People in India love Xiaomi. Since its debut in India in 2014, it has become the number one smartphone brand in the country, with a market share of 26.8 percent –0 which is bigger than Samsung’s 24.2, according to a quarterly IDC (International data Corporation) report.
In January 2017, the company launched one of their most successful phones, the Redmi Note 4; and now, they have launched its successor, the Redmi Note 5. As a bonus, Xiaomi has also launched a Pro version dubbed the Redmi Note 5 Pro.
Here’s our first impression of the two new Redmi phones.
Design & Display
Both phones, save for the display, feel the same to me. However, Xiaomi claims it has worked hard on these phones.
The Redmi Note 5 sports a full metallic design, where the back tapers down towards the edges. It’s 8.05mm thick makes it thinner than its predecessor. The phone gets Gorilla Glass protection on the front and the smooth metal finish at the back is almost similar to what we saw on the Redmi Note 4.
The Redmi Note 5 Pro sports a similar design to the Note 5, although is only a gram heavier. Ergonomically, it is comfortable to hold and boasts decent one-hand functionality.
Both the Redmi Note 5 and the Note 5 Pro come with a bezel-less display and a screen ratio of 18:9 (the first time on a Redmi phone). Both phones flaunt a 5.99-inch Full HD+ resolution screen that looks good.
Binge-watching and reading texts is bound to be a better experience on the gadget as it comes with a wider area, thanks to the bezel-less display. Both devices are available in four colours – Black, Pink, Golden and Blue. (The blue is my personal favorite).
Hardware Features
Lo and behold, the new Redmi Note 5 comes with the upgraded Snapdragon 625 processor, coupled with RAM options of 3GB and 4GB. You get storage variants between 32GB and 64GB, with the option to expand up to 128GB via a microSD card.
The Redmi Note 5 Pro is the first phone to come with a Snapdragon 636 processor. Xiaomi says it comes with the new Kyro 260 Quad Core CPU that makes the phone 50 percent faster and 40 percent more power efficient.
The phones offer RAM options of 4GB & 6GB RAM, but more importantly, it houses a LPDDR4X RAM (a feature Xiaomi claims will translate into 35 percent better performance). Not even the Samsung Galaxy S8 has LPDDR4X RAM.
Both phones run on MIUI 9 on top of Android 7.1.2 Nougat.
Camera & Battery
Surprisingly, the camera of the new Redmi Note 5 gets a downgrade as far as megapixel count is concerned. The Redmi Note 5 comes with a 12 megapixel rear camera, with an aperture of f/2.2 and 1.25 micron-pixels.
This means better low-light performance this time around. The front camera remains the same as before with a 5-megapixel snapper.
The Redmi Note 5 Pro sports a dual 12+5 Megapixel Sony sensor (the first on a Redmi device) and comes with a whopping 20 Megapixel front shooter with portrait and beauty mode coupled with an LED flash.
The pro-variant also receives EIS (electronic image stabilisation) in the rear sensor. For an in-depth look at the phone’s camera, stay tuned to The Quint for a detailed camera comparison between the Note 5 and the 5 Pro.
Camera Sample of the Redmi Note 5
Captured on Redmi Note 5
(Photo: The Quint)
Camera Samples From the Redmi Note 5 Pro
Captured on Redmi Note 5 Pro
(Photo:The Quint)
The battery capacity remains the same on both at 4000mAh. The only bit I'm disappointed about is that it doesn’t support USB type-C. Well, at least it comes with fast charging!
Price & Initial Verdict
The Redmi Note 5 has been launched for Rs 9,999 for the 3GB+32GB variant and Rs 11,999 for the 4GB+64GB variant.
The Redmi Note 5 Pro has been launched for Rs 13,999 for the 4GB+64GB variant, while the most expensive Redmi phone costs Rs 16,999 for the 6GB+64GB variant.
To make the deal sweeter, Xiaomi is offering the phones bundled with a Jio offer and is luring customers with cashback worth Rs 2,200 and 100 percent additional 4G data.
Xiaomi has hit the competitors hard with these two phones, and it’s going to be tough to look away from a bargain this good. The Redmi Note 4 was a hot seller and I expect these two to go down the same path.
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