Redmi Note 9 Pro Max Review

The Redmi Note 9 Pro and the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max look nearly similar and share a number of {hardware}, however the extra premium Max mannequin has higher entrance and rear cameras, extra RAM, and sooner charging. This is a change of technique in addition to naming and pricing conventions for Xiaomi’s Redmi collection, which we will all agree has established itself as a pacesetter within the finances smartphone market. Its grip is so sturdy that it has at the very least one smartphone for just about each worth level between Rs 7,000 and Rs. 20,000. The Redmi Note 9 Pro and the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max are the successors to the Redmi Note Eight and the Redmi Note 8 Pro respectively.

This begs the query – are the additional options of the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max value paying extra for, or would you be higher off with the Redmi Note 9 Pro as an alternative? We check the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max to search out out.

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max design

Xiaomi’s Redmi collection gadgets have grown in dimension, to the purpose that the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is cumbersome and unwieldy. It measures 8.8mm in thickness and weighs 209g, which makes one-handed use tough. It’s laborious to succeed in the highest of the tall 6.67-inch show with out shuffling the cellphone in your hand. Thankfully the 20:9 facet ratio is slim sufficient to handle. There is a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the show which ought to assist it stand up to every day utilization. Right above the show is a skinny earpiece that additionally homes a white notification gentle.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner embedded into the ability button on the correct of the cellphone. It is barely recessed which makes it straightforward to search out by contact. We weren’t proud of its positioning since it’s increased than the place our finger rests naturally. If you’re left-handed, you possibly can arrange your left index finger, which would be the most comfy method to make use of this cellphone. We discovered this scanner to be fast when unlocking the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max.

Another challenge we confronted was the position of the quantity buttons. They are increased than this side-mounted fingerprint scanner and never handy to succeed in. Sticking to Xiaomi’s custom of providing an IR emitter on its smartphones, the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max has one on the highest. It additionally has a headphone jack on the underside together with the USB Type-C port.

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max has a USB Type-C port

Xiaomi gives a quad-camera setup on the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. These sensors are positioned in a square-shaped module that juts out from the again of the gadget. The protrusion is thick sufficient to boost the cellphone when positioned on a desk. The rear of the cellphone has a shiny end, and Xiaomi gives the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max in three color variants: Interstellar Black, Aurora Blue, and Glacier White. We had the Interstellar Black variant for this overview which seemed blue in vibrant gentle. The again panel picked up smudges fairly simply, and we needed to wipe it very often. Xiaomi does provide a case within the field that may assist. Speaking of stuff within the field, you additionally get a 33W charger with the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max which is a step up in comparison with the 18W charger that ships with the Redmi Note 9 Pro (Review).

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max specs

Xiaomi smartphones are recognized to have very excessive price-to-performance ratios, and the corporate has met that with the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max as properly. Xiaomi has dropped within the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC to run the present right here. The Redmi Note 9 Pro and the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max share the identical processor, making it more durable to distinguish between the 2 fashions primarily based on efficiency.

Yes, you may get extra RAM and storage on the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. The variants are as follows: 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage for Rs. 16,499, 6GB RAM/128GB storage for Rs. 17,999, and 8GB RAM /128GB storage for Rs. 19,999. We had the 6GB/128GB variant for overview. There is an overlap with the pricing of the Redmi Note 9 Pro which may result in some confusion for consumers.

The massive show on the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max will not be an AMOLED panel and doesn’t boast of a excessive refresh price. Xiaomi may have carried out this to maintain the value down, however some opponents at this worth degree do provide these options. It is not a foul panel although. It has good viewing angles and is vibrant sufficient when outside. It does have a digital camera gap proper within the centre in the direction of the highest, that could possibly be distracting to some folks. We received used to it whereas utilizing the gadget and didn’t face any points.

The hole-punch could possibly be distracting for some folks

One of the first causes for the majority of the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is the monstrous 5020mAh battery that it packs in. The Note 9 Pro Max is a dual-SIM smartphone with help for twin 4G VoLTE and VoWiFI, in addition to Bluetooth 5 and dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac. It additionally has NavIC help together with GPS.

On the software program entrance, it runs MIUI 11 on prime of Android 10 and our unit was operating the April 2020 safety patch. The UI has a number of customisation choices and when you have used a Xiaomi gadget prior to now, you will don’t have any points discovering your method round it. Sadly, there’s an excessive amount of preinstalled bloatware. That contains apps corresponding to Helo that are recognized to be spammy when launched. Xiaomi’s inventory apps may get annoying at instances, and we have been bombarded with notifications by an app retailer known as Get Apps. Xiaomi’s wallpaper carousel additionally saved pushing notifications, which we take into account unacceptable.

While setting a brand new gadget up we are likely to rush by means of the set up course of to get it over with, however you have to to concentrate whereas setting this gadget up as a few choices and apps are checked by default. This will prevent from some pointless spam after setting the gadget up.

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max efficiency

With key specs shared between the Redmi Note 9 Pro and the Max mannequin, the efficiency of the 2 would not really feel any totally different. The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max can deal with day-to-day duties with ease and can by no means make you await lengthy because it hundreds apps. We confronted no points whereas scrolling by means of menus or multitasking. It doesn’t have a excessive display refresh price just like the Poco X2 (Review) and the Realme 6 Pro (Review), so it doesn’t really feel as easy as these gadgets, however this is not a deal-breaker.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max managed to attain 2,77,058 within the AnTuTu benchmark which is little decrease than the two,82,159 scored by the Realme 6 Pro, however this distinction is not sufficiently big to influence real-world efficiency. In Geekbench 5’s single-core and multi-core exams, the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max managed 564 and 1,759 respectively. Using graphics benchmark GFXBench, it managed 16fps within the Car Chase scene and 27fps in Manhattan 3.1 which is similar to what the Realme 6 Pro scored.

