Xiaomi has been demonstrating for several years in markets such as Spain that it is capable of offering a quality price on its mobiles that few companies can replicate. This has changed slightly in the high-end with the increase in the price of models from the Mi 10. Of course, we have seen some correction in the Mi 11.
Xiaomi Mi 11 analysis: a double success in our opinionWe have thoroughly analyzed Xiaomi’s new high-end mobile, the new Xiaomi MI 11 that comes with a great price and better features.
But Xiaomi’s strong arm in our country is the mid-range, a place where the Redmi Note family has shone strongly. It has been this family that today has released members with The Redmi Note 10 Series.
We have been able to spend a week using the most powerful model announced, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro, and we are happy with his characteristics … and with one of his absences. Yes that’s how it is.
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Features Redmi Note 10 Pro
- Performance:
- Processor: Snapdragon 732G.
- 6GB + 128GB
- Expansion by microSD cards up to 512 GB.
- Processor: Snapdragon 732G.
- Screen:
- Dimension: 6.67 inches.
- Type: OLED.
- Resolution: FHD + (2400 x 1080).
- Aspect ratio: 20: 9.
- Cameras:
- 108 Mpx main sensor.
- 8MP ultra wide angle.
- 5 Mpx macro sensor.
- 2 Mpx depth sensor.
- 16 Mpx front camera.
- Drums:
- Capacity: 5000 mAh.
- Fast charging: 33 W with charger included.
- Others:Headphone jack, NFC, independent dual SIM and micro SD, infrared port, side fingerprint sensor, haptic vibration motor.
- Dimensions: 164 x 76.5 x 8.1 mm.
- Weight: 193 grams.
Elegant and sober, a good advance in design
Although Xiaomi has never sought that the Redmi Note were a reference in design, it is noted that it increasingly gives more importance to this. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro is a sober and elegant mobile that attracts attention with a unique camera module and a very nice rear.
Obviously, most people will put a case on, but it doesn’t feel like a fragile phone at all.
On the front, its screen stands out, with a hole for the front camera and frames somewhat thicker than we would like, but within the norm.
Perimeter we have what is expected, a tray with three slots for dualSIM and microSD, power and volume buttons, infrared emitter, two microphones, USB charging port … and two speakers.
Power is not an issue and neither is connectivity
Normally on a mobile we highlight its fucking strengths but we want to start this section by praising an absence: 5G.
Xiaomi has opted for a current processor, the Snapdragon 732G, a very solvent mid-range chipset that has the drawback? if it is not compatible with the latest generation connectivity. This means that some may discard it but for us it is a success.
What 5G contributes today is not something that justifies the price increase in many mobiles. Perhaps it is more argued to implement it in the high range, but in the mid-range it is completely dispensable.
Thus, we do not know if the choice of this processor lowers the final cost of the terminal but we can assume that this is the case by looking at the prices of similar models with 5G.
Regarding performance, we have been able to use all the applications and games that we have wanted without problems and although we have sometimes seen some kind of lag in the interface, it is not at all strange in this product range.
MIUI is still a somewhat heavy layer but the 6 GB of RAM of the model we have tested and the 128 GB of memory seem correct to us. Also, if we want to expand the internal storage we can do it with a microSD, which has its own slot. There are two more for SIM cards.
We have to dedicate a paragraph to the sound. Xiaomi has implemented two speakers on this mobile, one on each lower, upper and lower side, a decision that we already found to be successful in the Xiaomi Mi 11 and that we are glad to see here.
In addition, the maximum volume is extremely high and although the sound quality does not reach that of high-end models, in this section it is well above its direct rivals.
With regard to connectivity, we are facing the perfect mid-range. We have bluetooth 5.1, dual band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, infrared, NFC for mobile payments, memory card slot as we have mentioned… and even FM radio. Not a complaint.
Raising, and a lot, the level of the screen
For some time, Samsung had better positioned its mid-range among users who valued the quality of the screens. The reason was that on many occasions I opted for OLED panels over the LCD panels of other brands such as Xiaomi.
With the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro this changes since it is the first Redmi Note of the brand that uses an OLED screen, with what that implies in quality of representation of the black color, saturation or battery saving.
This 6.7-inch display has a resolution of 2400 x 1080 px and is compatible with HDR10 technology. In addition, it is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 glass.
