Xiaomi’s Redmi Note series smartphones are extremely popular in India as they pack a lot of features for their price. As a result, they have been sold exceptionally well in the Indian market. However, the last generation device in the series, the Redmi Note 6 Pro (Review), wasn’t all that well received as it didn’t bring any significant upgrade over its predecessor. Moreover, its competitors offered more features for the same price.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
₹13,999
What Is Good?
- Solid build quality and premium looks
- Class-leading rear camera performance
- Excellent front-facing camera
- Fastest performance in the segment
- Long battery backup
- Up to date connectivity options
What Is Bad?
- Ad-filled software
Well, Xiaomi has now launched a new device in the series: Redmi Note 7 Pro. It costs INR 13,999 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant and INR 16,999 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. Specifications-wise, the Redmi Note 7 Pro not only leaves behind every other smartphone in its price segment, but it even reaches for much higher-priced phones such as the Vivo V15 Pro, Oppo F11 Pro, and Honor View 20 in some aspects. The Redmi Note 7 Pro brings a few segment-first features as well, such as a 48MP camera and the Snapdragon 675 processor. There is also a large, 4000mAh battery with 18W fast charging, a 13MP front-facing camera, a U-shaped notch display, and a glass back design.
However, specifications of a smartphone only tell half the story; the rest is defined by how well the smartphone performs in real life. So, is the Redmi Note 7 Pro the new segment leader? Can it defeat the likes of Zenfone Max Pro M2 (Review) and the Motorola One Power (Review)? Let us find out.
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Redmi Note 7 Pro Design and Build Quality
Last year, the Redmi Note 6 Pro was one of the very few smartphones in its price range to come with a metal back panel, instead of a glass back panel. So, the device looked quite outdated.
Well, that changes now with the Redmi Note 7 Pro; it features a glass back design like most other smartphones in its price range. And this gives the device a modern and sophisticated look. However, there is a significant difference between the glass back of Redmi Note 7 Pro and other smartphones in the price range. While other smartphones have a conventional glass or a plastic panel at the back, the Redmi Note 7 Pro has a Gorilla Glass 5, which is not only more impact resistant compared to the traditional glass, but also offers a more premium feel in hand.
The Redmi Note 7 Pro not only features the best build quality, but it is also the best-looking smartphone in its segment.
Just like the back panel, the rest of the device feels premium too, as it is made out of high-quality materials and put together very well. The device has rounded corners, which makes holding the device very easy. Furthermore, the buttons and ports are placed ergonomically, which makes the day to day usage more convenient. I won’t hesitate to say that the Redmi Note 7 Pro not only features the best build quality, but it is also the best-looking smartphone in its segment.
Redmi Note 7 Pro Display
The Redmi Note 7 Pro has a 6.3-inch IPS LCD with Full HD+ resolution. The Redmi Note 7 Pro’s display has not only grown up in terms of size as compared to the Redmi Note 6 Pro’s display, but it also has some significant improvements over the one in its predecessor. First of all, gone is the conventional, large-sized notch in exchange for a smaller, U-shaped notch. This removes a lot of obstruction, which comes with the regular notch. Secondly, the display features Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, which is a significant improvement over the unspecified version of Gorilla Glass that all the Redmi Note smartphones featured till now.
The display is not only good on paper, but it also performs exceptionally well for the price of the device. Starting with the sharpness, the content on display looks crisp as the display carries Full HD+ resolution. Viewing the display under direct sunlight is also a comfortable affair, as the display has a decent amount of brightness. Being an IPS LCD, the viewing angles are excellent. The color reproduction is also quite good for a smartphone of this price, and so are the black levels, at least for an LCD panel.
The display is not only good on paper, but it also performs exceptionally well for the price of the device.
The title for the best display in this price segment still goes to the Galaxy M30, as it offers a Super AMOLED screen. However, the Redmi Note 7 Pro isn’t too far behind. In my opinion, the Redmi Note 7 Pro has the second-best display in its price range.
