Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro Review

Chinese phone maker Xiaomi finally unveiled the Redmi Note 7 Pro smartphone in India. The smartphone has already generated a lot of buzz on the internet owing to the specs and camera capabilities. It is the first smartphone from Xiaomi’s stable to come with 48MP rear camera that uses Sony IMX 586 sensor – found in high-end cameras and flagship phones.  The 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor has a ½-inch large sensor size, a wide f/1.79 aperture and a 6-piece lens.

According to Xiaomi, the Redmi Note 7 Pro is 39 per cent faster in web browsing, games launches 30 per cent faster and launches social media apps 25 per cent faster as compared to the Redmi Note 6 Pro.

Here is how the Redmi Note 7 Pro is different from the Redmi Note 6 Pro.

The Redmi Note 7 Pro is priced at Rs 13,999 for the 4GB+64GB variant and Rs 16,999 for the 6GB+128GB variant in Space Black, Nebula Red and Neptune Blue colours. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro goes head to head with Realme 3 Pro, Oppo K1, Honor 10 Lite and Samsung Galaxy M20. Let’s how it fares among the competition.

Design

The Redmi Note 7 Pro sports ‘Aura Design’ offering an ergonomic fit and at the same time is sleek and premium. With both the front and rear covered in Corning Gorilla Glass 5, Redmi Note 7 Pro can withstand scratches and light falls. The ‘Aura Design’ is further complemented by a dot notch display, measuring 6.3 inches with a 19.5:9 2340 x 1080-pixel LTPS panel which is not only elegant to look at but is also energy efficient. And for the first time on the Redmi Note line-up, the Redmi Note 7 Pro sports a gradient design in the Nebula Red and Neptune Blue colour variants.

The company has also introduced IR blaster at the bottom of the Redmi Note 7. With the IR blaster, the Redmi Note 7 Pro acts as universal remote control allowing you to control TVs, set-top boxes and other electronic gadgets in your home.

Display

At just 1.4mm in thickness, the Redmi Note 7 Pro gives a lager screen (6.3-inch) in the same footprint as Redmi Note 5 Pro and Redmi Note 6 Pro thanks to the LTPS technology. Xiaomi has retained the Sunlight display feature found in previous generation of Note line-up. So, when you are using the Redmi Note 7 Pro in outdoors, the sunlight display improves contrast ratios and boosts brightness for an enhanced viewing experience. And for low-light, the smartphone is equipped with ‘Reading’ mode that further improves readability in night and reduces the amount the amount of blue light emanating from the screen.

Performance

The Redmi Note 7 Pro is also one of the first smartphones to come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor. The eight Kryo 460 cores on the Snapdragon 675 consist of two ARM Cortex-A76 and six ARM Cortex-A55 cores that make the SoC ideal for all users, whether they’re playing games or browsing the internet. The smartphone runs on MIUI 10 based on Android 9 Pie and comes with plenty of customisations for a seamless navigation experience.

The 48MP primary camera is more than good enough for your everyday shots and for mobile photographers for their Instagram feeds. The camera captures great details and the images look pleasant on the screen. The Sony IMX586 sensor provides four times the dynamic range which you can clearly see while capturing photos. And because the 48MP lens produces lager images (14MB-15MB on average) which will eat up your storage soon, the company has put the option to click images in 48MP resolution in the Pro mode. So, by default the photographs you take from the auto mode is of 12MP.

In low-light, the camera combines adjacent four megapixels into one Super Pixel to produce more details in the photo. The rear camera can also recognise various scenarios such as monuments, animals, food, beach, water, etc. and automatically adjusts brightness and contrast ratios. Consumers can also shoot portrait shots with studio lighting and over the coming weeks, Studio Lighting live preview will be rolled out via an OTA that will help you view the shot live.

Conclusion

With Snapdragon 675, a 48MP rear camera and an elegant design, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro is one of the best contenders in its price segment and clearly outshines Realme3 Pro and Honor 10 Lite.