The best mid-range mobile of 2017 was undoubtedly the Redmi Note 4. This year Xiaomi launched two variants of Redmi Note Series. Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro. While the Redmi Note 5 pro was a major upgrade as it had a lot of bells and whistles, it was considered as a major upgrade to the Redmi Note 4. But the Redmi Note 5 is a slightly cheaper version and it offers some notable upgrades compared to Note 5. Let us check out the Redmi Note 5 in this review and see if it is worth buying.
In the Box
- Redmi Note 5 Mobile
- SIM ejector Pin
- Micro USB Cable
- Charger
- Manuals
Design
The first thing that hits you is the large 18:9 aspect ratio 5.99 inch display. Redmi Note 5 feels solid in the hand thanks to the sturdy metal body construction. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. It has a micro USB port at the bottom and an IR Port at the top. The fingerprint sensor is at the back along with the single 12 MP camera module. The front 5 MP camera is assisted by LED flash. It feels a bit heavy, thanks to the massive 4000 mAh battery. There is nothing new on the mobile with respect to the design language. Apart from the edge to edge display, the design of the Note 5 resembles the Note 4. Nevertheless, the Redmi Note 5 is a workhorse and it is built for everyday practical usage.
Display
Redmi Note 5 has a 5.99 inch IPS LCD screen supporting 2160 x 1080 FHD+ resolution. This results in a pixel density of 403 PPI. The display has 2.5D curved edges. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. The FHD+ screen is bright and vivid. The text and images are clearly visible under both indoor and outdoor lighting conditions. The viewing angles are good. It has night reading mode and the color temperature can be controlled by settings. For a mid-range mobile, the Redmi Note 5 has an exceptional display.
Performance and Hardware
Redmi Note 5 is powered by Snapdragon 625 and has Adreno 506 for GPU. The 3 GB RAM variant has 32 GB of internal storage and the 4 GB RAM variant has 64 GB. It has all the essential sensors, including the Gyro for VR and magnetometer for the compass. Note 5 also has FM Radio. During my review period, I installed over 50 apps and completely filled the memory. Loading resource intensive app and games looks a while, but once loaded, the mobile had no issues handling the games. The graphics rendering quality is average which is expected out of the 506 GPU but it does not have any overheating issues. The mobile got warm by about 8 degrees after 30 minutes of continuous gaming. The games did not show any signs of lag or frame drop in medium graphics setting. Quality of graphics and gaming experience is better than what we saw on the Redmi Note 4, which is weird as both these mobiles have the same hardware. For a mid-range smartphone, the Redmi Note 5 has impressive performance. Overall, the mobile has impressive performance, considering the price segment..
Camera
Redmi Note 4 lacked an exceptional camera and the Redmi Note 5 Pro has an exceptional camera. The Redmi Note 5 falls somewhere in between these two cameras. With a larger pixel size, the Redmi Note 5 has a better camera than the Redmi Note 4. But it does not have all the software processing capability the Note 5 Pro has. The 12 MP rear shooter can shoot some amazing shots in both daylight and low light. It can click good pictures with a great number of details. The exposure is spot on and the contrast is good. It has a decent dynamic range and the HDR mode helps to an extent. Low light performance of the camera is good enough considering the price range of this mobile. This holds good for the front camera as well. I am not a fan of Xiaomi’s skin smoothening algorithm. Though it has a 5 MP camera, the selfies are good enough to be shared on social media. For a mobile in this price range, the camera performance is above expectations and it is a good improvement over the Redmi Note 4 camera.
Camera Samples from Redmi Note 5
Software
Redmi Note 5 got the MIUI 9 update and it is based on Android Nougat. I wish it had Android Oreo out of the box. But it gets all the features of MIUI which are very handy and enhances the overall mobile user experience. The UI is fast and has no lags. In total, the Redmi Note 5 buyers are in for a smooth and pleasant user experience.
Battery
The 4000 mAh battery is marginally lesser than what we go in the Redmi Note 4. But the software optimization on the MIUI makes sure that we get a similar battery life. It lasts for about 2 days of normal usage. On intensive usage, the mobile gives an average of about 8 hours of screen on time. With the included charger, Redmi Note 5 gets charged up from 0 to 100% in less than 2.5 hours. It supports fast charging, but the included charger is not a fast charger. With a fast charger, about 15 min of charging time is saved. If you keen on it, you can buy the fast charger sold separately from Xiaomi site.
Verdict
Redmi Note 5 is available for Rs 9999 (3+32 GB variant). The 4 GB variant with 64 GB storage is priced at Rs 11999. The pricing is so close to other Redmi Mobiles available right now. 4+64 GB variant of the Redmi 5 is Rs 10999. But if you are looking to buy a powerful mobile under Rs 10k, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is a clear choice. If you can extend the budget, you must buy the Redmi Note 5 Pro, which is a superior model. Redmi 5 is for those on a tight budget. Redmi Note 5 offers a sturdy construction, full vision display, better camera and a fantastic battery life, all for under Rs 10k and that I would call as a sweet deal.
