Expert review Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro
- With the large 5020mAh battery, your smartphone doesn't run out of battery soon.
- You can charge the battery very quickly with the included fast charger.
- The device doesn't hiccup with average use.
- The large 6.67-inch screen is hard to control with one hand.
- The screen is less sharp than other smartphones from this price range.
First impression of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro has a shiny back. This makes the device look nice, but I see fingerprints pretty quickly. In the box, I find a dark gray, transparent back cover. It's nice that Xiaomi includes a case. The case isn't very sturdy, so buy a separate case if you want to protect your smartphone from fall damage. I also notice that the device is very large. The fingerprint sensor is located on the side, on the stand-by button.
Long battery life
I'm very happy with the battery of the Redmi Note 9 Pro. I use the device with an average intensity during this week. I use WhatsApp, scroll through social media, listen to a podcast once in a while, and watch a couple of videos. With this use, the battery easily lasts all day. Something that stands out even more for a smartphone from this price range, is the charging speed. The Redmi Note 9 Pro is charged over 50% within half an hour. It only takes a little over an hour before the battery is fully charged again.
No hiccups with normal use
With average use, I don't have any complains about the processing power of this smartphone. During the week, I didn't experience any hiccups or slowing down while I was using social media apps, Spotify, and YouTube. So the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro is a good purchase for the average user in terms of processing power. I do notice the device having a harder time with more demanding apps, like a graphic 3D game. But you can't really expect differently from a device from this price range.
Image and sound are disappointing
The 6.67-inch screen of the Redmi Note 9 Pro is pretty large. This makes it hard for me to control the smartphone with one hand. The large screen also has advantages. For example, you can comfortably watch a video. Unfortunately, the screen is a little dull. The colors aren't very lively. This is especially unfortunate when you watch photos and videos. I also notice the highest volume isn't very loud. I experience this both with and without headphones.
Good camera
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You can take decent pictures during the day.
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Sometimes, the wide-angle lens has a hard time with the lighting. The sky and roofs are overexposed, for example.
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I can capture simple objects with a beautiful depth of field effect.
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It's hard to focus on complex objects in portrait mode.
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Even in low light, you can still see quite some details and colors.
With the cameras, I can take the pictures I expected to be able to take. They're good, but not exceptional. I can take pretty sharp photos during the day. I notice that the wide-angle lens has some difficulty with the lighting. Photos I take with this lens are often overexposed or underexposed. I can capture simple objects with a beautiful depth of field effect in portrait mode. But the software has more difficulty with this effect with more complex objects. In low light, the quality and color of the photos is less, but the night photos don't disappoint me. I can still see many details.
Get used to operating system
Like many other manufacturers, Xiaomi adds there own touch to the Android operating system. This is pretty different than on other smartphones, so it took me a while to get used to it. For example, I don't have the option to sort my apps alphabetically. So I really have to search for my apps in the beginning. Pretty annoying if you want to look something up quickly. I also see advertisements in the settings menu occasionally.
Conclusion
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 is definitely worth the money. Especially the batter, which is very impressive. It easily lasts all day and you can charge it really fast. The device doesn't slow down with average use and the camera does exactly what you expect from a smartphone from this price range. The screen is large, so it's difficult to control the device with one hand. The colors of the screen are the only real disappointment. And the operating system is something to get used to.
