Xiaomi Redmi 9 Review
Xiaomi Mi 9, contender for the best value flagship smartphone :-
Chinese consumer electronics company Xiaomi unveiled its latest low-cost flagship smartphone, the Xiaomi Mi 9, late last month. While the latest premium smartphones from Samsung and Huawei push the $1000 mark, Xiaomi’s Mi 9 starts at nearly half that price. On paper, Xiaomi doesn’t seem to be making very many compromises with the Mi 9. It’s one of the first smartphones to launch with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, and the first smartphone to support 20W wireless charging. It has a triple rear camera setup including a 48MP sensor, telephoto lens, and wide-angle lens. It has a fifth-generation optical under-display fingerprint scanner, a gradient back with a holographic effect, and nearly bezel-less design with a tiny notch. High-end specs aren’t enough to give you a decent experience on their own; it’s up to Xiaomi to take full advantage of the Mi 9’s hardware so you don’t notice where they may have cut corners.
There are compromises nearly everywhere, but when you’re getting a flagship smartphone that costs $450 (for the base 6GB of RAM/64GB of storage model), you’re likely to be pretty forgiving of a few compromises here and there. Fortunately for Xiaomi, the compromises they’ve made are easy to overlook. The Xiaomi Mi 9, in my view, is the best full-compromise smartphone on the market. Here’s why.
Key Specs :-
Android v9.0 (Pie)
Performance :-
Octa core (2.84 GHz, Single Core + 2.42 GHz, Tri core + 1.8 GHz, Quad core)
Snapdragon 855
6 GB RAM
Display :-
6.39 inches (16.23 cm)
1080x2340 px, 403 PPI
AMOLED
Camera :-
48 MP + 12 MP + 16 MP Triple Primary Cameras
Dual-color LED Flash
20 MP Front Camera, Screen flash
Battery :-
3300 mAh
Quick Charging 4.0
USB Type-C port, Doesn't support micro-USB
Design and build quality of the Xiaomi Mi 9 :-
The Xiaomi Mi 9 is stylish, and the triple rear cameras look mildly futuristic as well. There is a camera bump, however, which the included gel silicone case doesn’t quite solve. The Xiaomi Mi 9 has a slender metal body coated entirely in glass with Gorilla Glass 6 on the front. It has a perfect amount of weight in that it doesn’t feel heavy yet still feels premium. The glass design on the back is rather empty, except for the small regulatory information at the bottom with a “Designed by Xiaomi” insignia below it. The rest is pure reflective glass, and it looks great. We received the pretty boring “Piano Black” variant, whereas the other, brighter options like the Violet may have looked nicer. Still, I’m not really complaining. Color is a personal preference, and the rest of the device will be the same otherwise.
Moving on to the display, the 19.5:9 6.39-inch AMOLED display is excellent, bright, and sharp. The viewing angles are nothing to worry about and you’ll have no trouble using this device in direct sunlight. Some may dislike that this display is only 1080p, but I really don’t mind. It looks crisp and is definitely good enough for a flagship smartphone at such a value. The 90.7% screen-to-body ratio really makes for an immersive experience, and with the black edges and AMOLED display, any content with a black background looks like it’s floating off of the screen. The display on the Xiaomi Mi 9 looks crazy good.
The notch has been treated pretty weirdly by Xiaomi. When I first received this device for review, the notch was a U shape. I noticed that after a software update the other day that it now appeared to be a water drop shape. I thought that I may be turning insane, though I Googled photos other reviewers had put up of their Xiaomi Mi 9 and I discovered that yes, Xiaomi had indeed changed the shape of the notch via a software update. There is now a black pixel overlay to change the shape of the notch, which is pretty strange, to be honest. I don’t really care, though I found it odd that they would care enough to change the look of the notch via a software update. That’s without even getting into the fact that the status bar actually extends past the notch, rather than stopping at the end of it like most other notched smartphones.
I apologize for the poor quality photo, but shining a light up close is the best way to show how the notch has changed in shape. You can see the black pixel overlay surrounding the notch, but the display definitely has a U-shaped cutout. It’s worth noting that official renders now show a water drop notch too. The fact that Xiaomi was able to change it without me really noticing is an excellent demonstration of how great AMOLED blacks can be; it’s hardly noticeable at all in general usage. To the right of the notch, there’s an LED notification light, though it can only flash white.
Like previous Xiaomi Mi smartphones, the Xiaomi Mi 9 lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack. There’s a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack dongle in the box, though it’s disappointing to see Xiaomi not include a headphone jack as part of the device. Thankfully the dongle works while wirelessly charging, so you can still plug in earphones and charge your phone at the same time. Audio output sounds great and gets nice and loud, powering my Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 headphones just fine. The single-firing speaker at the bottom actually sounds pretty good even if it’s nothing ground-breaking. Call quality is also great, both receiving and sending. The microphone does a fine job of canceling out background noise and making your voice easy to distinguish.
As for haptics, the Xiaomi Mi 9 has the best vibration in a Xiaomi smartphone yet. It’s pretty strong and not all too loud so that you’ll feel it rather than hear it. Navigating with haptic feedback feels nice, though it’s certainly not on the same level as Apple’s vibration motors. Even so, it’s a step in the right direction and better than a lot of smartphones on the market today.
Finally, the Xiaomi Mi 9 features two signal antennae at the bottom: one at the top and one on the left side. Surprisingly, signal strength is actually excellent on this device. For reasons unknown to me, I can’t seem to actually maintain a 4G connection in Dublin most of the time, but I have full bars on H+ everywhere. For me, having a consistent connection is more important than a fluctuating 4G connection. That’s not to say I don’t get 4G on this device—I certainly do, I just don’t get it in large urban areas where it would be expected.
