Redmi 9 Prime Review

We have not seen the ‘Prime’ branding on a Redmi smartphone in a very very long time, however now Xiaomi has introduced it again with the Redmi 9 Prime. Xiaomi explains that this mannequin has been launched as a result of its Redmi Note 9 collection has turn into dearer because of the GST hike and Rupee-Dollar fluctuations. The Redmi 9 Prime is priced under the Redmi Note 9 collection and begins slightly below the Rs. 10,000 worth level. Has Xiaomi gone overboard with cost-cutting, or does the Redmi 9 Prime give you good worth for cash? I overview the brand new Redmi 9 Prime to seek out out.

Redmi 9 Prime design : Functional

The Redmi 9 Prime appears to be like quite a bit just like the Redmi 9, which Xiaomi has launched internationally. The telephone sports activities a 6.53-inch show with a dewdrop notch on the high. I discovered the bezels across the panel to be acceptable given the value of this smartphone. The telephone is thick because it packs an enormous 5,020mAh battery, and likewise suggestions the scales at 198g. Xiaomi has curved the body on the edges which makes this telephone snug to carry, however you’ll discover the load after utilizing it for some time.

At the highest, Xiaomi has positioned an IR emitter which can be utilized to regulate home equipment. This is a typical characteristic on most funds Xiaomi smartphones, and a helpful one. There is a 3.5mm audio jack, major microphone, speaker, and USB Type-C port on the backside. Xiaomi has positioned the ability and quantity buttons on the precise, and they’re straightforward to achieve. The tray on the left has three slots; two for Nano-SIMs and one for a microSD card.

The Redmi 9 Prime has a dewdrop notch on the high of the display screen

The Redmi 9 Prime has a textured again with a round patch across the digital camera module that’s easy. This jogs my memory of the Poco X2 (Review). The digital camera module is pill-shaped and is barely raised from the physique. It additionally homes the fingerprint scanner, which is simple to achieve whereas holding the system. Apart from the fingerprint scanner, the module homes three digital camera sensors. The fourth sensor is outdoors the module, positioned together with the LED flash.

Xiaomi features a case within the field, together with a 10W charger which takes a very long time to cost the 5,020mAh battery – extra on this in a bit. The Redmi 9 Prime is obtainable in 4 colors: Matte Black, Mint Green, Space Blue, and Sunrise Flare. I had a Matte Black unit for this overview.

Redmi 9 Prime specs : New {hardware}

Xiaomi provides a full-HD+ show on the Redmi 9 Prime, which is not quite common at this worth level. The show additionally has Corning Gorilla Glass Three for defense which ought to assist it stand up to every day use. Powering the Redmi 9 Prime is the MediaTek Helio G80 SoC, an octa-core processor with two Cortex-A75 cores clocked at 2GHz and 6 Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 1.8GHz. This is paired with 4GB of RAM, and you’ll select between 64GB and 128GB storage choices. The base variant begins at Rs. 9,999 whereas the upper variant is priced at Rs. 11,999. I had the upper priced one for this overview. Interestingly, it prices precisely the identical as the bottom variant of the Redmi Note 9 (Review).

The Redmi 9 Prime runs MIUI 11 on high of Android, and was working the July Android Security patch on the time of this overview. The consumer expertise is similar to what is obtainable on different Xiaomi smartphones. It comes with a good quantity of bloatware preinstalled, similar to GetApps, Zili, Rummy King, ShareMe, Mi Credit, and Mi Pay, plus a number of video games. The telephone didn’t have any apps that are actually banned in India.

The Redmi 9 Prime runs MIUI 11 on high of Android 10

Some of the software program options of the Redmi 9 Prime are clubbed collectively within the Settings app beneath Special Features. It has Game Turbo which exhibits all video games put in on the smartphone for simple entry. This app enables you to arrange a efficiency mode that assigns larger bandwidth precedence to the sport that is working, and allows you to scale back distractions in addition to reply calls on the speaker whereas gaming. You additionally get Google’s Digital Wellbeing and parental management instruments.

Redmi 9 Prime efficiency : Big battery, gradual charging

The Redmi 9 Prime provides good efficiency. I didn’t encounter any lag or slowdowns whereas utilizing the smartphone. It was fast to load frequent apps and I might multitask between them very simply. The show is respectable nevertheless it ought to have been a bit brighter for higher outside visibility. It has respectable viewing angles and also you do have the choice to tweak the show output to your liking. I discovered the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner in addition to face recognition to be fast.

