The Redmi Note 9 has had a phased global roll-out, revealing a family of Note 9 handsets that will be available in differing regions with some variation in the naming, which can make this phone a little confusing. But at their heart, the Note 9 is all about giving you great value for money.
That’s really what Redmi is about: being affordable yet capable. The brand is part of Xiaomi, but the Chinese maker largely keeps its brand name away from these budget handsets, only using the ‘Mi’ branding to some degree.
Anyway, enough brand banter. What can you expect from the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 and Pro? Here’s a quick overview to compare the two:
- Note 9: 6.53-inch screen, 2340 x 1080 resolution
- 9 Pro: 6.67-inch screen, 2400 x 1080 resolution
- Note 9: Quad cameras (48MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro, 2MP depth)
- 9 Pro: Quad cameras (64MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, 5MP macro, 2MP depth)
- Note 9: Helio G85 processor / 9 Pro: Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
- Both: 5020mAh battery capacity, 15W fast-charge (30W for Pro)
As you can see from that, the Note 9 is the smaller handset of the two, the 9 Pro delivering a larger diagonal measure to its display.
Both offer quad cameras, although here’s where we get to address that caveat from earlier. The India launch was for the Note 9 Pro and Note 9 Max. There’s been a metamorphosis of sorts, though, as the Max is now more-or-less just the Pro for wider market distribution (hence it having a 64MP camera – not a 48MP one (as you’ll find on the original Pro handset)).
Both Redmi handsets deliver big on battery, with a cell that’s among the largest you’ll find in any phone. That’s an increasing trend, as people accept being content with slightly thicker designs for the sake of longevity – you only need to look at the Moto G8 Power or the incoming Samsung Galaxy M31 to see that.
Both handsets are highly affordable too: the Redmi Note 9 will start at $199/£179/€199 (3GB RAM + 64GB storage); the Redmi Note 9 Pro will start at $269/£249/€269 (6GB RAM + 64GB storage).
That sets Xiaomi firmly within the 200-400 bracket just as we suspected, making both options highly competitive.
