Xiaomi’s Redmi line-up has been the long serving champion of great value for money smartphones. Okay, I might have exaggerated their position a minute there. But they are really good at what they do; they are really good at making budget friendly smartphones that punches above their weight.
Yesterday they launched the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 and Redmi Note10 Pro in Malaysia with prices starting at MYR 799. The new Redmi Note series is, technically, the brand’s most advanced Redmi yet in certain areas.
Redmi Note 10 Pro
You get a very powerful and proven Qualcomm Snapdragon 700 series in the form of a Snapdragon 732G. Unfortunately, you do not get 5G capabilities with the chipset. Then again, 5G technology has yet to see public daylight in Malaysia at this time.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro more than makes up for it with an ultra-powerful 108-Megapixel main camera though. Yes, it is the same 108-Megapixel sensor that the Xiaomi Mi11 gets. You also get the enhanced Night Mode 2.0 for even better low-light shooting capabilities with the high-resolution camera. That added with the dual native ISO nature of the sensor means you can really take this device to the night. The 108-Megapixel camera also comes with an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide sensor, 5-Megapixel telemacro sensor, and a 2-Megapixel depth sensor to make it even more versatile.
You also get the Note 10 Pro with 120Hz AMOLED display. This makes this mid-ranger one of the most unique smartphones in the market. You seldom see 120Hz refresh rates in smartphones at this price, at this range. The 6.67-inch Full HD AMOLED display boasts Full HD+ and is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Of course, all that power needs a lot of electricity to keep it going. That is where the 5,020mAh battery comes in to ensure you get a whole day of running time. You can get the battery charged quickly too at 33W.
Redmi Note 10
The Redmi Note 10 is a little less impressive with 6.43-inch AMOLED DotDisplay taking up its front. But you still get 33W charging on the impressive 5,000mAh battery. You also still get dual speakers similar to the Redmi Note 10 Pro with Hi-Res Audio certification for immersive audio.
The Processor is a step down from the Redmi Note10 as well at a Qualcomm Snapdragon 678. The System on a Chip (SoC) is still no slouch though. You can still play modern mobile games with it with no issues.
On the camera front, while not as impressive as the 108-Megapixel main camera flanked by three other cameras, the Redmi Note 10 still has four cameras packed into the rear section of the device. You get a 48-Megapixel main shooter, which is still relevant today, an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide shooter, a 2-Megapixel macro sensor, and a 2-Megapixel depth sensor.
Redmi Note 10S
Want a higher-resolution camera without breaking your bank with the high-end Redmi Note 10 Pro? There is the in-between model that is the Redmi Note 10S.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S features a 64-Megapixel main shooter that is flanked by an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide sensor, a 2-Megapixel macro camera, and another 2-Megapixel depth camera. You can see a pattern emerging here. The 64-Megapixel sensor though should be able to give you super clear, super pretty photos out-of-the-box.
You are not getting a Qualcomm Snapdragon to boot here though. You are getting a MediaTek Helio G95 SoC to work with. The MediaTek Helio G95 is proven to be a potent and capable processor in mobile gaming, so you should not be left wanting more.
You also get 5,000mAh battery packed in its body for all-day battery and even more. If that is not enough, the battery charges at up to 33W too for a quick trip to the sockets.
Redmi Note 10 5G
If you want to take advantage of 5G networking when its available then you have to look at the 5G variant of the new Xiaomi Redmi Note series. It is the only Redmi Note series that is powered by MediaTek’s latest Dimensity 700 with 5G capabilities. There are some compromises on this device though.
For one, you get one less camera. You still get a high-resolution 48-Megapixel main camera to work with. But you are only getting two other cameras besides. You get a 2-Megapixel macro sensor and another 2-Megapixel depth sensor. You also lose out on the front camera at 8-Megapixel compared to 13 (10 and 10S) and 16 (10 Pro).
You do get a bigger display though at 6.5-inch. You also get an impressive 90Hz AdaptiveSync refresh rate that will optimise itself to keep your device lasting as long as it can on a single charge. You also get a 5,000mAh battery for an impressive battery life. Although, you only get up to 18 in charging speed.
Spec Sheet
| Redmi Note 10 Pro | Redmi Note 10 | Redmi Note 10S* | Redmi Note 10 5G* | |
| Display | 120Hz AMOLED 6.67” DotDisplay | 6.43” AMOLED DotDisplay | 6.43” AMOLED DotDisplay | 90Hz AdaptiveSync 6.5” DotDisplay |
| Rear camera | 108MP wide-angle camera 8MP ultra-wide angle camera 5MP telemacro camera 2MP depth sensor | 48MP wide-angle camera 8MP ultra-wide angle camera 2MP macro camera 2MP depth sensor | 64MP wide-angle camera 8MP ultra-wide angle camera 2MP macro camera 2MP depth sensor | 48MP wide-angle camera 2MP macro camera 2MP depth sensor |
| Front camera | 16MP front camera | 13MP front camera | 13MP front camera | 8MP front camera |
| Dimension & Weight | 164mm x76.5mm x 8.1mm 193g | 160.46mm x 74.5mm x 8.29mm 178.8g | 160.46mm x 74.5mm x 8.29mm 178.8g | 161.81mm x 75.34mm 8.92mm 190g |
| Processor | Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 732G | Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 678 | MediaTek Helio G95 | MediaTek Dimensity 700 |
| RAM+ROM | LPDDR4X UFS 2.2 | LPDDR4X UFS 2.2 | LPDDR4X UFS 2.2 | LPDDR4X UFS 2.2 |
| Audio | Dual speakers 3.5mm headphone jack Hi-Res Audio certification | Dual speakers 3.5mm headphone jack Hi-Res Audio certification | Dual speakers 3.5mm headphone jack Hi-Res Audio certification | 3.5mm headphone jack Hi-Res Audio certification |
| Security | Arc side fingerprint sensor | Arc side fingerprint sensor | Arc side fingerprint sensor | Side-mounted fingerprint sensor |
| Charging | 5,020mAh (typ) battery Supports 33W wired fast charging | 5,000mAh (typ) battery Supports 33W wired fast charging | 5,000mAh (typ) battery Supports 33W wired fast charging | 5,000mAh (typ) battery Supports 18W wired fast charging |
| Connectivity | Dual SIM Multi-functional NFC* IR blaster | Dual SIM IR blaster | Dual SIM Multi-functional NFC IR blaster | 5G Dual SIM Multi-functional NFC IR blaster |
| Variant | 6GB+64GB* 6GB+128GB 8GB+128GB | 4GB+64GB* 4GB+128GB* 6GB+128GB | 6GB+64GB 6GB+128GB 8GB+128GB | 4GB+64GB 4GB+128GB 6GB+128GB |
| Available color | Onyx Gray Glacier Blue Gradient Bronze | Onyx Gray Pebble White Lake Green | Onyx Gray Pebble White Ocean Blue | Chrome Silver Graphite Gray Nighttime Blue Aurora Green |
Price and Availability
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 series, as per mentioned earlier starts at MYR 799 (Note 10 6GB + 128GB). The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro will be available in Malaysia with 128GB storage options only, and it starts at MYR 999 (6GB RAM) and MYR 1,099 (8GB RAM). The Redmi Note 10 will be available 8th March 2021 onward at official Xiaomi physical Stores, authorised retailers, and their official Lazada store. The Redmi Note 10 Pro will be available 15th March onward in Xiaomi’s official offline stores, authorised retailers, and their official store on Lazada. There are no mentions of pricing and availability for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S and Redmi Note 10 5G at this time.