I ran the same old set of benchmarks to see the place the Redmi 9 Prime stands in comparison with the competitors. In AnTuTu, it managed 1,97,012 which is a barely poorer efficiency than the equally priced Realme Narzo 10 (Review) which managed 2,02,637 in the identical take a look at. The Redmi 9 Prime scored 356 and 1,327 in Geekbench 5’s single-core and multi-core exams. It additionally managed 8.2fps and 39fps in GFXBench’s Car Chase and T-Rex benchmarks respectively. It scored 1,722 in 3D Mark Sling Shot.

The Redmi 9 Prime has a textured again

PUBG Mobile ran on the ‘HD’ graphics high quality and ‘High’ body price with none stutter. However, the telephone did get barely heat after enjoying a few matches – one thing it’s best to take note in case you are planning to purchase this telephone for taking part in video games on.

The Redmi 9 Prime provides good battery life. It lasted past a day and a half with my utilization. The large battery additionally helped the Redmi 9 Prime final for 16 hours, four minutes in our HD video loop take a look at. Xiaomi ships a 10W charger within the field which is comparatively gradual, and solely received the Redmi 9 Prime to 19 % in thirty minutes and to 36 % in an hour. Charging the telephone utterly took round three hours. The telephone does assist 18W quick charging however you’ll need to seek out or purchase your individual charger.

Redmi 9 Prime cameras: Average performer

The Redmi 9 Prime sports activities a quad-camera setup with a 13-megapixel major digital camera, an 8-megapixel wide-angle digital camera, a 5-megapixel macro digital camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. This {hardware} is suitable for the decrease variant of the Redmi 9 Prime. However, it appears insufficient for the upper variant which competes with the Realme Narzo 10 and the Redmi Note 9, each of which sport 48-megapixel major cameras.

The quad-camera setup on the Redmi 9 Prime features a 13-megapixel major sensor

The digital camera app on the Realme 9 Prime is fairly fundamental and simple to make use of. You get fast toggles for AI, HDR, and filters. It has a Pro Colour toggle which boosts colors within the output. There is a Pro capturing mode as effectively, which supplies you full management over digital camera settings. At the entrance, it has a 13-megapixel selfie shooter.

The Redmi 9 Prime was fast to lock focus and the AI when enabled was fast to recognise scenes. In daylight, the Redmi 9 Prime managed respectable pictures and received the publicity proper, with respectable element. The AI boosted color barely when capturing with the first digital camera. The wide-angle digital camera has a decrease decision and the output is not boosted. It does give you a wider subject of view however the particulars aren’t nearly as good.

Redmi 9 Prime daylight digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

Redmi 9 Prime daylight wide-angle digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

For close-ups the digital camera takes a while to lock focus, and if you happen to aren’t affected person, you’re going to get a blurry shot. If you give it time, the telephone does handle good outcomes. The Redmi 9 Prime additionally takes respectable portraits however edge detection was strictly common. The Macro mode is hidden away in a sub-menu and is simple to overlook. The macro digital camera enables you to get near a topic and manages sharp output.

Redmi 9 Prime close-up digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

Redmi 9 Prime macro digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

I could not discover a devoted Night mode on the Redmi 9 Prime and needed to depend on the AI to detect low mild and set the digital camera up. The telephone did an excellent job of conserving noise beneath management however the output is not sharp at evening.

Redmi 9 Prime low-light digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

The Redmi 9 Prime managed respectable selfies, however the AI appears to spice up colors right here as effectively. It may seize selfie portraits however edge detection is not nice. In low mild, high quality takes successful and also you lose out on element.

Redmi 9 Prime selfie digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

Redmi 9 Prime low-light selfie digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

Video recording is restricted to 1080p on each the first in addition to the selfie cameras. There isn’t any video stabilisation which ends up in shaky footage.

Verdict

The Redmi 9 Prime was delivered to the market to serve the Rs. 10,000 worth level for the reason that Redmi Note 9 (Review) collection can not serve that goal. The full-HD+ show and the massive 5,020mAh battery do work in Xiaomi’s favour, giving this telephone an edge over the competitors beneath Rs. 10,000. If you might be on a strict funds then you’ll be able to think about the bottom variant of the Redmi 9 Prime. However, the upper variant Prime doesn’t supply the identical form of worth. The Rs. 11,999 pricing places it up towards the bottom variant of the Redmi Note 9 which is healthier geared up, making this variant arduous to advocate.

Why are smartphone costs rising in India? We mentioned this on Orbital, our weekly know-how podcast, which you’ll be able to subscribe to through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or simply hit the play button under.