EYES ON XIAOMI REDMI NOTE 10 PRO

Introduction

We have the Redmi Note 10 Pro for review, and this is the global version of the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max - an India-exclusive model. There are only two differences - the Indian version omits NFC and it is not listed as IP53-rated.

It's been exactly one year since the first Redmi Note 9 phones came to be, and the updates arrive right on schedule. The Redmi Note 10 Pro is spearheading the next generation of affordable mid-rangers, and it brings one of the most requested fan-favorite features a 120Hz OLED screen.

Xiaomi has been offering HRR screens on the cheap. The Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G and multiple Redmi K30 phones had 120Hz and even 144Hz LCD panels. These devices became quite popular for that reason, and a lot of people, we included, were hoping for an OLED upgrade and that this premium feature would become a standard for the Redmi Note 10 series. Talk about a wish come true!

The Redmi Note 10 Pro builds on top of the limited Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G, also known as Mi 10i 5G in some markets, both released a few weeks ago. It offers a better HRR OLED screen but comes with the inferior Snapdragon 732G chip instead of the more premium Snapdragon 750G 5G. The rest is mostly the same - camera, speakers, battery, fast charging.

Indeed, the new Redmi Note 10 Pro may not be packing the best mid-range SoC, but it sure impresses with an interesting quad-camera on the back. The main shooter uses a 108MP Samsung sensor, then comes the 8MP ultrawide snapper, followed by a 5MP cam with telemacro lens, and finally, there is a 2MP depth sensor.

The other interesting bits about the Redmi Note 10 Pro include the dedicated symmetrical speakers - yet another feature that's not widely available even on the most expensive phones (the flagships usually favor hybrid setups). There is also a nicely fat battery with a 5,020mAh capacity that's capable of 33W fast charging, and the corresponding power adapter is included with the phone. Some people will appreciate the presence of NFC, FM radio, IR blaster, a 3.5mm jack, and the microSD expansion. 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro specs 

Body: 164x76.5x8.1mm, 193g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic frame; IP53, dust and splash protection.

Display: 6.67" AMOLED, HDR10, 120Hz, 450-700 nits (typ), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi.

Chipset: Qualcomm SM7150-AC Snapdragon 732G (8 nm): Octa-core (2x2.3 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver); Adreno 618.

Memory: 64GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.2; microSDXC (dedicated slot).

OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12.

Rear camera: Wide (main): 108 MP, f/1.8, 25mm, 1/1.52", 0.7µm, PDAF; Ultrawide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 118˚, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.

Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.5, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.0µm.

Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS.

Battery: 5,020mAh; Fast charging 33W.

Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); NFC; FM radio, Infrared port; 3.5mm jack.

The Redmi Note 10 Pro is IP53-rated for dust and water protection - a very nice touch. This means the phone is dust-proof and can endure light splashes or rain. The phone sounds like an increasingly better proposition with each new feature we spot, so let's cut to the chase and pop this Note out of its box.

Unboxing the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro

The Redmi Note 10 Pro ships within a regular paper box, and it packs everything you may need but a pair of headphones. The retail bundle contains a 33W power adapter and a 3A-rated USB-A-to-C cable.

You also get a transparent silicone case with a cover lid for the USB-C port. And you will find one thin screen protector that's already applied to the phone's display. We peeled that off; sorry, Xiaomi, it was way too cheap

Design, build, and handling

The Redmi Note 10 Pro is among the few Redmi phones where you do get an actual IP rating - IP53 in this case. This means the phone is dust protected and can withstand spraying water and light rain. Even better, Xiaomi has bundled a silicone case with a cover lid for the USB port, which should provide an even better overall protection.

Other than being sealed against dust and water, the Redmi Note 10 Pro is your typical smartphone. There is a flat Gorilla Glass 5 on top of the new 120Hz OLED screen, a slightly curved piece of what looks to be glass on the back, and a glossy plastic frame between those two pieces.

