Redmi Note 7 Pro Review – Xiaomi Declares A War!
Xiaomi has retained the top spot long enough for anyone to be able to belittle its success as coincidental or a temporary upheaval. At the same time, the last few products from the company felt hackneyed, and the Note 6 Pro (Review) was a sort of a disappointment to fans, even when it remained one of the good buys through its rather short life cycle.
With the Redmi Note 7 Pro, Xiaomi is back to basics and is once again ready to make a huge splash. This is only apt in the light of the burgeoning competition from the likes of Samsung, Asus, and Oppo creeping in its domain. In fact, with Note 7 Pro Xiaomi has waged a war. Staying true to its “Thug Life” theme, Xiaomi literally called out all its rivals for their subterfuge, daring them to beat the new Note (and one may
argue that they went just a bit too far).
With the Redmi Note 7 Pro, Xiaomi is back to basics and is once again ready to make a huge splash. This is only apt in the light of the burgeoning competition from the likes of Samsung, Asus, and Oppo creeping in its domain. In fact, with Note 7 Pro Xiaomi has waged a war. Staying true to its “Thug Life” theme, Xiaomi literally called out all its rivals for their subterfuge, daring them to beat the new Note (and one may
argue that they went just a bit too far).
But, all that was Xiaomi’s side of the story. Now that we have handled Redmi Note 7 Pro long enough, is it still as impressive? Let’s elaborate in our detailed Redmi Note 7 Pro review.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro Review: Design and Build
There are some major design changes with this Note iteration. And perhaps for the first time, Xiaomi’s Note is up with the latest design trends. The Redmi Note 7 Pro offers Gorilla Glass 5 on front and back, a semi-circular ‘Dot’ notch at the front, and gradient patterns that are currently in. The handset retains the IR Blaster (something MI fans value), and the switch to a reversible USB Type-C port at the bottom is a much welcome change.
Another bonus is splash resistance. The Note 7 Pro is not waterproof or water resistant but has a higher probability of emerging unscathed after a spillage or being accidentally caught up in rain.
On the downside, the phone feels thick since the back is flat, the microSD card slot is hybrid, buttons are slightly clicky, and the side frame in still plastic. Bezels around the screen are reasonably slim.
Unlike the low-end Note 7, the Pro variant has a bigger camera hump (understandable considering the bigger sensor), and unfortunately, the bundled case doesn’t even it out.
Speaking of back covers, Xiaomi will also sell its own perforated case covers for Redmi Note 7 Pro, and those don’t even out the camera hump either. I am guessing Xiaomi isn’t using sapphire glass over the camera assembly, and users could end up scratching the camera glass after a period of usage.
We do appreciate Xiaomi siding with the use of premium materials, but as we have iterated in the past, a good design is more than mere labels like glass and metal. Rather than being swayed by these labels, consumers should know that all glass body phones aren’t equal, and then make an informed choice.
We think the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro design is quite good for its price and a definite improvement over what we had for the last three generations. At the same time, it’s not necessarily better than well-designed glass-finish polycarbonate phones like Galaxy A50, Galaxy A30, or Vivo V11 Pro. And yes, we’d love a few more non-gradient color options other than Space Black for conservative folks.
| LAUNCH | Announced | 2019, February |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Available. Released 2019, March |
| BODY | Dimensions | 159.2 x 75.2 x 8.1 mm (6.27 x 2.96 x 0.32 in) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 186 g (6.56 oz) | |
| Build | Front/back glass (Gorilla Glass 5) | |
| SIM | Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| DISPLAY | Type | IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.3 inches, 97.4 cm2 (~81.4% screen-to-body ratio) | |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~409 ppi density) | |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| PLATFORM | OS | Android 9.0 (Pie); MIUI 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM675 Snapdragon 675 (11 nm) | |
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.0 GHz Kryo 460 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 460 Silver) | |
| GPU | Adreno 612 |
| MEMORY | Card slot | microSD, up to 256 GB (uses shared SIM slot) |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | 128 GB, 6 GB RAM or 64 GB, 4/6 GB RAM |
| MAIN CAMERA | Dual | 48 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/2", 0.8µm, PDAF 5 MP, f/2.4, depth sensor |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama | |
| Video | 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, (gyro-EIS) |
| SELFIE CAMERA | Single | 13 MP |
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | |
| Video | 1080p@30fps |
| SOUND | Loudspeaker | Yes |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | |
| Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic |
| COMMS | WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS | |
| Infrared port | Yes | |
| Radio | FM radio, recording | |
| USB | 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector |
| FEATURES | Sensors | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
|---|
| BATTERY | Non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh battery | |
|---|---|---|
| Charging | Fast battery charging 18W (Quick Charge 4) |
| MISC | Colors | Nebula Red, Neptune Blue, Space Black |
|---|---|---|
| Models | M1901F7S | |
| SAR | 0.96 W/kg (head) 0.84 W/kg (body) | |
| Price | About 260 EUR |
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro Review: Display
The Redmi Note 7 Pro has a 6.3-inch LTPS display with Full HD+ resolution. The display is extremely crisp and sharp. Contrast and dynamic range are pretty good, and colors are punchy without being oversaturated.
