Redmi Note 9 Pro User Review

The Redmi Note 9 Pro features a distinctive design quite different from most other Xiaomi phones. It has a protruding camera bump that houses a quartet of sensors and flash units.

The bump is well-placed and does not cause the smartphone to wobble excessively when flat on a surface. It also helps prevent scratches and fingerprints from occurring on the back.

Camera

The Redmi Note 9 Pro packs an impressive camera set-up. It combines a 48-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL GM2 sensor with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, a 5MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor.

The primary camera captures crisp images in daylight with sufficient details and sound color reproduction. The 16-megapixel front camera also captures selfies reasonably, although image noise increases with low lighting conditions.

In night mode, however, the camera struggles to cope with poor light conditions. Even in the highest resolution, the signal processing gets aggressive and produces digital artefacts that degrade the picture quality.

Battery

The Redmi Note 9 Pro is an excellent phone for anyone wanting a device that lasts all day. The large 5020mAh battery is the biggest the company has put in a phone, and it can easily last two days of everyday use.

While the big battery can make the Note 9 Pro a little bulky, it’s also an advantage for people on the go. The 209g weight is unwieldy, but it’s still comfortable to hold for an extended period.

The Note 9 Pro supports 18W fast charging, but it takes about 2 hours and 13 minutes to fully charge the smartphone from 0% to 100%, 28 minutes longer than the Redmi Note 9S. It’s a good value for the money, though, and it can last all day long if used responsibly.

Performance

The Redmi Note 9 Pro is a solid performer at the mid-range price point. It offers a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset, a massive 5,020mAh battery, and a great design.

The front of the device is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and features a 6.67-inch display with Full HD+ resolution and 450nit brightness. The screen is also curved on the edges to reduce glare and give it a more premium look.

The front-facing camera is a 16MP sensor that delivers detail-oriented results. On the back, you get a quad-camera set-up with a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, a 5MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor.

Design

The Redmi Note series is one of India’s most popular budget phone lines. They sell like hotcakes due to their powerful specifications and competitive prices.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro is a step from its predecessor in many ways. It is a bit bigger and features a newer processor.

It also sports a better camera.

On the front, you get a 6.67-inch IPS LCD with a punch-hole notch for the selfie camera. It has a 450-nit brightness and a 60Hz refresh rate.

The rear is a mix of glass and plastic, which helps to make the device feel high-quality. Despite the heavy design, it remains pretty comfortable in your hand.

Software

The Redmi Note 9 Pro is a mid-range smartphone that checks most of the boxes in design and performance. It also has a good camera and a battery that should last you an entire day without needing to charge.

Unlike many other phones, this one has MIUI 11 running on top of Android 10. Its custom UI brings a lot of bloatware and adware that may be a deal-breaker for some users.

Thankfully, a new stable update bumps the Redmi Note 9 Pro to Android 12 and the November 2022 security patch. It’s available for global and European users and has a version number of MIUI 13.0.2.0 SJZEUXM and Recovery.