Xiaomi has now launched a new phone under this series. Redmi Note 7S has been launched. Talking about the specification, the same processor has been used in the Redmi Note 7S smartphone which is in Redmi Note 7. Redmi Note 7S has a 48 megapixel camera like Redmi Note 7 Pro. To know whether Redmi Note 7S is the best smartphone, we have tested it, let’s know about it.
Design of Redmi Note 7S
The Redmi Note 7S looks exactly like the Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7 Pro. Like the Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7 Pro, the Redmi Note 7S also has a glass design with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back panels. This gives the phone a premium look which is not common in this price segment.
The glossy back panel makes this phone look premium but the back panel of the phone is easily fingerprinted. Xiaomi has provided a case in the retail box which fits well. The case will protect the devices from fingerprints. From the front side, Redmi Note 7, Redmi Note 7S and Redmi Note 7 Pro look similar, due to which it is difficult to differentiate between these three.
All three models have a large display with a small notch. Xiaomi calls it the “Dot Notch”. The frame is still made of plastic and the button placement is also the same. We found the power button easy to reach while the volume buttons are placed slightly higher. The frame of the Redmi Note 7S is curved which makes the phone fit comfortably in the hand.
The top of the phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack along with an IR emitter and a secondary microphone. The IR emitter is a nifty feature that lets you control your appliances using the Mi Remote app. There are two grilles at the bottom of the phone, only one of which houses the loudspeaker. Apart from this, a USB Type-C port is also provided.
The Redmi Note 7S has a hybrid dual-SIM tray on the left side. So you can use either two nano-SIMs or one SIM and one microSD card. The hybrid dual-SIM slot can be a bit disappointing, especially when some of the rival devices have a dedicated microSD card slot.
Like the Redmi Note 7 Pro, the Redmi Note 7S also has a dual rear camera setup on the back panel. The camera module is slightly raised. The dual-LED flash is placed just below the camera module. We found that the fingerprint scanner is well placed and the sensor is easily accessible.
The fingerprint scanner has a matte finish as compared to the glossy rear panel. Xiaomi has launched three color variants of the Redmi Note 7S – Onyx Black, Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue. We have the Onyx Black color variant of the Redmi Note 7S for review. A 10-watt charger is available in the retail box of the Redmi Note 7S.
Specifications of Redmi Note 7S
The Redmi Note 7S has a 6.3-inch display, especially the borders are given near the bottom and the camera notch. The display supports full-HD + (1080×2340 pixels) resolution. It sports a . The viewing angles and color reproduction of the display are good. Different display modes are provided in the phone, not only this, you can also adjust the color temperature according to your choice.
The Redmi Note 7S is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, which is the same chipset that powers the Redmi Note 7. We have also seen the same processor power the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 (Review) which is priced in the same price segment. The Snapdragon 660 processor is not as powerful as the Snapdragon 675 chipset that powers the Redmi Note 7 Pro.
Xiaomi has launched two variants of Redmi Note 7S, one with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage variant and the other with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage variant. The 3 GB RAM variant of Redmi Note 7S is priced at Rs 10,999, while its premium variant is sold for Rs 12,999. Connectivity includes USB Type-C port, 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and four satellite navigation system support.
Our Redmi Note 7S review unit ran MIUI 10.3 based on Android 9 Pie with the latest May security patch. MIUI is highly customisable but it will feel pretty similar to your previous smartphone if you are upgrading from another Xiaomi smartphone. If you need to make any changes in the settings, the search button will help you.
MIUI also comes with theme support and lets you customize the look of the software. There is a lot of bloatware on the Redmi Note 7S. The smartphone comes preinstalled with Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Dailyhunt, Twitter, Opera News, and Opera Mini. Xiaomi’s own apps like App Store, Music, Mi Video, Mi Drop, Mi Community, and Mi Pay are also available. We found the Music and Mi Video apps to be a bit spammy as they kept sending notifications throughout the day. We have covered most of the shortcuts and features of MIUI 10 in our Redmi Note 7 Pro review.
Redmi Note 7S performance, battery life and camera
The Redmi Note 7S is a capable smartphone that handles most tasks with ease. Scrolling through menus and multitasking between multiple apps was a breeze. The Redmi Note 7S did not slow down at all. The fingerprint sensor also works fast. The phone also has a face unlock feature, it works well in light but in the dark the phone takes longer to unlock.
The Redmi Note 7S has support for Widevine L1 DRM, which will allow you to enjoy Netflix and Amazon Prime videos in HD resolution. The speakers are loud and we enjoyed watching content on this smartphone. The placement of the speakers could have been a little better.
We tried playing PUBG Mobile on the phone and the phone ran it smoothly on medium settings. After playing for about 20 minutes, we noticed that the area above the fingerprint sensor gets a little warm. Like the Redmi Note 7, the Redmi Note 7S also has a 4,000 mAh battery and it also offers similar battery life. In our HD video loop test, the Redmi Note 7S lasted for 13 hours and 17 minutes which is a good score.
The phone charges fast. The charger that comes with the phone charges the phone up to 35 percent in half an hour and up to 65 percent in an hour. It fully charges the phone within two hours. The Redmi Note 7S comes with Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0 standard support but for this you will have to buy a compatible charger separately.
One big difference compared to the Redmi Note 7 is that the camera setup of the Redmi Note 7S is different. The Redmi Note 7S has two rear cameras. There is a 48-megapixel primary camera with F/1.8 aperture with LED flash. It has a 5-megapixel secondary camera. A 13-megapixel front camera has been provided for selfies.
The camera app is similar to what we have seen on other Xiaomi phones and features AI scene recognition support along with HDR and colour filters. There are also various camera modes including Portrait, Panorama, Night and Pro. When shooting with the Redmi Note 7S, the camera AI kicks into action and it can accurately detect plants, buildings and animals. It also automatically enables HDR if you are shooting against the light. Colour reproduction in the images was good.
Macro shots were decent but the phone doesn’t reproduce colours well when taking pictures of flowers. We also found that the edges of our subjects weren’t as sharp as those in photos shot with the Redmi Note 7 Pro. Portrait mode uses the secondary camera and we got decent bokeh effects but there’s no way to adjust the blur levels. Edge detection was good but the Redmi Note 7S tends to overexpose some shots.
Low-light performance was also good, but images showed fine grain. Pictures of distant objects lacked detail. The phone has a night mode that makes pictures brighter, but grain is also visible in the images. Selfies captured good detail and we found the phone’s AI beautification to be useful. Even with HDR enabled, the background of most of our selfies was overexposed.
The primary camera is capable of recording videos at 1080p resolution but you also have the option to record at 30fps or 60fps. Electronic image stabilisation is available on the phone but it is not very effective in low light.
Our verdict
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7S and Note 7 are almost identical when it comes to their hardware. But the main difference between the two is their rear camera modules. If you don’t care about camera performance then the Redmi Note 7 offers a similar experience at a lower price. You Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 ,Review) can also be considered and it is available at a lower price than the Redmi Note 7S.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a phone with good camera performance then Xiaomi Mi A2 (Review) can prove to be a great option for you which is equipped with stock Android. If you can spend a little more money then Redmi Note 7 Pro (Review) is a very good option.