Gaming is dealt with properly and the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max managed to maintain load instances down. When enjoying PUBG Mobile it defaults to the High settings. We may play the sport with none stutter, however the cellphone did get heat to the contact after 20 minutes. While the massive show will not be nice for single-handed use, it is vitally useful whereas gaming and watching movies.

The side-mounted fingerprint scanner is a bit too excessive to succeed in comfortably

We spent fairly a while watching movies on the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max and the battery did fare properly. With our utilization, the smartphone simply went past a day and a half earlier than needing to be charged. In our HD video loop check, it lasted us for 17 hours and 10 minutes, which is an effective rating, however the Realme 6 Pro managed 21 hours which supplies it an edge in comparison with the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max.

When the battery does run out, you should use the equipped 33W charger. This takes the cellphone from zero to 52 % in 30 minutes. The gadget does get sizzling when charging quickly. Charging slows down after across the 75 % mark, and the gadget will get to 90 % in an hour. The extra reasonably priced Redmi Note 9 Pro can solely be charged at as much as 18W, so this is a bonus for the premium mannequin

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max cameras

Now we come to the primary factor that helps distinguish the Max mannequin from the Pro mannequin, the cameras. The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max has a 64-megapixel main sensor with an f/1.89 aperture. The different ones are an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle digital camera with a 119-degree field-of-view, a 5-megapixel macro digital camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The macro digital camera has received a bump up by way of decision in comparison with different telephones at this worth.

The digital camera app is feature-packed and has a number of taking pictures modes to select from. The photograph mode captures 16-megapixel pixel-binned pictures utilizing the 64-megapixel sensor by default. You may shoot on the full 64-megapixel decision if it’s essential to. There is a Pro Colour mode that bumps the distinction up in pictures, and reminds us of the Dazzle Color and Chroma Boost filters on Oppo and Realme smartphones respectively.

There’s a brief video function that restricts clips to 15 seconds and gives a kaleidoscope impact. This is principally focused at Instagrammers and TikTokers. Slow Motion video recording can be potential and you’ll select between 120fps, 240fps and 960fps. The Macro digital camera toggle is positioned in a sub-menu and may be laborious for some folks to search out.

Daylight pictures taken with the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max turned out fairly properly. We took some pictures with a vibrant sky within the background, and the smartphone enabled HDR routinely. Photos seem like they’ve been sharpened which could not enchantment to everybody. If you zoom into a picture you’ll discover that the small print are good however there’s some grain within the shadows.

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max daylight digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max wide-angle digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

For close-ups, the AI can recognise the topic and set the digital camera up accordingly. The cellphone manages a smooth bokeh impact whereas taking pictures topics, which helps them stand out. We needed to strive greater than as soon as to get the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max to focus the place we needed however the ensuing picture was good and sharp. We additionally used the Pro Colour function which barely bumped the distinction up within the output.

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max closeup digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

The wide-angle digital camera on the gadget gives a wider area of view however there’s a appreciable drop within the degree of element. Xiaomi has applied wide-angle correction which prevents barrel distortion within the output, a neat contact.

We discovered the macro digital camera to be good for excessive close-ups because it has a 2cm focus distance. It does seize excellent particulars so long as you may have sufficient gentle hitting the topic. The decision can be increased at 5-megapixels than what you often get from different smartphones.

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max macro digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

Portrait mode confirmed good edge detection and the cellphone may distinguish between a topic and the background. However, it could not detect the hole between an individual’s arm and physique, and missed out on blurring this space.

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max portrait digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max can detect low gentle and make corrections utilizing AI. When taking pictures within the common mode we observed that the cellphone managed to maintain noise underneath management. This got here at the price of element although, which was seen on zooming in. With Night Mode enabled, the cellphone combines a number of exposures. The output is sharper, with significantly better element, and objects within the shadows are extra seen.

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max lowlight digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max night time mode digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

We have been curious to see if the 32-megapixel selfie shooter provides this gadget a major edge over the Redmi Note 9 Pro. In daylight, you get sharp selfies however they’re smoothened as beautification is enabled by default. You can disable this impact when you aren’t keen on it. There is a portrait mode for the selfie digital camera as properly, and it does handle to precisely separate the background from the topic. In low gentle, there’s a drop in digital camera efficiency and the output has effective seen grain on zooming in.

Redmi Note 9 Pro Max selfie digital camera pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)

Video recording tops out at 4K 30fps for the rear digital camera and 1080p 30fps for the selfie shooter. In daylight, when taking pictures at 1080p the digital camera meters gentle properly and stabilises the output. However, in low gentle it tries to stabilise the footage leading to a shimmer impact. There is not any stabilisation at 4K leading to a shaky footage.

Verdict

The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max comes because the successor to the Redmi Note 8 Pro (Review) and has some big duties to shoulder. After testing this gadget we will say that it’s higher than the Redmi Note 8 Pro on a number of counts. The new Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is extra highly effective, gives higher battery life, packs in good cameras, and runs the newest model of Android. However, its influence is considerably softened by its extra reasonably priced sibling, the Redmi Note 9 Pro.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro is priced decrease than the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max however sports activities almost similar {hardware}. With the GST hike on smartphones in April, the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max now begins at Rs. 16,499 whereas the non-Max mannequin retails for Rs. 13,999. For somebody on a decent finances, the quantity saved could possibly be properly value it.

However, if you’re keen to spend, the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max is the higher choose. Comparable variants of the Redmi Note 9 Pro and the Max mannequin have a distinction of simply Rs. 1,000 for which you get increased decision cameras and sooner charging, making it very straightforward to decide on between the 2. The Realme 6 Pro (Review) and the Poco X2 (Review) are different appropriate options at across the identical worth.