We are thrilled to see Xiaomi making its budget phones available to the wider market, and the arrival of Redmi 9T to Europe is great news. One of the most popular and successful lineups from Xiaomi's portfolio is about to make decent sales considering the aggressive price point. This year the Redmi series will have unexpected competition from none other than Xiaomi's own Poco sub-brand. And in the case of the Redmi 9T, we have the Poco M3 in mind.
The two devices are almost identical with just a couple of small differences in the back design and the camera selection. The Redmi 9T adds an ultrawide snapper, an NFC chip (still depending on the region, though) and boasts water-repellent coating. Of course, that means a few extra bucks for the Redmi 9T, which may be worth it if you are looking for those specific features.
Xiaomi Redmi 9T specs at a glance:
Body: 162.3x77.3x9.6mm, 198g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic frame, plastic back; Water-repellent coating.Display: 6.53" IPS LCD, 400 nits (typ), 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi.Chipset: Qualcomm SM6115 Snapdragon 662 (11 nm): Octa-core (4x2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver); Adreno 610.Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM; UFS 2.1 - 64GB, UFS 2.2 - 128GB; microSDXC (dedicated slot).OS/Software: Android 10, MIUI 12.Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.Front camera: 8 MP, f/2.1, 27mm (wide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm.Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.Battery: 6000mAh; Fast charging 18W, Reverse charging 2.5W.Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); FM radio; Infrared port; 3.5mm jack, NFC (market-dependant).
Putting the M3 aside, the Redmi 9T still looks like a solid entry-level solution for just around €150. The phone's standout features include its stereo loudspeakers, the 48MP main camera, the ultrawide unit, the huge 6,000mAh battery, and the water-repellent coating of the internals. They are definitely hard to come across in this price segment, especially altogether in a single handset.
Memory configurations are also generous as the phone starts at 4GB/64GB, and a dedicated microSD card slot (not shared) can bump up the storage if 64GB isn't enough for you. The chipset, on the other hand, is pretty much what you'd expect from a device in this price bracket - Snapdragon 662, which was announced a year ago and is built with not performance but power-efficiency in mind.
We already have a good idea of what to expect from the Redmi 9T given that we've reviewed the Poco M3, but we will make sure to assess the small upgrades over the M3 and if they make up for the price difference.
Unboxing the Xiaomi Redmi 9T
The handset comes in a standard box with the usual user manuals, USB-A to USB-C cable for charging and data transfer and a charging brick rated at 22.5W but the phone caps at 18W. Xiaomi often ships more powerful bricks for its budget phones because it's cheaper to manufacture one charger that can cover more models.
The box also contains a transparent silicone case for the phone which we found to be quite hard to put on. The phone fits snuggly in it.
Design and ergonomics
The back design and accents on the back is what distinguishes the Redmi 9T from the Poco M3. Otherwise, both adopt some bold design decisions, but the Poco M3 has a bit more character.
The Redmi 9T has an all-plastic build, except for the front panel, which is protected by a Gorilla Glass 3 sheet, and it's not afraid to show it. The 9T carries its patterned polycarbonate back with pride - that's one aspect it certainly shares with the Poco M3.
It has a big Redmi inscription on top and a concentric pattern across the back that leads the eye towards the camera module. It's a bit grippy and soft to touch at the same time, but it leans more towards the soft end of the spectrum. It's definitely better than glossy plastic or glass but don't expect a non-slippery surface.
Two things that make the Redmi 9T stand out from the crowd are the water-repellent coating and the dedicated microSD card slot, which isn't shared with the two SIM card slots. Of course, the water-repellent coating doesn't mean water-resistant, but it will definitely withstand some rain and the accidental drop in a puddle.
Now, the front panel boasts some thin side bezels, but the top and bottom ones are thick, as usual. The overall frontal design with a notch hasn't aged well given that the industry has already moved to punch holes, but this is easily forgivable considering the price tag of the 9T. On the other hand, the waterdrop-styled notch may be the preferred choice by some, so it's not necessarily a drawback.
Going around the sides reveals that the phone features no ridges, and the back panel hugs the entire frame since it's a unibody build. That's definitely a rare sight these days. You can't make a unibody out of glass - it calls for a plastic back, and as we said, the Redmi 9T wears it well.
It's spot-on ergonomics-wise, as well. The power button and the volume rocker are conveniently positioned within thumb's reach. No need for re-adjusting your natural grip when you need to reach them.
