Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 first impressions - Good looks in a compact form factor - Android

The last Redmi Note that I personally liked was the Redmi Note 7 launched in early 2019. That was one massive upgrade, be it in terms of the camera, the design, the battery or any other department. Fast forward to 2021, Xiaomi has now released the Redmi Note 10 series, including the base Redmi Note […]

The post Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 first impressions: Good looks in a compact form factor appeared first on BGR India.

The last Redmi Note that I personally liked was the Redmi Note 7 launched in early 2019. That was one massive upgrade, be it in terms of the camera, the design, the battery or any other department. Fast forward to 2021, Xiaomi has now released the Redmi Note 10 series, including the base Redmi Note 10, the Redmi Note 10 Pro and the top-end Redmi Note 10 Pro Max.

More than the Pro Max, which supports flagship features like 120Hz refresh rate, a 108-megapixel camera sensor and so much more, what caught my attention was the Redmi Note 10. This is definitely due to the kind of features it offers at that aggressive price tag of Rs 11,999 for the base 4GB RAM and 64GB storage model.

The top-end model of the Redmi phone offers 6GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage for a price tag of Rs 13,999. The phone will be available for the first time in India on March 16 on Amazon.in, mi.com, Mi Home store, later followed by other offline stores across the country.

I’ve been using the Redmi Note 10 for the last two days and there’s so much that I like about the smartphone. There are some improvements as well, but Xiaomi gets most of it almost right so far with this new iteration of the Redmi Note.

Design, build

The “evol” design of the Redmi Note 10 is absolutely stunning, in my opinion. The matte finish on the polycarbonate back adds to the overall aesthetics and makes it look way more expensive than its price. The expensive models of the Note 10 uses frosted glass finish. The Note 10 comes in three colours including the Aqua Green, Frost White and Shadow Black. Featured here, is the Frost White colour option that takes design cues from Xiaomi’s last Android One phone aka the Mi A3. This white colour option registers dirt and scratches easily. With it you will need to use a case that comes with the box. There’s a screen protector as well to safeguard the display from scratches and external damages.

The vertically aligned quad rear camera setup is neatly placed at the extreme top-left corner with the Redmi logo at the bottom-left. I like the fact that Xiaomi gets rid of that complex camera module design on the Redmi Note 9 series and opts for a minimalist look. The fingerprint sensor sits on the side and is extremely quick at unlocking the phone. For added security, there’s face unlock support as well.

Coming to the front, I like the fact that with the Redmi Note 10, Xiaomi finally drops the dot drop notch style with the new Note. The punch hole camera sits at the top-centre of the screen and offers a larger screen space, which should be good for the movie buffs and gamers out there.

By the looks of it, the phone appears slippery but that isn’t the case in reality. This one offers a good grip and at no point slipped off my hands. The phone is also extremely compact and easy to use with one hand.

Features, specifications

In my two days with the new Redmi Note, I find the display to be one of the best aspects. The Note 10 features a 6.43-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. This is for the very first time that Xiaomi bring sAMOLED panel to the Redmi Note series. With an AMOLED display Xiaomi  clearly smashes the competition such as the Poco M3.

While watching YouTube videos, the screen shows punchy colours and also offers great viewing experience. Scrolling through my Twitter feed is an absolute breeze when compared to the competition. MIUI 12 based on Android 11 OS on this one is refined and the user interface looks cleaner than ever before. There is bloatware pre-installed but they can be deleted when required.

I’m yet to extensively test the cameras but with the few pictures I clicked, the camera performance looks good. Must mention here that the unit I have comes with some bugs probably because it is a early-production unit. Photos clicked with the Redmi Note 10 look stunning with good amount of details in bright light and colours almost accurate. By default, the phone clicks in 12-megapixel mode and you will need to manually enable the 48-megapixel camera mode.

As far as the battery and the performance are concerned, I will need to use the smartphone extensively to talk about them in detail in the full review. Stay tuned.

Redmi Note 10: First impressions

At that aggressive price point of Rs 11,999, the Redmi Note 10 looks like a good option to consider. As for my first impressions, the Redmi Note 10 looks stunning, offers a compact form factor and sturdy build quality. The cameras seem like a mixed bag for now, but I believe the performance can get better once the stable build releases. I will need to test the battery, performance and the cameras extensively to find out whether this is the best one available at the price segment or not. Stay tuned