In April Xiaomi updated its Redmi phablet line with the Redmi Note 9 and Redmi Note 9 Pro, which joined the Redmi Note 9S as high-value offerings in the budget- to mid-range smartphone market. In June the company brought these phones to the UK, and now in August it has announced contract availability through Three.
New options now see the budget phone available on Three PAYG at £149.99 with a £10 top-up, along with various contract options .
For unlimited data and minutes it costs £28 per month with an upfront charge of £19, but the first six months are half-price. This same deal is available with 4GB of data, at £20 per month wth six months half-price.
Alternatively, for 30GB of data you’ll pay £27 per month, and for 12GB £23 per month, both with the £19 upfront fee.
Confusingly, Redmi Note 9 Pro and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max had already been announced in India – but with different specs. The Indian Redmi Note 9 Pro is in fact the global Redmi Note 9S, while the Indian Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is the global Redmi Note 9 Pro.
The trio offers the best battery performance you’ll find in the budget phone market, with high-capacity 5,020mAh batteries that support fast wired charging. They also have large IPS displays, quad-lens rear cameras and expandable storage, but cut down on costs without luxuries such as in-display fingerprint sensors and wireless charging.
What’s the difference between Redmi Note 9, Redmi Note 9S and Redmi Note 9 Pro
Redmi Note 9 Pro sits at the top of the new line. It has the same processor and display as the Redmi Note 9S, but switches out its 48Mp camera for a 64Mp model, and the 16Mp selfie camera for a 32Mp version. Wired charging is also faster, at 30W against the 9S’ 18W, and the Pro adds support for NFC (available in selected markets only for Redmi Note 9 and Redmi Note 9S).
The Redmi Note 9 is the cheapest model in the trio. It achieves a lower price by reducing the display from 6.67in to 6.53in, moving the fingerprint sensor from the power button to the rear, and reducing the memory and storage options from 4GB/6GB and 64GB/128GB to 3GB/4GB and 64GB respectively. The Snapdragon 720G processor has also been swapped out for a MediaTek Helio G85 chip, and while the Redmi Note 9 uses the same 48Mp camera as the Redmi Note 9S, the specs for some of the additional lenses and selfie camera have been reduced.
Redmi Note 9 Specifications
Display
- 6.53in Full-HD+ (1080×2340) IPS Dot Drop display
- 1,500:1 contrast ratio
- 450 nits brightness
- TUV Rheinland low blue light certification
- Gorilla Glass 5
Processor, memory and storage
- 2.0GHz MediaTek Helio G85 (octa-core, 12nm)
- ARM Mali-G52 GPU
- 3GB/4GB LPDDR4X RAM
- 64GB UFS 2.1 storage
- MicroSD support up to 512GB
Battery
- 5,020mAh non-removable
- 18W wired charging (22.5W charger in box)
Camera
- Quad-lens camera: 48Mp wide (6P lens, f/1.79, 0.8um, 4-in-1 Super Pixel) + 8Mp ultra-wide (f/2.2) + 2Mp macro + 2Mp depth sensor
- 13Mp selfie camera (f/2.25, 1.12um)
Connectivity
- Dual 4G Dual-Standby
- 2+1 SIM slot
- Bluetooth 5.0
- NFC in selected markets only
- IR blaster
- USB Type-C
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Rear fingerprint sensor
- Face unlock
Dimensions & Weight
- Weight: 199g
- Dimensions: 162.3×77.2×8.9mm
Software
- MIUI 11 (Android 10)
Models
- Capacities: 3GB/64GB, 4GB/64GB
- Colours: Midnight Grey, Forest Green, Polar White
Redmi Note 9 Pro Specifications
Display
- 6.67in Full-HD+ (1080×2340) IPS Dot Drop display
- 1,500:1 contrast ratio
- 450 nits brightness
- TUV Rheinland low blue light certification
- Gorilla Glass 5
Processor, memory and storage
- 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G (Kryo 465, octa-core, 8nm)
- Adreno 618 GPU
- 6GB LPDDR4X RAM
- 64GB/128GB UFS 2.1 storage
- MicroSD support up to 512GB
Battery
- 5,020mAh non-removable
- 30W wired charging (33W charger in box)
Camera
- Quad-lens camera: 64Mp wide (6P lens, f/1.89, 0.8um, 4-in-1 Super Pixel) + 8Mp ultra-wide (5P lens, f/2.2, 1.12um) + 5Mp macro + 2Mp depth sensor
- 16Mp selfie camera (f/2.48, 1.0um)
Connectivity
- Dual 4G Dual-Standby
- 2+1 SIM slot
- Bluetooth 5.0
- NFC
- IR blaster
- USB Type-C
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Fingerprint sensor built into power button
- AI face unlock
Dimensions & Weight
- Weight: 209g
- Dimensions: 165.75×76.68×8.8mm
Software
- MIUI 11 (Android 10)
Models
Capacities: 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB
Colours: Interstellar Grey, Glacier White, Tropical Green
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Author: Marie Black, Global Director of Content Operations, Foundry
Marie is Global Director of Content Operations at Foundry. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she’s worked in tech media for 20 years. These days she is focused on refining editorial processes and workflows, and on our evergreen, transactional and custom content strategy.
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