Notes redmi 10 Pro was sold out immediately after launch at a pre-sale price. The smartphone attracts with its excellent price-performance ratio and is one of the most sought-after models from the Redmi workshop.
In the review, we will take a closer look at the display, performance, but also the camera, which has up to 108 MPx. Read on to find out if it's a bargain.
Where to buy Redmi Note 10 Pro?
After a relatively long period of unavailability of this smartphone, all memory versions are now available. You will find the best offer with our international partner, Banggood.
The smartphone is currently not available in European warehouses, but thanks to the well-known EU postage Priority Line you won't pay any extra customs fees.
Contents of the package
We received the Redmi Note 10 Pro in a white box of traditional dimensions. It contains a picture of a smartphone in several colors, the Xiaomi logo and also several specifications related to the smartphone.
Inside is a flat paper box with silicone, translucent packaging and documentation. Below that is already a smartphone in a protective foil and also a charger with a cable. It has a power of 33 W and the charging cable is 1 m long. This is the standard packaging that we are used to with smartphones from the Xiaomi brand.
In our case, we tested a version with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of memory. A 6/64 GB or 8/128 GB version is also available. There are gray, blue and bronze to choose from. We tested a smartphone in gray, the so-called Onyx Gray.
The price difference between the lowest and highest version is currently only at the level of 40 EUR.
Layout of elements and design
The Redmi Note 10 Pro measures 164 x 76.5 x 8.1 mm (height x width x thickness) and weighs exactly 193 g. The phone holds very well in the hand, which is also helped by the curved edges of the back cover.
Slot for SIM this time the card is located on the left side, which does not contain any other elements. 2 can fit into the aforementioned slot SIM cards and a Micro SD memory card. On the right side we find two buttons for volume control and also a button for unlocking with a fingerprint reader. It is quite unusual.
While most readers are slightly embedded in the body of the smartphone, they even protrude slightly upwards. However, this is not a problem and we have not encountered any difficulty in touching this button. In the enclosed package, you will feel the fingerprint reader a little easier, as the package creates the effect of dipping the button into the body.
The bottom side has a charging USB-C port, which is excellently protected against dirt using the aforementioned case, which also contains a cover for this port. There is also a main speaker and a microphone. At the top is a second speaker that produces stereo sound, another microphone and a light sensor. As a bonus, we will also find a classic 3.5 mm input for wired headphones.
In the back there is a module with cameras, which protrudes from the body of the smartphone, but in the case it is sufficiently protected. The cover is glossy and is a fingerprint magnet, like most smartphones today. However, if it accidentally slides in your hands, thanks to the surface texture of the cover, it will definitely not slip out.
Redmi Note 10 pro also received IP53 certification, thanks to which it is resistant to dust and light rain.
AMOLED display with 120 Hz
Unlike its predecessor in the form of the Redmi Note 9 Pro model, we have seen a significant improvement in the display. Redmi Note 10 Pro has a 6.67 ″ AMOLED display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 Px and a pixel density of 395 PPI. The sampling frequency is 240 Hz and at the top of the display we have shot at the front, selfie camera. But it is very small, so it is absolutely not a disruptive element.
The display has a true color rendering and the smoothness is at a high level. Overall, however, this is not a premium panel, as we are used to from flagships. Compared to, for example, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro, which we recently tested, the difference is significant at first glance.
Although both displays have a refresh rate of 120 Hz, the display from the flagship is brighter and has richer colors. However, it is not appropriate to compare smartphones in such a different price category. In its class and price range of up to EUR 300, it is an above-standard display.
In addition, the display is completely flat, so there will be no problem with tempered glass and it will protect the display better than the foil that is glued to it.
Disappointing for us is the always-on function, which we are used to using on all smartphones with an AMOLED display. The Redmi Note 10 Pro does not have a permanent always-on display. It is set to 10 seconds after the smartphone is locked and this parameter cannot be changed. We believe that Xiaomi will offer permanent activation in some update.
Power and memory
The performance is provided by a Snapdragon 732G processor from the American Qualcomm. It is manufactured using 8 nm technology and can operate at 2.3 GHz. It is seconded to the Adreno 618 graphics chip. The processor does not support 5G.
As for RAM, as we mentioned in the introduction, the tested piece has 6 GB LPDDR4X RAM and storage in UFS version 2.2.
The smartphone belongs to the middle class, so the performance is not among the top in the market. It is not a problem to play even demanding games, the phone can handle them, but even with normal use you can sometimes see slower reactions. Some applications sometimes take longer to load than we would like, but slight hesitations in this category are not uncommon.
In the well-known AnTuT benchmark, we achieved a score of 297505, which puts the smartphone in the ranking just behind the Samsung Galaxy A52, which is probably the biggest competitor for him at the time of writing the review. We also ran a memory test. The sequential read speed is 516,4 MB / s and the sequential write speed is 272,7 MB / s. We obtained very similar values in the AndroBench application.
Cameras and their specifications
Many are certainly curious about the camera, from which we also expect a lot. Smartphones in this price range usually don't have a very good camera, but let's take a look at how Redmi Note 10 Pro is.
The main camera module, which protrudes from the back cover, contains up to 4 sensors. Unfortunately, due to its edge placement, the smartphone is difficult to use when placed on a table, as it swings on the camera when using the upper left. But let's take a closer look at the specifications of the cameras themselves:
- main, 108 MPx wide angle camera with sensor size 1 / 1.52 ″ and aperture f / 1.9
- ultra-wide, 8 MPx with a viewing angle of 118 ° and an aperture of f / 2.2
- tele-macro, 5 MPx with autofocus and aperture f / 2.4
- depth of field sensor with 2 Mpx and aperture f / 2.4
There are various special effects of photography such as a moving crowd of people, oil painting, starry sky and the like. However, image stabilization is lacking, which can be reflected especially when shooting video and shooting with long exposures.