Chinese consumer electronics company Xiaomi unveiled its latest low-cost flagship smartphone, the Xiaomi Mi 9, late last month. While the latest premium smartphones from Samsung and Huawei push the $1000 mark, Xiaomi’s Mi 9 starts at nearly half that price. On paper, Xiaomi doesn’t seem to be making very many compromises with the Mi 9. It’s one of the first smartphones to launch with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, and the first smartphone to support 20W wireless charging. It has a triple rear camera setup including a 48MP sensor, telephoto lens, and wide-angle lens. It has a fifth-generation optical under-display fingerprint scanner, a gradient back with a holographic effect, and nearly bezel-less design with a tiny notch. High-end specs aren’t enough to give you a decent experience on their own; it’s up to Xiaomi to take full advantage of the Mi 9’s hardware so you don’t notice where they may have cut corners.
There are compromises nearly everywhere, but when you’re getting a flagship smartphone that costs $450 (for the base 6GB of RAM/64GB of storage model), you’re likely to be pretty forgiving of a few compromises here and there. Fortunately for Xiaomi, the compromises they’ve made are easy to overlook. The Xiaomi Mi 9, in my view, is the best full-compromise smartphone on the market. Here’s why.
Key Specs :-
Android v9.0 (Pie)
Performance :-
Octa core (2.84 GHz, Single Core + 2.42 GHz, Tri core + 1.8 GHz, Quad core)
Snapdragon 855
6 GB RAM
Display :-
6.39 inches (16.23 cm)
1080x2340 px, 403 PPI
AMOLED
Camera :-
48 MP + 12 MP + 16 MP Triple Primary Cameras
Dual-color LED Flash
20 MP Front Camera, Screen flash
Battery :-
3300 mAh
Quick Charging 4.0
USB Type-C port, Doesn't support micro-USB
Design and build quality of the Xiaomi Mi 9 :-
The Xiaomi Mi 9 is stylish, and the triple rear cameras look mildly futuristic as well. There is a camera bump, however, which the included gel silicone case doesn’t quite solve. The Xiaomi Mi 9 has a slender metal body coated entirely in glass with Gorilla Glass 6 on the front. It has a perfect amount of weight in that it doesn’t feel heavy yet still feels premium. The glass design on the back is rather empty, except for the small regulatory information at the bottom with a “Designed by Xiaomi” insignia below it. The rest is pure reflective glass, and it looks great. We received the pretty boring “Piano Black” variant, whereas the other, brighter options like the Violet may have looked nicer. Still, I’m not really complaining. Color is a personal preference, and the rest of the device will be the same otherwise.
Moving on to the display, the 19.5:9 6.39-inch AMOLED display is excellent, bright, and sharp. The viewing angles are nothing to worry about and you’ll have no trouble using this device in direct sunlight. Some may dislike that this display is only 1080p, but I really don’t mind. It looks crisp and is definitely good enough for a flagship smartphone at such a value. The 90.7% screen-to-body ratio really makes for an immersive experience, and with the black edges and AMOLED display, any content with a black background looks like it’s floating off of the screen. The display on the Xiaomi Mi 9 looks crazy good.
The notch has been treated pretty weirdly by Xiaomi. When I first received this device for review, the notch was a U shape. I noticed that after a software update the other day that it now appeared to be a water drop shape. I thought that I may be turning insane, though I Googled photos other reviewers had put up of their Xiaomi Mi 9 and I discovered that yes, Xiaomi had indeed changed the shape of the notch via a software update. There is now a black pixel overlay to change the shape of the notch, which is pretty strange, to be honest. I don’t really care, though I found it odd that they would care enough to change the look of the notch via a software update. That’s without even getting into the fact that the status bar actually extends past the notch, rather than stopping at the end of it like most other notched smartphones.
I apologize for the poor quality photo, but shining a light up close is the best way to show how the notch has changed in shape. You can see the black pixel overlay surrounding the notch, but the display definitely has a U-shaped cutout. It’s worth noting that official renders now show a water drop notch too. The fact that Xiaomi was able to change it without me really noticing is an excellent demonstration of how great AMOLED blacks can be; it’s hardly noticeable at all in general usage. To the right of the notch, there’s an LED notification light, though it can only flash white.
Like previous Xiaomi Mi smartphones, the Xiaomi Mi 9 lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack. There’s a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack dongle in the box, though it’s disappointing to see Xiaomi not include a headphone jack as part of the device. Thankfully the dongle works while wirelessly charging, so you can still plug in earphones and charge your phone at the same time. Audio output sounds great and gets nice and loud, powering my Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 headphones just fine. The single-firing speaker at the bottom actually sounds pretty good even if it’s nothing ground-breaking. Call quality is also great, both receiving and sending. The microphone does a fine job of canceling out background noise and making your voice easy to distinguish.
As for haptics, the Xiaomi Mi 9 has the best vibration in a Xiaomi smartphone yet. It’s pretty strong and not all too loud so that you’ll feel it rather than hear it. Navigating with haptic feedback feels nice, though it’s certainly not on the same level as Apple’s vibration motors. Even so, it’s a step in the right direction and better than a lot of smartphones on the market today.
Finally, the Xiaomi Mi 9 features two signal antennae at the bottom: one at the top and one on the left side. Surprisingly, signal strength is actually excellent on this device. For reasons unknown to me, I can’t seem to actually maintain a 4G connection in Dublin most of the time, but I have full bars on H+ everywhere. For me, having a consistent connection is more important than a fluctuating 4G connection. That’s not to say I don’t get 4G on this device—I certainly do, I just don’t get it in large urban areas where it would be expected.
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