All in all, we like the design and the overall feel of the phone. It's really refreshing to see an entry-level device not attempting to fake it 'till it makes it. The Redmi 9T really owns its entry-level status, and yet the patterned plastic back makes it stand out.
Battery life
To no one's surprise, the Redmi 9T passed our battery tests with flying colors. The huge 6,000 mAh battery and the rather efficient Snapdragon 662 chipset kept the phone running for quite a while during our screen-on and screen-off tests. You can rest assured that the phone would need charging just once in a couple of days, depending on your usage, of course. The overall score of 150h isn't only admirable but record-breaking, too.
Charging speed
As expected, the charging speed isn't stellar as the handset supports up to 18W charging, and it's a sizeable 6,000mAh we're dealing with here.
When charging the phone from flat, you can expect around 25% of the battery to be replenished in the first 30 minutes, while a full charge would take a whisker under 3 hours. However, it would be unfair to complain about charging times because the competition employs similar charging speeds but charge faster due to the smaller batteries they carry.
Speakers
The Redmi 9T is one of the few devices to feature proper stereo loudspeakers in this price range, and the best part is that they are really nice too. The sound is full, clear and moderately loud. In our tests, the phone achieved a "Very Good" score, but we can easily rate the audio quality as excellent, especially considering the device's class. There's some slight distortion in the highs when you crank up the volume, but we can let that one slide.
Competition
Depending on where you are based, the low-end smartphone market could be full of choices, or it could be quite limited. But there are some mainstream offerings that stand out from the crowd and can challenge the Redmi 9T, which shapes up to be an excellent all-rounder for the asking price. The Poco M3 was a great all-rounder back in December last year, but the smartphone market moves fast, so we have a couple of new competitors to go through.
Obviously, the first alternative to consider is the Redmi 9T's close sibling - the Poco M3. The latter packs pretty much everything the 9T has but misses on the NFC chip and the ultrawide camera. As we've already established in the review, the ultrawide camera might not be worth the extra cash the 9T wants, but if the NFC chip is on top of your priority list for its use for contactless payments, the 9T is the only choice.
Keep in mind that the Redmi 9T sells for around €140 while the Poco M3's price has gone down quite a bit since December 2020, so it would now set you back just €120.
A very close competitor from Samsung's camp would be the Galaxy A21s. It hovers between the €150-160 range and offers comparable hardware. Its main advantage is the overall camera performance and the fact that it runs a more familiar One UI software. Even though battery life is excellent, it falls short compared to the 9T's huge 6,000 mAh unit. Xiaomi's contender also has excellent loudspeakers, a higher-res screen, reverse charging, snappier chipset and offers twice the base storage and RAM.
The Realme 7i is a viable option as well, given its aggressive pricing and similar hardware. And despite the Realme 7i being pricier (€160-170), it lacks the 1080p+, 90Hz display, stereo loudspeakers, and has a considerably smaller 5,000 mAh battery. Also, the 7i misses on some nifty goodies like NFC, infrared port and FM radio.
Lastly, the OnePlus Nord N100 may seem a bit pricey for this list with a starting price of €189, but you can find one for way less outside of OnePlus' official web store. We've seen a couple of offers for around €140 brand new. This puts it in a competitive position against the Redmi 9T. Even with an inferior Snapdragon 490, the handset offers an arguably smoother experience with its 90Hz display, which in turn has a lower resolution at 720p.
The clean-ish Android could be a deciding factor for some, while the smaller battery can be a deal-breaker to others. Still, the Nord N100 is the only handset in this price range that also offers dual stereo speakers, NFC and FM radio all at once. The good news is that the NFC chip isn't market-dependent.
Verdict
Despite the relatively higher price of the Redmi 9T compared to the Poco M3, it still holds well against the competition due to several key features that are hard to come across in a single package. We are talking adequate SoC performance, 4GB/64GB base memory, an excellent set of stereo speakers, a high-resolution display, humongous 6,000 mAh battery, IR port, FM radio and dedicated microSD card slot.
Yes, some of the devices top the Redmi 9T with a better overall camera quality or smoother 90Hz displays, but if you find yourself in this price bracket, you are most likely looking for the most practical features, and the Redmi 9T seems to touch all bases. High refresh rate displays are nice, but they also belong to higher-class devices.
Pros
Large 6.53" screen with 1080p resolution
Standout design
Record-breaking battery life
Excellent stereo loudspeakers
Generally good main camera performance
Standalone microSD, IR port, FM radio, reverse wired charging and NFC (market-dependant)
Cons
Occasional UI lag
Unsatisfactory ultrawide camera performance
Mediocre video recording
0 Comments