasn’t enough—which is in all probability why, the ‘pro max’ moniker came into becoming (final year).
Like clockwork, Xiaomi has launched 3 new Redmi Note phones for 2021. These are the Redmi Note 10, Redmi Note 10 Pro, and Redmi Note 10 Pro Max. The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max and Redmi Note 10 Pro are basically the exact same phones, the only distinction becoming that the pro max model has a larger resolution key camera.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max begins at Rs 18,999 for the base variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage going up to Rs 21,999 for the major-finish variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. This specific model also comes in 8GB/128GB configuration at a cost of Rs 19,999. The Redmi Note 10 Pro comes in 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB and 8GB/128GB variants at Rs 15,999, Rs 16,999 and Rs 18,999 respectively. The ‘regular’ Redmi Note 10 meanwhile begins at Rs 11,999 for the base variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage whilst its major-finish variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage charges Rs 13,999.
An vital point to note right here is that even the base variant of the standard Note 10 comes with rapidly LPDDR4X RAM and UFS2.2 storage. All the Redmi Note 10 models also come with ‘dedicated slot’ for storage expansion. We’re just finding began, so buckle up dear readers due to the fact it is going to get crazy.
It’s been sometime that spending budget phones stopped hunting bad—or feeling affordable. Xiaomi has been a pioneer in generating economical phones look excellent. With the Redmi Note 10 phones, it has taken items to a entire new level. There is no beating about the bush. The Note 10, Note 10 Pro and Note 10 Pro Max do not look (or really feel) like they expense the way that they do. Even some of the premium, more expensive—I am speaking about actual flagship—phones do not look this excellent. Some of them do not look this original also.
Despite becoming a yearly affair now, Xiaomi has managed to spring in a new design—which is impressive. All the 3 phones share this redesign—Xiaomi calls it ‘evol’—as properly as the create materials—which is once again, quite impressive. They are all IP53-certfied for splash resistance. Aside from a handful of minor variations, you will be greeted with the exact same level of craftsmanship, no matter whether you choose up a standard Note 10 or the maxed-out Note 10 Pro Max.
All the 3 phones have a glass back—this is Corning Gorilla Glass 5—and a plastic frame of a matching colour. Speaking of which, the standard Note 10 comes in green, black, and white. The Note 10 Pro Max and Note 10 Pro come in bronze, blue, and black. The black version of the Note 10 Pro Max—which I have for review—is glossy and, expectedly, a fingerprint and smudge magnet. It is also quite, quite slippery. This is accurate about the black Note 10 and Note 10 Pro as properly. All the other possibilities have a ‘frosted’ matte finish—such as the white Note 10 I have for review—which is improved at hiding fingerprints and is also a lot much less slippery.
The camera housing in the Note 10 Pro Max and Note 10 Pro is a raised two-step setup which implies that there is ‘prominent’ camera bump in these phones whilst in the Note 10, the cameras sit comparatively flush with the body.
Another thoughts-boggling point about these phones—aside from the updated design—is how sleek they are relative to their predecessors. At 8.1mm and 192g, the Note 10 Pro Max is .7mm thinner and 16g lighter than the Note 9 Pro Max regardless of all the additional hardware. By extension, this applies to the Note 10 Pro as properly. The Note 10, which is also smaller sized than the Note 9, measures 8.3mm and weighs in at 178.8g.
There are some large alterations on the front as properly. The Note 10 Pro Max (and Note 10 Pro) comes with a segment-initially ‘120Hz Super AMOLED display’ whilst maintaining screen size—6.67-inch—and resolution—FHD+—same as final year.
There are other improvements also. Budget Xiaomi phones have lengthy been riddled with lacklustre brightness and washed-out colours. The Note 10 Pro Max (and Note 10 Pro) can theoretically peak 1200nits which (also) tends to make it HDR 10-prepared. The panel also supports one hundred % DCI-P3 colour gamut. The distinction is noticeable immediately. The Note 10 Pro Max in all probability has the most effective show on any smartphone South of Rs 20,000. To be clear, it is not ‘adaptive’ like the Poco X3, a different phone with a 120Hz show (even though it makes use of IPS LCD), and so far, I haven’t had any ‘ghosting’ difficulties, but more on this in my complete assessment. Rounding off the package are a 2.96mm punch hole (Xiaomi says this is the smallest for any Redmi Note to date) reduce-out and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
The Note 10 has a 6.43-inch (FHD+) show, which is smaller sized than the Note 9, but Xiaomi has bumped up the panel to a ‘brighter Super AMOLED’ that can—at least in theory—peak 1100nits. The panel also supports one hundred % DCI-P3 colour gamut. The refresh price caps at standard 60Hz and for protection, it has the older Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The Note 10 has slightly larger bezels—especially about the chin—and the reduce-out is also a tiny larger which is understandable contemplating the reduced cost.