Whites are marred by cold bluish tones, but that’s shouldn’t be a big concern as MIUI 10 offers enough customization options that should let you tune the display according to your preferences.
It must also be mentioned that AMOLED displays on Galaxy M30, A30, and A50 are so much better.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro Review: Software
As for the software, there is familiar MIUI 10 software and this time Xiaomi is backing it with the latest Android 9 Pie right at launch. The interface is generously laden with ads but other than that there are ample customization options and plenty to like.
We wouldn’t prefer MIUI over One UI on Samsung A-series or over stock Android on Nokia phones (which many common folks are likely to find bland), but in our books, it ranks better than Color OS (Oppo, Realme), EMUI (Honor) or Funtouch OS (Vivo).
In the long term that we have been using the Redmi Note 7 Pro, we did run into unexpected app crashes and erratic behavior at times, but these weren’t as prominent.
The handset doesn’t yet support HD streaming on apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime. It’s DRM L1 certified, though.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro Performance Review
The performance is the very essence of the new Redmi Note 7 Pro. Xiaomi was the first to give due importance to chipsets on their affordable phones and this year, with the Redmi Note 7 Pro, it takes a massive lead. Other OEMs have been playing catch up for a while, but the Note 7 Pro now has some solid competition.
In terms of hardware, it’s now challenged by Realme 3 Pro that’s powered by Snapdragon 710, Vivo Z1Pro that employs Snapdragon 712, and Samsung Galaxy M40 that now has Snapdragon 675 and 128GB storage for under 20k.
I won’t go harping about the details of the chipset (which you may read in our separate article on SD 675), but suffice to say, the performance is very smooth. We didn’t face any issue with day-to-day usage or with multitasking.
The phone doesn’t heat with day-to-day usage but gets pretty warm with long bouts of gaming.
The SoC is further backed by LPDDR4X RAM (up to 6GB). There is no dedicated microSD card slot, but the reasonably priced 128GB storage variant makes up for it. On our 64GB storage variant, around 50GB is free at the user end.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro Camera Review
Camera performance has always been a strength of Xiaomi’s affordable phones. Even the last generation Redmi Note 6 is better than most currently available options, so the 48MP Sony IMX576 sensor on the affordable Note 7 Pro takes the game to a whole new level.
The IMX586 is designed to give the best shots in the 12MP mode, where four adjoining pixels are clubbed as one, but you may also shoot in full 48MP resolution using the pro mode or changing camera settings. The 48MP shots aren’t as crisp though, so you’d be better off with 12MP images.
The images shot on the Note 7 Pro in proper lighting look amazing. In tricky lighting, the phone tends to suppress details in the shadow region. The HDR Mode can be a hit or a miss.
The portrait mode is very good, but like portrait modes on other phones, it isn’t perfect. There are a few portrait effects in the software and more like studio lighting are on their way.
Xiaomi has also added a night mode, and it can really improve night time shots. The processing takes a couple of seconds, but the night mode can radically enhance sharpness and dynamic range. It can also remove flares around hard light sources. This is really good!
The 13MP selfie camera clicks detailed and well-metered shots, but only in good lighting conditions. In low light, selfie camera performance steeply deteriorates.
So, overall, the Redmi Note 7 Pro camera is great for the price.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro Review: Battery
As expected, the 4000mAh battery on the Note 7 Pro easily lasts for a day, and more. Xiaomi bundles a 5V 2A charger in the box, which takes more than 2 hours and 30 minutes to fully charge the battery.
You can separately buy a QC 4.0 charger for faster charging, but those aren’t cheap or easy to come by. The next best option is 15W QuickCharge 3.0 adapter that Xiaomi’s sells on its online store for Rs. 449.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro Long Term Review Verdict
When considering phones under 15,000, or maybe even 20,000, the Redmi Note 7 Pro seems more than good enough to suit most people’s needs. In fact, with the SD 675 and Sony IMX586 camera at an unprecedented price, lend it an advantage.
At the same time, based on our past few months experience with Redmi Note 7 Pro, we wouldn’t go as far as saying that the experience is sure to thwart all competition around 20K, or that it beats phones that cost twice as much.
The software is far from perfect and the competition has now caught up with really interesting options like Galaxy M40, Galaxy A50, Vivo Z1 Pro, and Realme 3 Pro.
Pros
- Excellent performance
- Excellent rear camera
- Elegant glass finish
- USB Type-C and QuickCharge 4.0 support
- Decent battery backup
- Aggressive price
Cons
- Ads in the UI (can be mostly turned off)
- Hybrid card slot
- No HD streaming on Netflix and Prime
- Fast charger not bundled in the box
- Gets hot with extended gaming
- That camera hump isn’t easy to even out
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