The front, selfie camera has 16 MPx and an aperture of f / 2.45. As for video, it can shoot at a maximum resolution of 4K at 30 fps. Other options include 1080p / 60 or 30 fps and 720p / 30 fps. The absence of stabilization probably had the most effect on the quality of the video, but if you shoot from a stable position, the quality is good.
How to take pictures of Redmi Note 10 Pro
Photos taken in sufficient light are very good. The main sensor has a quality output, the colors are well balanced, the sharpness is also at a good level. Below you can see some sample photos.
Ordinary photos have a resolution of 3000 x 4000 Px and take up about 6.5 MB, 108 MPx photo has about 14 MB and a resolution of 9000 x 12000 px. Shooting in 108 Mpx mode is seamless and the processor handles it well. The photo is ready almost immediately after you press the shutter button.
It is worse even in low light, especially in the interior. The quality deterioration is clearly visible here and noise begins to emerge in the photograph. We can also observe several underexposed places. Low light photography is not a strong point of this smartphone, but given its price and category, it is not a disaster.
The smartphone copes quite well with direct sunlight. The places that are in the shade are a bit darker, but we don't have any unwanted sunshine over half of the photo and the sun itself looks very realistic.
Of course there is also a night mode, which works well. Photos using night mode are more illuminated, you can see more details, but the sharpness is lost. However, this is also common with much more expensive models. This mode handles very well even with strong lighting in the dark. We enclose a pair of photos without or with night mode.
Macro photos pleasantly surprised. Macro shooting is very easy thanks to the autofocus and it will please good sharpness and nice color rendering.
The telephoto lens offers a maximum of 2x optical zoom or 10x digital zoom. However, even the optical zoom is not very good, the colors are relatively dark and the sharpness is not at a good level.
The ultra-wide angle lens offers 118 ° angle of view, but is also slightly weaker than the main lens. It offers warmer colors, sufficiently rendered details, but more overexposed areas, especially when shooting on a sunny day. For comparison, we enclose the same shot taken with both the main and ultra-wide angle cameras.
The selfie camera is quite good, although it doesn't have the best dynamic range. But the skin color when taking selfie photos is natural and the photo has enough details.
Charging, endurance and sound
The battery in the Redmi Note 10 Pro has 5020 mAh and as we mentioned in the introduction in the chapter on the contents of the package, the included charger has a power of 33 W, which is not bad at all. We charged the smartphone every day during intensive testing, but with normal daily use, it lasted without any problems for 2 days.
We tested the charging with the mentioned charger when the capacity dropped to 20%. The smartphone is 100% charged in 1 hour and 14 minutes. The course of the whole charging was as follows:
- from 20 to 50% - 19 minutes
- 75% - 40 minutes
- 90% - 56 minutes
- 100% - 1 hour and 14 minutes
The sound output from the stereo speakers is at a very good level. The maximum volume could be a bit higher, but the quality of the speakers is very similar to those found in the flagships from Xiaomi. They will definitely not be ashamed and will also enjoy the 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Connectivity and unlocking options
In terms of connectivity, since we tested the global version, there is no lack of support for our 4G LTE band. 5G is missing, but at the moment we do not take it as a negative, as this new generation network is still only in its infancy.
Of course there is support for Bluetooth (in version 5.1), dual-band WiFi (2.4 GHz and 5 Ghz), positioning systems such as GPS, Galileo, Glonass and Beidou. The smartphone also received IR support and we can also look forward to NFC, which we used daily for payments in supermarkets.
WiFi 6 support is missing, but otherwise the smartphone is very well equipped. Sometimes, however, the display lit up during a call and we inadvertently pressed some of the buttons on the display with our ears. This problem occurs with many Xiaomi smartphones, and unfortunately we can't avoid it here either.
As for unlocking, we have a fingerprint reader on the right side or a face unlock. The fingerprint reader works very well. Although it is not one of the fastest, the delay is minimal. We therefore evaluate it positively. Face unlocking also works very well, but since it is not a completely safe method, we used fingerprint unlocking.
Operating system and MIUI superstructure
Redmi Note 10 Pro comes with Android in version 11 and traditionally with the MIUI extension, this time in version 12.5.1. The system is very well tuned, whether in terms of functionality or design. There is a lot of effective animations for many activities.
An interesting feature of dual applications is that it will create a clone of one of the applications, thanks to which you can use the same application with two different accounts at the same time, without the need to switch. In the application menu you will see the dual application twice, ie on the outside they look like two separate applications.
There is also the popular dark mode, reading mode, themes and really rich customization options.
Final evaluation
The Redmi Note 10 Pro is a very nice mid-range smartphone. It has everything you expect from such a smartphone – a good display, decent cameras, NFC and even a 3.5 mm headphone jack. You will also be pleased with the very decent cutout in the display for the selfie camera, slot for 2 SIM cards with the possibility of expanding the memory with a MicroSD card and a good endurance for one charge.
As a mid-range smartphone, you can't avoid the occasional hesitation of the system. A slightly more powerful processor would help and we would also accept the possibility of setting a permanent always-on display. Overall, however, the smartphone is very well balanced.
AoD at max. 10s can be cycled to make it really "always", I have it done that way 🙂