Xiaomi is constantly introducing new smartphones to India. Redmi 9 Prime, the latest entry in the 9 Series series was introduced in India by Xiaomi. It is available in the Budget segment at Rs 9,999 and includes the most recent features such as MediaTek Helio G80 SoC with quad rear cameras, a 5,020mAh lithium battery, 18W Quick Char 3.0, and MediaTek Helio G80 SoC. Redmi 9 Prime Review: What does it offer? Should you buy it?
Design and display
The phone’s design is very good, especially considering the cost. A retail box contains paperwork, a silicone cover, a USB charger cord, and a 10W adapter. The fast charger is not included in the package. Contrary to the Redmi Note 9’s glossy design, this phone doesn’t have a glossy back panel. Instead, it has a matte-finish texture that prevents fingerprints and smudges. Redmi 9 prime is slightly larger than other Xiaomi smartphones. Nevertheless, we didn’t mind the wider outlook.
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This is the color we loved and received to review. The Space Blue color looks stunning. It also comes in other colours, including Mint Green and Matte Black. The camera arrangement on the Redmi 9 Prime was also very pleasing to us. This device is very similar to the Redmi Note 8 Pro last year, which also featured a tablet-shaped module camera. Although slightly higher than the rest of the phone, it reminds us a lot of the Poco X2. Below the camera is a fingerprint scanner that we have found faster than most other Xiaomi smartphones. It is a perfect placement, but not for long-finger users. Most of your fingers will touch the sensor to unlock the smartphone. You will get used to it after a few days.
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Redmi 9 Prime is located on the upper edge. It has an IR Blaster. On the lower end, you will find a USB Type C charging port and a pair of firing speakers. On the right are power and volume buttons.
The phone is also equipped with a Full HD+ display. FHD+ is rare at this price. Redmi 9 Prime has a 6.53-inch full-HD+ with 1,080×2,340 pixels of resolution. This display features a 19.5×9 aspect ratio, 394ppi density of pixels, 400nits brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass protection. You will find vibrant colours with good contrast. The display is also very sharp. While the brightness is great for outdoors, you will need to have more light for indoors. The smartphone’s front panel is very similar to that of the Redmi Note 9 Series, with the exception of the notch. This is a great display for a smartphone under 10K.
Performance and Camera
MediaTek Helio A80 SoC powers this phone. This octa core processor has six Cortex A55 cores that clock at 1.8GHz while the other two Cortex A75 cores are running at 2GHz. Redmi 9 Prime comes in two different configurations — 4GB RAM with 64GB storage and 4GB RAM with 128GB storage. Our review unit is the 128GB model. It is available at a starting price of Rs 11,999, while the base version starts at Rs 9,999.
Redmi 9 Prime is the perfect phone for you if your needs are simple. It can do all of your daily tasks, including calling, browsing and checking social media, as well as taking photos (within budget). We didn’t experience any lag even when multitasking. We did not experience any performance drops when switching between applications at regular intervals. In fact, during our test we left many open apps to see if the app’s armor is weaker.
Although the processor is expensive, it’s a solid gaming-focused one. While we were playing Call of Duty: Mobile at high graphics, there weren’t any hiccups. This makes the game enjoyable while keeping costs down. Although it can get hot, this is perfectly acceptable.
Software-wise, Redmi 9 Prime uses MIUI 11 to top off Android 10, and it is very similar to the experience on many Xiaomi phones. You will find a couple of apps pre-installed, such as GetApps. Zili. Rummyking, ShareMe. Credit. and Pay. There may also be a few more games. The device does not contain any Chinese apps, since most were prohibited in China. Game Turbo allows gamers to access all games on their phone from one location. This smartphone has parental controls tools, which is something we should be proud of. This is a great addition to parents who wish their children to be able use this phone. We did not enjoy the fact that Zilli keeps showing us useless notifications. It is possible to uninstall the app.
Let’s get to the cameras now, there are four cameras at the back of the phone including a 13-megapixel primary sensor with f/2.2 aperture. A secondary 8-megapixel ultra wide camera has a 118 degree field of view, and an f/2.2 aperture. There is also a macro lens that can be used with f/2.4 aperture. The depth sensor measures 2 megapixels. Basic features like HDR, AI and filters are available in the camera app. Pro mode is also offered. The Redmi 9 Prime took decent photos in daylight, with good exposure and details. It took some not-so great shots at night. Also, you don’t get a dedicated night mode feature on the Redmi 9 Prime, which is a drawback.
The wide-angle lens can produce low-resolution photos that are also less vibrant. However, with proper lighting you can get much better images. The AI can recognize scenes quickly when it’s enabled. However, if the subject is closer it can take some time for AI to focus. Sometimes blurred images are possible. To get perfect shots with the Redmi 9 prime, you have to wait. If you don’t have patience, portrait sensors can take decent shots. They are good at capturing details and the subject.
The 8-megapixel front facing camera has a 77.8 degree field of view, f/2.0 aperture and 8-megapixel resolution. The same as the daylight photos, it shares the same story. The video delivers good details and colours. Video capabilities only allow for 1080P at 30FPS. This device is lacking details and stabilization. This is not the best device for vloggers as it cannot be used for recording general purposes.
It also has an enormous 5020mAh battery. It can last almost two days on a normal charge. Even when gaming on Redmi 9 Prime, you get almost a day of battery life. However, the Redmi 9 Prime comes pre-charged with a 10W charging cable. It takes over three homes to completely charge it.
Conclusion
Redmi 9 Prime has proven to be very reliable for normal phone tasks. For better performance we recommend the high-end variant as the one that we tested. The gaming performance was excellent. While the camera quality is not exceptional, it does justify its price. Redmi 9 Prime currently ranks as the top budget phone below Rs 10,000.
There are pros
Full HD Panel
Long-lasting
It is nice to have a camera.
Cons
Night mode not provided
Charge slowly
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