Redmi Note 7 Pro Cameras
One of the few things that set the Redmi Note 7 Pro apart from its competitors is its segment-first, 48MP + 5MP rear dual-camera setup. Currently, there aren’t many smartphones in the market that have a 48MP camera sensor, and the ones that have it come with a hefty price tag. The Redmi Note 7 Pro, in spite of being so affordable, offers a 48MP camera and that, in my opinion, is a great thing. Well, the brand didn’t stop there. They also packed the camera with Night Scene mode – this, again, is something that you find only in high-end flagship smartphones. With all this, the Redmi Note 7 Pro should have segment-leading image quality, but does it? Let’s see
Before we discuss the image quality, let me tell you that by default, the 48MP camera sensor uses 4-in-1 pixel-binning method, where the camera combines the information from four pixels into one, which as a result, produces a 12MP final image. According to Xiaomi, the 12MP image with pixel-binning offers better image quality than a 48MP image. So, all the pictures we took, are in the 12MP mode.
The camera, as expected, takes exceptionally amazing pictures in daylight. The images have lots and lots of details. The colors are slightly oversaturated, but I like it that way as it gives images a more appealing look and they’re social media ready. The dynamic range is excellent, so details in mixed lighting conditions are captured very well. There is no apparent noise or over sharpening.
The camera comes to its own in low-light conditions. It captures exceptionally detailed images with very little noise. The colors reproduction is spot on and the dynamic range is decent. And all this is achieved without using the Night mode. Turning on the Night mode takes the low-light image quality to a whole new level. The images captured using the Night mode are significantly brighter and sharper. They have a lot more details, lesser noise, and excellent dynamic range. These images also have more accurate colors. Images taken in Night mode have high quality, and they look like they have been taken with a much pricier smartphone.
The Redmi Note 7 Pro’s camera not only beats its competitors with ease, but also offers flagship-grade image quality.
Have a look at the lowlight camera samples. I have put images taken with and without Night mode side-by-side for easy comparison.
I have to say, in terms of rear camera performance, the Redmi Note 7 Pro not only beats its competitors with ease, but also offers flagship-grade image quality in day-light as well as low-light conditions.
For selfies, the Redmi Note 7 Pro has a 13MP front-facing camera. It captures bright and detailed selfies along with accurate colors and an excellent dynamic range in day-light as well as low-light conditions. Images taken in low-light conditions do have a slight amount of noise, but it is nothing to complain about as the front-facing camera of almost all smartphones in this price range suffer from the very problem. All-in-all, the Redmi Note 7 Pro has a great selfie camera for its price.
Redmi Note 7 Pro Performance
Another feature that sets the Redmi Note 7 Pro apart from its competitors is the inclusion of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor; making the Redmi Note 7 Pro the most powerful smartphone in its price segment (in terms of CPU as well as GPU performance). The Snapdragon 675 has two Kryo 460 cores (based on Cortex-A76) clocked at 2.0GHz, six Kryo 460 cores (based on Cortex-A55) clocked at 1.7GHz, and Adreno 612 GPU.
The Redmi Note 7 Pro has the fastest and the smoothest performance in its segment.
As a result of a powerful CPU cluster, the Redmi Note 7 Pro has the fastest and the smoothest performance in its segment. The device does not lag or stutter even under heavy loads and multitasking. The Redmi Note 7 Pro also has a class-leading gaming performance, thanks to the powerful Adreno 612 GPU. Even heavy games such as PUBG, Modern Combat 5, and Real Racing 3 run without any significant frame drop. There is no doubt; the Redmi Note 7 Pro is one heck of a performance machine for the price.
Redmi Note 7 Pro Software
The Redmi Note 7 Pro features Android 9 Pie operating system with MIUI 10 customization. If you are familiar with MIUI 10, you’ll know that the UI design is fairly modern and the UI packs a ton of functionality, privacy, and customization features. However, there is one major issue with the software, and that is — it shows a lot of unwanted advertisements.
There is one major issue with the software — lots of unwanted advertisements.