Our unit is the Onyx Gray option, which features this chameleonic dark gray hue on the back. It catches and reflects light in cool yet subtle ways. The other available color options are Glacier Blue (light reflective blue) and Gradient Bronze (gradient from dark to light orange). Xiaomi seems to have chosen these paintjobs really well and despite that these may seem flashy, they are most certainly not.

The back, and the frame, are glossy though, and fingerprints and smudges stick easily, and they will eventually ruin the looks. The Redmi Note 10 Pro, if carried case-free, should be wiped clean more often than some of you would like. That's why we suggest the brighter orange or blue option if you don't intend to use a case.

So, the front is all about the new 6.67" OLED screen, which has a regular 1080p resolution but offers 120Hz refresh rate. It does look and feel gorgeous on the Note 10 Pro, the bezels are pretty thin for this class, though the chin wasn't trimmed the way we see on some flagships.

The screen protection is handled by a Gorilla Glass 5 piece, mostly flat, with these familiar 2.5D edges. On its very end around the top, you will see one very thin earpiece grille. Behind that is a directional speaker, which acts as an earpiece during calls (the sound is coming through this grille), and a stereo speaker when playing music (the sound comes from the vent on top of the phone).

The OLED panel has one tiny punch-hole making way for the 16MP selfie camera. And no matter how tiny it is, the thing is an eyesore for any perfectionist. See, the camera isn't exactly centered in this cutout and it is a little bit higher than it should be, almost hitting the top border, while leaving more space around the bottom. A picture is worth a thousand words they say, so here is one.

We know we are a bit nitpicking here, especially when considering the price, but we felt we needed to mention it.

And while we are on the subject of nitpicking, the cheap screen protector that came pre-installed was not applied that well, and its punch-hole was stepping on those already misaligned circles. Yes, it was terrible.

There is no under-screen fingerprint scanner on the Redmi Note 10 Pro. Xiaomi is still relying on the side-mounted always-on sensor, and we prefer it this way. The sensor is blazing-fast and super accurate, and we'd never trade it for a second-rate under-display alternative. It is placed on the Power/Lock key, which is both convenient and a curse. But you can solve all potential issues by changing the Fingerprint Recognition Method from Touch to Press and never be locked away again by those accidental misreadings.

The rear glass is slightly curved towards the frame and makes the Redmi Note 10 Pro look and feel even thinner than it is. The only thing of interest here is the quad-camera setup, which looks rather peculiar. Let's take a look.

The camera setup uses a stairway-like arranged glass. The bottom piece contains the raised smaller one, obviously, the LED flash, and what seems to be laser-autofocus tech though Xiaomi hasn't shared any details. It could be another type of sensor, say a color temperature or a light one, but it's just a wild guess until we know more.

The top glass contains the four cameras. The biggest one is on top - the 108MP shooter by Samsung. Below are the 5MP macro cam with a telephoto lens and the 2MP depth sensor. Last is the 8MP ultrawide-angle snapper.

The frame is made of plastic, glossy at that, but it's not as slippery as we expected it to be. The visible screen enclosure probably helps a bit, and the grip is quite good.

There is a lone ejectable tray on the left, and it is a tri-card slot - you can put two nano-SIM cards and a microSD one. The volume rocker and the power/fingerprint scanner are on the right.

The top seems pretty crowded - here, you'd find the IR blaster, a second mic, a speaker grille, and the 3.5mm jack. The bottom has the other speaker, the USB-C port, and the mouthpiece.

The Redmi Note 10 Pro is 2mm shorter and a hair thinner than the Redmi Note 9 Pro. It weighs 193 grams - meaning it is 16 grams lighter than its predecessor.

Handling the Redmi Note 10 Pro is a nice experience. While the back is very slippery, the frame provides enough grip, and the Note can be handled hassle-free most of the time. That is until your hands become sweaty, then you should be extremely careful. There is a case in the box, so you are covered right from the get-go.

Finally, the Redmi Note 10 Pro is neither bulky, nor heavy, and it feels quite good in hands and in pockets. It is even lighter than the Note 9 Pro, and if you've handled the old one for a while, you will definitely feel the difference.

