Nearly 1 year after the launch of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, the company has now launched a new model to replace it in the Indian market. Xiaomi Redmire 5 Plus was first introduced in China. It has been launched in India as Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. Of course, this smartphone has come with many features, but is it capable of carrying forward Xiaomi’s ‘victory journey’ in India? We have done a full investigation…
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Design
Redmi Note 5 is the first handset in the company’s Redmi series to come with an 18:9 display. The first thing you notice when you look at Note 5 is its screen. The front part is completely lost in the 5.99 inch display. The edges are curved, like Google Pixel 2 XL. The screen has full-HD+ resolution. The pixel density is 403 pixels per inch. For protection, 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 3 protection is present. The long display means that the borders have become thin at the edges. But the edges are slightly larger at the top and bottom. On the top, a metallic earpiece has taken place next to the selfie camera and a diffused LED flash has taken place at the top. The lower bezel has been kept empty.
Due to the new aspect ratio, the phone has become longer and thinner. It weighs 180 grams and fits easily in the hand with excellent grip. The power and volume buttons are on the right side of the phone. The hybrid dual SIM slot is on the left side. The power button is easily accessible but the volume button requires a little effort. The phone has a micro USB port. By the way, we wanted a USB Type-C port. An IR emitter is provided at the top. This phone will work as a remote control for household appliances.
The design of the back of the phone is similar to that of the Redmi Note 4. The camera, dual tone LED flash and fingerprint scanner are placed in the centre of the rear panel. The phone is thinner than the Redmi Note 4 but due to the camera bump, it stands up like a rock on a flat surface. It will be available in Gold, Black, Rose Gold and Blue colours. We have reviewed the Black colour variant.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Specifications and Software
In terms of specifications, not much has changed in the new handset compared to the older phone. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 It also has Snapdragon 625 processor. This octa-core processor has a maximum clock speed of 2.0 GHz. For graphics, it has Adreno 506 GPU. This time the company has discontinued the 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage variant which was part of the Note 4 family. In the new Redmi Note 5, users have the option to choose between 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage and 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage.
The handset has a 12-megapixel primary camera. It is equipped with f/2.2 aperture and PDAF. The resolution is lesser than the 13-megapixel camera of Note 4. However, Xiaomi says that due to the larger pixels, it will be able to take better pictures than the previous version. The phone has a hybrid dual SIM tray. You will be able to use two nano SIMs or one nano SIM with a microSD card up to 128 GB at a time. It has Bluetooth 4.2, dual-band Wi-Fi, GPS, USB-OTG and FM radio.
Xiaomi has provided a 4,000mAh battery to power the Note 5 handset, while the older Note 4 had a 4,100mAh battery. The battery is non-removable. It supports quick charging technology. However, the charger provided in the phone’s retail box is not made for this purpose.
The Redmi Note 5 runs MIUI 9 based on Android 7.1.2 Nougat. Xiaomi’s custom ROM is quite different from stock Android. New users may take some time to get used to it. There have been changes in the settings menu. We found the search to be used less frequently. MIUI has support for dual apps. You will be able to keep your data safe with the help of Second Space. You have gestures to take screenshots and launch apps.
You will find many apps from Google and Microsoft pre-installed in the phone. Apart from this, apps like Xiaomi’s Mi Store, Mi Remote, Mi File Manager and Mi Video are also part of the phone. Amazon, Hungama and WPS Office apps are also pre-installed. Apart from Google and Xiaomi’s apps, other apps can be removed.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 performance, camera and battery
The Redmi Note 4 was a great all-rounder and very few handsets could challenge it. The company has done the same with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. The Redmi Note 5 comes with powerful hardware for its price. MIUI 9 is smooth to use and the processor keeps load times in check. Some basic apps load very quickly and even powerful apps don’t take much time. We reviewed the 4GB RAM variant, which is enough for multitasking. In benchmark tests, the phone’s performance was similar to that of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4.
We can also say that the handset is also excellent as a media player. The phone played all kinds of video and audio files. Viewing angles are good. The loudspeaker is also loud. Make sure that your hand does not come in the way of the loudspeaker while holding the phone.
The battery life of the Note 5 impressed us a lot. Despite having a bigger screen and lesser battery capacity than the previous version, the handset lasted for 16 hours and 8 minutes in our video loop test. With normal use, it should be able to last the user for a full day.
The sensor in Redmi Note 5 may have been upgraded, but the camera software is still the same old version. As soon as you turn on the camera, it automatically goes into auto mode. You can also put it in manual, beauty and panorama mode. In manual mode, only the options to change the white balance and ISO settings are given.
Photos taken with Redmi Note 5 during the day and in low light were good. There was no lack of detail in the landscape shots taken in daylight. Exposure was also correct in most cases. The camera focuses quickly. This is helpful for macro shots. Macro shots came out better than we expected. In the photos taken after turning on HDR mode, the dark parts came out with more detail. But the light parts looked burnt out.
In low light, the camera automatically switches to night mode. Landscape shots had low noise. The Redmi Note 5 also performed well when taking pictures from a certain distance. Macro shots require steady hands, but the output is commendable.
The Redmi Note 5 has a diffused selfie flash, which is helpful in low light. The app also has a beauty mode that automatically edits the shot. Selfies are a bit grainy, but are good enough for social media. The rear camera can record videos at a maximum resolution of 4K, while the front camera can record videos at 1080p resolution. There is no stabilization mode, which is not disappointing considering the price.
Our verdict
Xiaomi has done a lot of new experiments with its Redmi Note series. Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 ,Review) came with strong hardware in its segment. On the other hand, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Review) had excellent battery capacity. It seems that Xiaomi has not taken any risk with Note 5. The year has changed, so Note 4 has also been upgraded. The basic things are the same as last year’s handset. Along with this, an attempt has been made to bring an all-rounder handset by removing the old shortcomings. At Rs 9,999, Redmi Note 5 is really a value for money smartphone. If you want ‘a little more’ then you can also choose Redmi Note 5 Pro.