All the 3 phones come with a side-mounted fingerprint reader (which is rapidly and precise) that doubles as a swift ‘double tap’ shortcut button, 360-degree ambient light sensor, dual stereo speakers with Hi-Res audio help, IR blaster, Z-axis vibration motor, and 3.5mm audio jack.
The Note 10 Pro Max is Xiaomi’s fourth phone in India to come with a 108MP key camera (Samsung ISOCELL HM2 sensor), just after the Mi 10, Mi 10T Pro and Mi 10i—of course, it is the most economical in that list. There are 3 other cameras, which are basically exact same as the ones on the Note 9 Pro Max with some tweaks. There is an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 118-degree field-of-view, 5MP ‘telemacro’ (which implies that it can serve double duty as macro and telephoto (for 2x zoom)), and a different 2MP depth camera for portrait photography. Xiaomi is bringing some higher-finish ‘Mi features’ like Vlog Mode, Dual Video and Magic Clone Videos to the Note 10 Pro Max—a initially for any Redmi phone. The benefits are so far, promising. The Note 10 Pro swaps the 108MP camera with a 64MP shooter (Samsung ISOCELL GW3 sensor) maintaining the Note 10 Pro Max’s other 3 cameras as is.
The Note 10 has a quad-cam setup with a 48MP key (Sony IMX582 sensor), 8MP ultra-wide-angle, and two 2MP cameras, one for depth and a different for macros—same as the Note 9. The Note 10 Pro Max and Note 10 Pro have a 16MP front camera whilst the Note 10 has a 13MP front camera.
Moving on to core hardware, the Note 10 Pro Max and Note 10 Pro have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G processor (8-core, 8nm). This appears to be a contentious problem on social media, with quite a few pointing out the lack of 5G in Xiaomi’s new phones. Xiaomi India head Manu Kumar Jain has argued that the organization does not want purchasers to invest more—5G chipset could have produced the Note 10 series climb up the cost ladder—for technologies that they in all probability would not be in a position to use for a different two-3 years. It appears fair, and Xiaomi has launched ‘affordable 5G phones’ like the Mi 10i in India, so early adopters do have an choice (even though, I assume, the Note 10 Pro Max hits the Mi 10i straight out of the ballpark even devoid of 5G).
Those hunting to get a new phone below Rs 20,000 today are most most likely not going to be that target audience even though. There are of course phones like the Realme X7 and Realme Narzo 30 Pro below Rs 20,000 that come with a more highly effective MediaTek Dimensity 800U and 5G—so, there is no dearth of possibilities, just in case. The Note 10 Pro Max just appears like a improved deal all round.
The Note 10 is India’s initially phone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 processor (8-core, 11nm)—something that I am hunting forward to testing out in more detail in the days to come.
All the 3 phones run Android 11-based MIUI 12 out-of-the-box and will be eligible for MIUI 12.5, the next version of MIUI that comes with a revamped program UI, and more uninstallable program apps. For now, yes, these phones come with quite a few undesirable apps and yes, there are advertisements. But that is just how the entire ‘budget ecosystem’ is ideal now anyway.
The Note 10 Pro Max and Note 10 Pro have a 5,020mAh with 33W rapidly charging—same as the Note 9 Pro Max. The Note 10 has a 5,000mAh battery with 33W rapidly charging. All the 3 phones ship with a 33W rapidly charger in the box.
The Redmi Note has been Xiaomi’s default ‘best-seller’ in India for a whilst now and with the Redmi Note 10 series, the brand has raised the bar even larger for rivals. There are some large upgrades ranging from a new style to bumped up show and core hardware, such as revamped cameras and but Xiaomi has managed to stir controversy by deciding to give 5G a miss. Regardless, there’s a lot to like right here, and even even though a complete assessment of these phones will take some more time, one thing’s clear—Xiaomi’s Note 10 phones will be the spending budget smartphones to beat this year.