Redmi Note 10 Pro Max review - Questioning the existence of premium phones - Android

Last year, Xiaomi introduced the Pro Max variant to the Redmi Note lineup to mark the ultimate evolution of its bestselling smartphone series. It was, however, lame in many aspects; most buyers were better off buying the Redmi Note 9 Pro instead as a better value proposition. There was barely any noticeable upgrade over the […]

The post Redmi Note 10 Pro Max review: Questioning the existence of premium phones appeared first on BGR India.

Last year, Xiaomi introduced the Pro Max variant to the Redmi Note lineup to mark the ultimate evolution of its bestselling smartphone series. It was, however, lame in many aspects; most buyers were better off buying the Redmi Note 9 Pro instead as a better value proposition. There was barely any noticeable upgrade over the standard model.  This year too, things seem to remain the same with the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max.

Last year’s Note 9 Pro Max had three differentiating factors over the regular Note 9 Pro – two new cameras and a faster charging solution. This year, the only difference between the Pro and Pro Max is the 108-megapixel camera on the latter. The Note 10 Pro Max is pricier too than its predecessor, starting at Rs 18,999. That’s quite a premium, especially for a phone that has the “Redmi Note” nametag.

That starting price of Rs 18,999 also puts it dangerously close to the Mi 10i – another Xiaomi mid-ranger that’s our current favourite. Don’t forget the Realme 7 Pro and Realme X7 too! Intriguing choices for the demanding Indian consumer!

How does the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max fare in this crowded space of “wannabe premium” smartphones?

Design, Build

I talked at length about the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max’s design as well as build quality in our first impressions piece; feel free to refer it for a detailed insight. If you haven’t got the mood to read it, here’s a summary – the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max elevates the benchmark in smartphone design and build quality in its category.

The Mi 10T-inspired design is fresh for the segment. With its chrome-ring-laced main camera and floating glass surfaces covering the entire hump, the Note 10 Pro Max looks plush. Pair that to the new “Evol” design (which is basically a fancy term for subtle gradient shades), the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is a beautiful phone to behold. The Dark Night colour variant I had gets a glossy finish but you get matte finishes on other colour variants.

The build quality is the best I have seen in any phone at this price. Despite having a plastic frame, Xiaomi’s designers have done a good job in masking that “plasticky” feel. The power key cleverly hides the fingerprint sensor while the buttons themselves are tactile. The front looks no different from the Mi 10i – you see the same thick chin and slim bezels around the 6.7-inch display. Oh yes, the stereo speaker setup has got a dedicated second speaker, not an earpiece-integrated unit.

I appreciate Xiaomi’s efforts for pre-applying a screen protector on the display despite a Gorilla Glass 5 protection rating. The rear though, is prone to scuffs and scratches. In the last ten days, the Note 10 Pro Max has got signs of ageing all across its edges. Using the in-box case is highly recommended!

Display

The biggest upgrade to the Redmi Note 10 series this year is the AMOLED display technology. For the Pro variants, Xiaomi turns the refresh rate up to 120Hz. AMOLED and 120Hz – these two terms alone can get the potential Redmi Note crowd excited. Do these work? To a larger extent, yes.

The AMOLED display makes for the biggest upgrade over the Note 9 Pro Max. Xiaomi hasn’t gone for the over-the-top colour tuning and instead aimed at getting a rather pleasant profile. The traditional “AMOLED blacks” are here but the saturation levels are contained. It also benefits from higher brightness levels, which helps with sunlight legibility. The rated peak brightness of 1200 nits seems legitimate; I was able to read the contents and figure out colours on this display easily under noon sun – something that most phones at this price struggle with.

The high refresh rate also helps with the scrolling and gaming experiences. There’s no variable refresh rate here and the display either sticks to 120Hz or 60Hz. My unit of the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max came with an early build of MIUI 12 and that tagged along some bugs as well as stability issues, which eventually resulted in lags and stutters, thereby cancelling the benefit of the high refresh rate display. Maybe a future software update could fix this.

The AMOLED display also allows for an Always On Display feature making it to the Redmi Note series for the first time. This option, however, only keeps the minimalist AOD interface for 10 seconds before turning it off. This then isn’t an Always On Display. It is more akin to the Moto Peek display on Motorola smartphones.

