Xiaomi Redmi 9 Specs and Review

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The Xiaomi Redmi 9 wants to score with a tough price-performance ratio and therefore relies on a full HD display and a fast Helio G80 processor. A “not to be taken seriously” quad-camera is also on board, but more on that later. The Redmi 9 is supposed to make the low-budget price range more attractive again because the Redmi Notes in the last and penultimate generation were too close when you look at the price.

In this article, you will get a good review of  the Xiaomi Redmi 9.

Design

We already know the plastic unibody design of the Redmi 9 from the Redmi Note 9. The smartphone measures 163 x 77 x 9 millimetres and weighs almost 200 grams. The Redmi 9 does not try to hide its plastic body in any way, as we know from dozens of cell phones with shiny fake glass backs. Instead, the green, purple or grey bowl is provided with a non-slip, high-quality grooved pattern. The most significant advantage over the glossy, smooth plastic backs is the protection against scratches. The two-colour variants green and purple also offer a beautiful colour gradient. The green device is more turquoise, and the purple version runs into the blue. A transparent silicone protective cover is included in the scope of delivery. Also included are a 10-watt charging adapter, a USB-C cable, instructions and a SIM needle. A screen protector is also already glued to the 6.53-inch display.

As usual, the power button and volume control are on the right outside. Both sit without play in the plastic body of the Redmi 9. On the left outside is the SIM card holder, which can be used with two nano-SIM cards and a micro SD (up to 2TB) at the same time. To unlock, the Redmi 9 offers a classic fingerprint sensor on the back or face recognition. Both work within a second. The device is controlled either via configurable Android onscreen buttons or swiping gestures. Both work without any problems. Unfortunately, Xiaomi does not have a notification LED in the Redmi 9, and notification junkies don’t get their money’s worth. If you want to see your notifications, then you inevitably have to pick up the device. The centrally positioned cameras do not even protrude a millimeter from the rear and close correctly with the supplied cover. There are only three sensors and the fingerprint scanner in the black camera module. Right next to it is another small black element that houses the LED flash and the fourth camera (quad-camera set-up).

The bottom is equipped with a new USB-C connection, a 3.5mm headphone jack, microphone and speaker. On the top of the Redmi 9, there is a second noise-suppressing microphone and the Redmi-typical infrared transmitter. Redmi 9 does almost everything right in terms of quality and design. The housing looks high-quality is stable and optically a real eye-catcher. The scratch-resistant ribbed back and the excellent feel in hand round off the Redmi 9 perfectly. Only the notification LED would have led to a perfect result.

Display

6.5 inches are nothing special these days, but full HD resolution for models under 150 euros is still. The Xiaomi Redmi 9 delivers both and does its job quite well in terms of display quality thanks to the IPS LCD. Except for the maximum brightness, which we measured at only 315 cd / m² in the test – that not only deviates significantly from the manufacturer’s information (400 cd / m²) but also doesn’t match the good readability in bright ambient light, despite everything. Contrasts, colour display and viewing angle stability, on the other hand, are not only suitable for such an inexpensive smartphone. Also convincing: The already mentioned narrow edges around the panel, including the teardrop notch in the middle of the upper panel edge, are also designed to be comparatively space-saving.

Hardware:

A Mediatek Helio G80 powers the smartphone, and it not only outperforms the Redmi Note 9 in some benchmarks. The Redmi 9 however, also the largest memory version with 4 / 64GB, whereby the performance should not suffer as much with 3 / 32GB. These are LPDDR4X RAM and eMMC 5.1 memory. The RAM brings it to 11GB / s, and the internal memory is also clearly above average with a read/write rate of 313/254 MB / s. For the price range just over € 100, both the system and the game performance are clearly above average. The Helio G80 eight-core processor clocks with 2 x 2.0GHz in the performance cluster and has six energy-saving cores at the start. Even 3D games run smoothly on low graphics settings. A Mali-G52 GPU supports the processor. The SoC is manufactured using the energy-saving 12-nanometer process.

Camera:

Xiaomi also accommodates a quad-camera in the Redmi 9. If you take a look at the individual sensors, our enthusiasm is limited.

• Main camera: 13 megapixels f / 2.2 (Omnivison_ov13b10)
• Ultra wide angle: 8 megapixels f / 2.2 (Samsung_s5k4h7_i)
• Macro camera: 5 megapixels f / 2.4 (Galaxycore_gc5035_i)
• Depth camera: 2 megapixels (Omnivison_ov2180)
• Front camera: 8 megapixels f / 2.0 (Samsung_s5k4h7_i)

In the standard, the recordings with the main camera lack a bit of dynamism and the colours are rather pale for Xiaomi standards. As soon as you activate the automatic HDR mode, you get rid of the dynamic problem for the most part, and in good lighting conditions, the recordings with the main sensor are quite impressive. The sharpness is excellent, the details are always sufficient and, if desired, the AI ​​mode also boosts the colours to an exaggerated level. The ultra-wide-angle shots aren’t as bad as I ultimately expected. Accurate colours and sufficient contrast are the positive sides. The few details and the extensive blurring at the edges of the photos have a negative impact.

Nevertheless, the Redmi 9 can conjure up beautiful daylight shots with the main camera, the selfie camera and even the ultra-wide camera.

Battery:

Mediatek processors were often criticized in the past when it came to good battery life. But the manufacturer has improved, although there is still potential because 12 nanometers are not very current now. Nevertheless, the Redmi 9 is well-armed with a large 5020 mAh battery.

Connectivity and Communication:

The Redmi 9 transmits with strong reception on all network frequencies required in Germany. VoLTE (calls over the LTE network) and VoWIFI (calls over the WLAN) are also possible without any problems. The call quality is good, and the additional microphone reliably removes background noise. The SAR value is 0.79 W / kg (head), and 1.1 W / kg (body) and the following network frequencies are supported by the Redmi 9.

• 2G: GSM: B2 / 3/5/8
• 3G: UMTS: B1 / 2/4/5/8
• 4G: LTE-FDD: B1 / 2/3/4/5/7/8/20/28

Pros:

1. outstanding performance
2. Top display fast and reliable fingerprint scanner
3. good battery life
4. Dual SIM + Micro SD usable camera in daylight strong reception (network, WiFi, GPS)
5. excellent design + quality

Cons:

1. Weak cameras in low light
2. Video recordings not good enough
3. No notification LED

Verdict:

For a smartphone that is less than € 150, you don’t have to think twice. The quality of the Redmi 9 is excellent, the display is sharp and sufficiently bright, the performance for the price range is fantastic, and the Redmi 9 scores well in terms of reception. The notification LED would have been the icing on the cake, but unfortunately, you have to do without it. There is a grandiose back made of plastic, and the battery life is always okay. The camera is the only thing that doesn’t completely convince me. Video recordings and recordings in poor light may be just useless. The Redmi 9 makes the entry-level class more attractive again, and you hardly have to do without relevant features compared to the average middle class. If you are looking for a cheap mobile phone that still has all the smartphone features ready, you should keep an eye on other offers.

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