Xiaomi on Thursday launched two new phones in India – the Redmi Note 9 Pro and the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. Surprisingly, the Chinese smartphone maker did not unveil the vanilla Redmi Note 9, and there is also no word when, or if, it will be launched in India. As for the Redmi Note 9 Pro and the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, both pack a quad rear camera setup and are powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC. Despite their similarities, there a few differences between the two phones to set them apart aside from their asking price. Here's how the two phones stack up against each other:
The Redmi Note 9 Pro starts at Rs. 12,999 for the 4GB+64GB variant, while the phone's 6GB+128GB model will set buyers back by Rs. 15,999. It comes in Interstellar Black, Glacier White, and Aurora Blue colour options.
As for the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, it carries a price tag of Rs. 14,999 for the base 6GB+64GB variant and Rs. 16,999 for the 6GB+128GB model. The top-end 8GB+128GB model will come at a premium of Rs. 18,999. Redmi Note 9 Pro Max will hit the shelves in a trio of colours - Interstellar Black, Glacier White, and Aurora Blue.
Redmi Note 9 Pro and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max are both dual-SIM (Nano) phones that run Android 10-based MIUI 11 out-of-the-box. Both the phones feature a 6.67-inch full-HD+ (1080 x 2400 pixels) display with 450 nits brightness, Gorilla Glass 5 protection and an oleophobic layer on top. The similarities don't just end there, as the two Redmi Note 9-series phones also draw power from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC.
The Redmi Note 9 Pro pairs the Qualcomm SoC with 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of onboard storage that is further expandable via a microSD card (up to 512GB). As for the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, it ups the RAM capacity to 8GB, while the peak storage space remains 128GB. Of course, Redmi Note 9 Pro Max users will also have the flexibility to expand the storage via a microSD card (up to 512GB).
Coming to the camera hardware, this is where the two phones stand apart. Redmi Note 9 Pro features a 48-megapixel main camera with a 1/2.25 inch CMOS image sensor and an f/1.79 aperture. It is accompanied by an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera with a 119-degrees field of view, a 5-megapixel macro shooter with 2cm focus range, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Selfies and video calls are handled by a 16-megapixel front camera. The Redmi Note 9 Pro, as well as its Max sibling, can record 1080p videos at up to 60fps, slo-mo videos at 960fps, and 4K at 30fps.
The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max's quad rear camera setup is headlined by a 64-megapixel main camera with an f/1.89 aperture that does 4-in-1 pixel binning to produce 16-megapixel photos. It is assisted by an 8-megapixel wide-angle snapper with a 119-degrees field of view, a 5-megapixel macro shooter with 2cm focus distance, a 2-megapixel depth sensor. On the front is a 32-megapixel selfie camera that also does pixel binning to capture brighter photos at an effective 8-megapixel resolution.
Redmi Note 9 Pro comes equipped with a 5,020mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging. Connectivity on the Redmi Note 9 Pro is handled by 4G, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS/ A-GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, Beidou, and NavIC. Sensors onboard include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, compass, gyroscope, and proximity sensor. It measures 165.75x76.68x8.8mm and weighs 209 grams
The more powerful phone of the duo – the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max – also features a 5,020mAh battery, but it can be charged at a quicker pace, thanks to support for 33W fast charging. Thankfully, the 33W charger will come inside the phone's retail package. Connectivity suite of the new Xiaomi phone includes 4G, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS/ A-GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, Beidou, and NavIC. Sensors packed inside the phone include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, compass, gyroscope, and proximity sensor.
Is Realme 6 the Redmi Note 8 Pro killer India has been waiting for? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
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