Redmi has launched two new budget phones globally named Redmi Note 9 & Redmi Note 9 Pro. These are the successors to last year’s Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro respectively. Also, don’t get yourself confused with the names as the Note 9 Pro for the global market is named Note 9 Pro Max in India and the Redmi Note 9S for the global market is named Note 9 Pro in India.
The vanilla Redmi Note 9 didn’t launch alongside the Note 9 Pro and Note 9 Pro Max in the Indian market, but it launched today at the global event.
REDMI NOTE 9 – DESIGN & SPECIFICATIONS
Redmi Note 9 shares the same design language as the Note 9 Pro and Note 9S but there are a couple of differences. First, it has a plastic back with a glossy finish instead of real glass. The fingerprint scanner is there on the rear as well which is on the right side in case of the Note 9S and Note 9 Pro. On the front, there is a punch-hole design, but instead of having a punch-hole in the middle, it is placed on the top left.
Talking about the specs, Redmi Note 9 features a 6.53-inch Full-HD+ IPS LCD panel with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
It is the World’s first smartphone to launch with the MediaTek Helio G85 SOC, and it is a very capable SOC for budget phones. As the name shows, it sits between the G80 and G90 in terms of the performance. Compared to the Redmi Note 8’s Snapdragon 665 SOC that scored around 169K on AnTuTu benchmark, the MediaTek Helio G85 scores over 200K, which means there is a 21% increase in the performance.
The Quad camera setup on the rear includes a primary 48 Megapixel camera with Samsung GM1 sensor, a secondary 8 Megapixel ultrawide camera, a third 2 Megapixel macro and a fourth 2 Megapixel depth sensor. On the front is a 13 Megapixel camera for selfies.
Just like the Redmi Note 9S and Note 9 Pro, the vanilla Redmi Note 9 comes with a huge battery. It has a 5,020mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. In the box, you get a 22.5W Fast Charger. There is a triple card slot, so that’s a good thing.
Finally, the phone features NFC as which is something we get to see in Xiaomi devices for the global market but not in markets like India.
Redmi Note 9 comes in three colors – Forest Green, Polar White, and Midnight Grey. There are two storage options and here is the pricing –
- 3GB + 64GB – $199
- 4GB + 128GB – $249
The prices will be different for different markets based on taxes.
REDMI NOTE 9 PRO – DESIGN & SPECIFICATIONS
While the Note 9 Pro is the same phone has Note 9 Pro Max in India, the design is slightly different from the rear. There is a two-tone finish for the global variant which looks beautiful, at least in the renders. There is Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front as well as the rear.
Rest of the design is the same, i.e., a side-facing fingerprint reader, a center punch-hole design on the front, USB Type-C port on the bottom with a headphone jack, IR Blaster on the top etc.
The Redmi Note 9 Pro comes with a 6.67-inch Full-HD+ LCD panel & Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Under the hood, it is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SOC paired with 6GB RAM and 64/128GB storage.
There is a 5,020mAh battery with 30W fast charging, and you get 33W fast charger in the box. For better haptics, there is Z-axis linear motor & 120 haptic effects for different scenes. Like Note 9, the Note 9 Pro too features NFC.
Redmi Note 9 Pro comes with a Quad camera setup on the rear that includes a primary 64 Megapixel Samsung GW1 sensor paired with an 8 Megapixel ultrawide camera, a 5 Megapixel macro camera and a 2 Megapixel Depth sensor. On the front, there is a 16 Megapixel camera for selfies.
Redmi Note 9 Pro comes in three color options named Interstellar Gray, Tropical Green, and Glacier White. Here is the pricing for the global market –
- 6GB + 64GB – $269
- 6GB + 128GB – $299
Again, the prices will vary based on the market.
Both the Redmi Note 9 and Note 9 Pro will be available starting mid-May.