Xiaomi did good with the Note 10 Pro - while it isn't a perfect execution - remember the selfie cutout - it's a great one for this price bracket, and we were delighted to see an official IP53 rating. Here is hoping all mid-rangers follow suit this year.

Alternatives

The Redmi Note 10 Pro is without a doubt one of the hottest offers this year, and it will be a tough one to match. By putting a 120Hz OLED screen on such an affordable phone, Xiaomi has finally put an end to the 60Hz OLED or 120Hz LCD dilemma. How about that, Realme?

Indeed, Realme has been known for prioritizing 60Hz AMOLEDs over HRR LCDs for a while, and the most recent Realme 7 Pro is one of these specimens. The 7 Pro costs as much as the Redmi Note 10 Pro, but it offers an inferior 60Hz OLED and lower-res primary (108MP vs. 64MP) and macro (5MP AF vs. 2MP FF) snappers. It impresses with its 65W SuperDart Charging, though. The Realme 8 Pro is expected to premiere in a few weeks with a 60Hz OLED, a Helio G95 chip, and a 108MP primary camera, so you may want to wait for that one.

Ah, the Poco X3 NFC has a lot in common with the Redmi Note 10 Pro. It has the same size screen, 120Hz at that, but it's an IPS LCD unit. It uses the same Snapdragon 732G platform, has the same speakers, similar battery with 33W charging. The Poco X3 NFC also packs a quad-camera on the back, but the important bits - main and ultrawide - are 64MP + 13MP instead of 108MP + 8MP. The Poco X3 NFC is €100 cheaper though, so if you decide against paying extra for an OLED panel, you may as well find the Poco X3 a good fit for you.

The €280 Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite, just like the Poco X3, features a 120Hz LCD screen, while matching the rest of the specs, more or less. But the Mi 10T Lite is a 5G-capable thanks to the Snapdragon 750G 5G SoC and it makes it a good alternative to the Redmi Note 10 Pro.

Another incredibly cheap 5G phone is the €250 Samsung Galaxy A42 5G. It has a 6.6" 720p AMOLED and runs on the Snapdragon 750G 5G chip. It has a similar camera (even if the primary is not a 108MP but 48MP), and an equally beefy 5,000mAh battery. There are no stereo speakers or IP53 rating, but the Galaxy is a reliable phone, especially for gaming, and will last you for days per our battery life test.

Xiaomi has also brought three more Redmi Note 10 phones. The Redmi Note 10 5G with a 90Hz OLED and 5G connectivity, but it has no stereo speakers and no ultrawide camera. The Redmi Note 10 and Note 10S will tempt you with 6.43" 60Hz OLEDs, stereo speakers and ultrawide snappers, but they differ by chipsets - the N10 runs on Snapdragon 678, while the 10S employs Helio G95. Obviously, none of these can match the 108MP camera and the 120Hz screen refresh rate, but they are worth considering if you are on the budget.

Our verdict

The Redmi Note 10 Pro is so likable, and it aced our tests, so it's really hard to find any faults. This one easily becomes our current favorite bang for the buck offer and one of the easiest "go for it" we've written in a while.

The Redmi Note 10 Pro is not a perfect smartphone, but its imperfections are easily forgivable and forgettable. And while this Note wasn't made to be a flagship killer, it is shrinking the gap and may soon be breathing down their necks.

Pros

Beautiful design; IP53-rated.

Excellent 120Hz AMOLED, smooth and responsive.

Outstanding battery life, fast to charge.

Very good stereo speakers.

Dependable performance, no overheating.

All cameras excel in daylight, photo and video.

MIUI 12 is smooth on top of Android 11.

IR blaster, 3.5mm jack, FM radio, NFC, microSD

 Cons

A higher grade chipset would have been more exciting.

No reverse charging.

The low-light camera quality is mediocre.

No Night Mode for ultrawide camera.

EIS works only on 1080p resolution.