Xiaomi might not be making a lot of profit with the Redmi Note 7 Pro, as the brand is selling the device for a very competitive price. Hence, Xiaomi has decided to make some profit by displaying advertisements on the Redmi Note 7 Pro. There are advertisements in almost every system application. And what’s more annoying is that these applications send advertisement through push notifications, which hinders with the normal functionality of the device. Yes, you can turn these notifications off by going to each application’s settings and sub-settings, but there shouldn’t have been these many advertisements in the first place. I think this is the only concerning issue with the Redmi Note 7 Pro.
Redmi Note 7 Pro Battery Life
The Redmi Note 7 Pro comes packed with a 4000mAh battery, which offers excellent battery life. During the review period, I usually got around 28 to 30 hours of battery life with 6 to 7 hours of screen-on time on a single charge. And this was with moderate usage, which includes a couple of hours of gaming, clicking a few images and recording videos, browsing the web and social media platforms, taking a few calls, and using IMs constantly. The battery life isn’t quite as good as that of the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 or the Motorola Moto One Power, but it is better than what most other smartphones in this price segment offer.
There is no doubt that Xiaomi has done a spectacular job with the Redmi Note 7 Pro’s battery life experience.
While most other smartphones in this price range lack faster battery charging, the Redmi Note 7 Pro comes with 18W Quick Charge 4+ fast charging. This is something that you’ll find in only high-end smartphones. What’s even better is that the device comes with a USB Type-C port for easy plugging and unplugging the charging cable. There is no doubt that Xiaomi has done a spectacular job when it comes to battery life experience.
Redmi Note 7 Pro Connectivity, Audio, and Fingerprint Scanner
Xiaomi hasn’t cut any corners in the connectivity section either, as the device comes with up-to-date connectivity options such as dual-SIM with dual-4G and dual-VoLTE, Bluetooth v5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi ac/b/g/n, and even an infrared emitter. As mentioned earlier, there is a USB Type-C port, which makes connecting the charging cable very easy. Xiaomi has also retained the 3.5mm audio jack on the Redmi Note 7 Pro to ensure that you can use your wired earphones with the device, and therefore, you don’t have to spend extra money on buying wireless earphones.
During the review period, I did not face any issue with the connectivity on the Redmi Note 7 Pro.
During the review period, I did not face any issue with the connectivity on the Redmi Note 7 Pro. The device has excellent Wi-Fi and cellular reception, which makes sure that you get uninterrupted calls and fast data transfer speeds. Speaking of calls, the microphone, and earpiece work as they should, and as a result, people on either side of the call could hear properly.
When it comes to audio, the Redmi Note 7 Pro has a bottom-mounted speaker and a 3.5mm audio jack at the top. It would have been better if the headphone jack was placed at the bottom of the phone. The speaker is quite loud and it has a decent audio quality; similar to most other smartphones in the price range. Audio from the 3.5mm jack is nothing to write home about. It puts out a decent volume level and satisfactory audio quality.
The Redmi Note 7 Pro has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. It is placed ergonomically, so it is effortless to reach. And as you might expect, the fingerprint scanner is exceptionally accurate and fast.
Should You Buy The Redmi Note 7 Pro?
Everything about the Redmi Note 7 Pro is exceptional for its price. Be it the design, build quality, display, camera, performance, or battery life. The only issue with the smartphone is its ad-filled software. However, I think that you can look past its ads problem considering its fantastic price to performance ratio. You can uninstall most bloatware and third-party apps. You can also turn off ads in the form of “recommendations” from stock apps.
If you are thinking of buying a lower mid-range phone, the Redmi Note 7 Pro should be your first choice.
If you are thinking of buying a lower mid-range phone, the Redmi Note 7 Pro should be your first choice. It is better than its competitors such as Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2, Motorola Moto One Power, Galaxy M30 (Review), and the Realme 2 Pro. Now, good luck finding the phone in stock. Alternatively, you can also wait for the Realme 3 Pro, which was announced just yesterday, but it will only be available to purchase staring the 29th of April 2019.
