Launched in July after the Note 9 Pro and Pro Max, the Redmi Note 9 faces tough competition from rival brand Realme's just-launched Narzo 20 series. Also, there are a couple of Samsung phones in the segment that are performing fairly well in the segment. So, where does the Redmi Note 9 stands among its competitors, we find out in this long-term review.
Design: The Redmi Note 9 features a polycarbonate body, which looks like glass from a distance. It has a dual-tone finish at the back, something that you commonly see in the budget and mid-range devices. The handset borrows its design language from its siblings in the Note 9 series and looks beautiful. Better than its competitors, I must say. Also, Redmi has done a good job when it comes to the build quality as the Note 9 fits in the palm perfectly and feels sturdy. It measures 162.3 x 77.2 x 8.9mm and weighs 199 grams.
The fingerprint sensor is located just below the camera module at the rear panel and the intelligent placement nullifies the chances of you accidentally touching the camera lens while unlocking the phone. At the bottom, you get a USB Type-C port for charging and IR blaster, the most-loved utility function of Redmi phones, is there at the top. The handset features dual SIM support along with a dedicated microSD card slot. You get three colour options to choose from: Pebble Grey, Arctic White and Aqua Green
Display: The Redmi Note 9 features a massive 6.53-inch Full HD+ display with a screen resolution of 2340 x 1080p and 395 PPI pixel density. It’s an LCD panel, which is great for everyday viewing but not as sharp as an AMOLED display. However, the display produces surprisingly vibrant and punchy colours, offering a pleasant viewing experience. All multimedia content played on it appears impressive and rich in contrast. The colours are also very well calibrated - neither too cold nor too warm. The display has thin bezels across all sides and a punch-hole at the top left. Its viewing angles are good and even the sunlight visibility is at par with other mid-rangers.
I have used the Redmi Note 9 for over three weeks regularly and didn't find anything to complain about it when it comes to the display. And yeah, the handset gets Gorilla Glass 5 protection upfront, making the screen scratch-resistant up to a certain extent. I dropped the phone twice during the usage and fortunately it survived the falls.
Camera: One change that Redmi has brought in with the Note 9 series is in the camera department. While the previous Note 8 smartphones featured a vertically placed rear camera setup, the Redmi Note 9 10 gets a squarishly positioned camera module at the back. It boasts of a 48MP primary sensor with f/1.79 aperture, an 8MP wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture, a 2MP depth lens that handles bokeh-effect and a 2MP macro sensor for close shots. Like its design, the Redmi Note 9 borrows its camera arrangement from the Note 9 Pro and Pro Max.
The smartphone clicks stunning images in daylight conditions but struggles a bit in low-light, just like other budget and mid-range phones. In bright sunshine, you get accurate colours with great details. Also, in artificial light, this camera keeps the brightness but increases the exposure to enhance the image.
You get a lot of details with good dynamic range in pictures captured in daylight. The wide-angle lens works perfectly and the macro mode also delivers accurate shots most of the times. One of the highlights of the Note 9 camera is its portrait mode which works with near-perfect edge detection capabilities.
The overall user interface for the camera app is also simple and easy to use, like other Redmi phones. You get a lot of options including short video, slow motion, panorama and dedicated might mode. The selfie camera of the Redmi Note is of 13MP and it's not going to disappoint you. Overall, the Redmi Note 9 camera delivers better shooting results than any other rival smartphone in this segment.
Processor and Battery: The Redmi Note 9 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G85 processor to keep things going at pace. This fairly new chip of MediTek is an improvement over the G80 and focuses more on gaming performance. Sitting between Helio G80 and the G90, it's an octa-core SoC with 2+6 core arrangement. There are two performance-centric Cortex-A75 cores clocked at 2.0GHz and six Cortex-A55 cores running at 1.8GHz. The smartphone handles day-to-day tasks with ease, without any noticeable lag. You can also play high-end games like Call of Duty and Asphalt 9 seamlessly on the handset without facing any lag. The phone, however, like other mid-rangers gets heat up during longer gaming session. For a smooth operation, it runs Android 10 with the MIUI 11 skin on top.
The smartphone comes in three storage variants: 4GB/64GB (Rs. 11,999), 4GB/128GB (Rs. 13,499), and 6GB/128GB (Rs. 14,999). It features a massive 5,020mAh battery that can last for two days on moderate usage. If you’re a heavy user, the Note 9’ battery can still take you through a day easily. Also, you get 18-watt fast charging support, and its battery takes around two hours to get fully charged.
Verdict: The Redmi Note 9 has a bright and colourful display, impressive camera setup with good results and a long-lasting battery. It also offers better performance than rival smartphone in this segment. Priced at Rs. 11,999, Redmi Note 9 lives up to most of my expectations.