Performance

With a Snapdragon 732G at the helm, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is on par with some of the most capable smartphones under the Rs 20,000 segment. We have seen this chip earlier in the Poco X3; it has adequate muscles to pamper demanding users. On the Note 10 Pro Max, this chip is at home too, even if you are pushing an extra hour in Call of Duty: Mobile.

On a daily basis, the Note 10 Pro Max works as advertised, i.e. it opens up menus fast and can manage 4-5 apps simultaneously without issues. My unit of the Note 10 Pro Max did throw up occasional stutters and delays, which can be attributed to the bugs in the early release version of this Android 11-based MIUI 12. On most days though, this phone works like a charm and I never felt the lack of a high-performance chip on this Redmi Note.

I also tried my hands at gaming and the Pro Max did not disappoint. I was able to get a consistently smooth gameplay experience on this phone at “High” graphics in “Ultra” frame rate. Even after 2.5 hours of constant battling in the Deathmatch mode, I did not find the Pro Max heating up uncomfortably or dropping frames. Genshin Impact, however, was playable at best and I had to reduce the quality to get good frame rates.

The gaming experience is also helped by the dedicated stereo speaker setup that delivers a fulfilling audio experience. The stereo effect is effective but the setup isn’t loud though; I had to cup the speakers with my palms often to hear the footsteps over my brother’s towering stereo speakers on his ROG Phone 2. The output from the headphone jack is great and those owning high-performance headphones will certainly enjoy it. Plus, MIUI lets you tune the audio output via headphones in umpteen ways.

Then there’s MIUI; you either love it or loathe it. I belong to the former crowd and in its latest guise, MIUI 12 is one of the fanciest Android experiences I have had. The iOS 14 inspirations do make for an interesting smartphone experience, especially with all the animations. There’s so much to play with and so much to make your life easier on the go. The bloatware still exists but Xiaomi has now reduced it to the “absolutely necessary” apps.

In its current state though, MIUI 12 is weird. On one hand, it tries to bring more of Xiaomi’s apps and services on board. For example, there’s a GetApps app store alongside the Google Play Store that consistently bugs with useless notifications. The Control Center (Xiaomi’s idea of Quick Settings) holds shortcuts to all the smart home devices, just like Android 11. However, Xiaomi pre-loads it with a dozen Google apps that most of you may not use. It replaces its more useful MIUI dialler app with the Google Phone app. Same is the case for the Contacts. There’s Google Photos alongside the MIUI Gallery app as well. There is no visible trace of Android 11 here but Xiaomi is throwing the entire suite of Google apps at your face.

For a new user, MIUI is overwhelming with the abundance of apps and options thrown at the user directly. Maybe Xiaomi could make this easier for users and give them options to try out the other features at their own pace. Additionally, it would be fine if Xiaomi stops desperately marrying the stock Android feels with its MIUI experience.

Throughout my time with the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, I did not face issues with connectivity as well as speeds. My Jio connection latched on to the network even in basements and kept the internet speeds intact. I did face call drop issues occasionally; something for Xiaomi to look into, maybe fix with a software update.

Cameras

The primary reason you opt for the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max over the vanilla Pro variant is the 108-megapixel camera. To pull you out of suspense, it makes for a genuinely good camera experience, especially in this sub-Rs 20,000 segment. In fact, the main camera performance is more akin to what I experienced with the Mi 10i.

Having a large 108-megapixel camera with a 1/1.52-inch sensor and 0.7µm pixels makes for slightly more detailed photos in comparison to the bunch of phones using a 64-megapixel camera sensor. The default output from this Samsung HM2 sensor is rated at 12-megapixels, with 9-in-1 pixel binning at work. In daylight, I was able to see the gains in shadow areas as well as slightly better details.

Switch over to the 108MP mode and you are getting a full resolution output with more details. In fact, this mode negates the need for a dedicated zoom camera in good lighting. As light levels start dropping, the 108MP mode struggles with detail retention and noise starts creeping up. It is wiser to switch to the regular mode, turn on the HDR and AI to churn out good-looking photos in challenging low light conditions. A Night Mode is there for getting long-exposure shots and that helps to a large extent.

However, there are drawbacks to this 108-megapixel camera too. Having such a large sensor makes for a very limited focal plane, which often blurs out edges while taking close-ups and portraits. Xiaomi’s camera tuning bumps up the saturation and contrast unnecessarily even when you turn off the AI intervention. Human figures have a reddish cast on skins while other colours are boosted, often making the photo look artificial. The lack of an OIS system also makes for shaky photos, if you have unstable hands like mine.