But the most striking thing is its refreshment rate. Xiaomi has reached 120 Hz, putting this screen close to that of models that cost much more like the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE. The tactile response rate is not as high as in high-end models, staying at 240 Hz.
It does stand out in brightness, with maximum nits of between 450 and 700 in normal conditions but being able to reach 1200 in an extremely punctual way. Still, they are figures that we do not see in the mid-range.
Releasing the 108 Mpx in the Redmi Note
The Mpx war has been going on for several years but it has not been until now that the Redmi Note have entered it, at least at the highest level. This is the first model in the family to use a 108MP main sensor.
Normally we will use pixel binning to take photos of smaller size, lower resolution but with more detail, especially in scenes with difficult lighting conditions. Merging 9 pixels into 1 we will have more usable 12 Mpx photos.
The dynamic range is sometimes somewhat poor and the contrast somewhat high, losing some detail in the dark areas. This is accentuated in the wide angle, which in terms of colorimetry behaves similarly to the main sensor, but does not have as much detail when using an 8 Mpx sensor.
The third sensor, a macro, offers high resolution but highly improved edge cropping, which contrasts with the good detail obtained in the foreground. We also see this problem with cropping in portraits, in the most complex areas.
The front camera, 16 Mpx, gives us a very high detail, but an improvable dynamic range, especially in the background, getting to burn something the highlights.
At night the quality has dropped although it has maintained a certain level. It shows a lot in the macro, although it is not the sensor that interests us the most. In the normal sensor, the quality is maintained somewhat more and even respects the lights, especially if we activate the night mode. Of course, it goes back down in the wide angle.
The video recording at night is quite passable, with a more or less controlled jitter, but the optical stabilizer is thrown on high. On the front, the electronic stabilizer works quite well and has positively surprised us.
Due to the processor we see that the taking of photos is not as fast as in other models. The mobile captures well, but it takes about two seconds to display the image on the screen after processing it. This has happened to us with the 108 Mpx shot but also with the normal 12 Mpx shot.
Great battery, good fast charging
This model maintains the 5000 mAh battery that we have seen in other models of the family. It is something that is appreciated now that the screen can consume more power. Fast charging is given by a 33W charger we have in the box.
In the first battery test we have set the screen refresh rate to 120 Hz. We have been taking pictures, playing games and listening to podcasts. We have exceeded 5 hours of screen with 25 hours of total battery.
In the second battery test We have changed the refresh rate to 60 Hz, we have used the mobile a lot outdoors to guide us with Google Maps, take photos and send and receive WhatsApps. We have reached 6 and a half hours of screen with 21 hours of total battery.
In the third battery testWe have set the screen refresh rate back to 120 Hz. We have used the mobile phone under normal circumstances, but without demanding uses such as GPS or games. We have reached 6 hours of screen with 24 hours of total battery.
Android 11, MIUI 12 and some drawbacks
This is the first mid-range model of the company that comes with Android 11 as standard, a version on which MIUI 12 runs. This is relevant because there are some functions of the Xiaomi Mi 11 that we do not have, such as super wallpapers. The reason is that those characteristics are from MIUI 12.5, a version that this model does not yet have.
About Android 11 and MIUI 12 we have talked at length in a video analysis that you can see below since the experience is the same.
Watch video
We continue to think that Xiaomi has to improve some aspects, as we discussed in the video, and it is rare that MIUI 12.5 does not come standard in this terminal, when it has been seen that it is already available in other models marketed in Spain.
In addition, in one of the battery tests we have seen how the display and usage hours counter has been reset by mistake, and it has not been possible to recover the data. Here Xiaomi still has a lot of work ahead of it.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro will be a new reference in the mid-range
Xiaomi continues to be one of the benchmark brands in Spain, due to its image and its prices. However, it has more and more competition and there are more alternatives.
It is right there where the mobile we are reviewing today comes in, the Redmi Note 10 Pro. Xiaomi has improved one of the key aspects, the screen, in a quite powerful way. In addition, the good work is maintained in terms of memory, performance, camera and battery.
The photographic section also fits within expectations, although it is not something that stands out from other options from other brands. We do not see the lack of 5G as a problem, few users are willing to pay more for it, and more if we move away from the high-end range.
In the absence of analyzing other variables of the Redmi Note 10 family, this model can be a reference in the price range in which it is.
The entry Analysis Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro: the recommendation for the majority appears first in The Free Android.
