Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Launched In India: Price, Specifications And Review

One can’t just expect Xiaomi to stay out of action for a long time and while everyone was looking forward to the flagship launches of the year, here comes the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro to steal the spotlight and sound a holler for another mid-budget battle in the Indian marketplace.

For the unknown, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer has launched Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 in India as well and while it is essentially a re-branded Redmi 5 Plus (Review), it seems to be the perfect successor to formidable Redmi Note 4 which was an end result Xiaomi’s constant focus on perfecting the formula of a well-packaged allrounder.

However, it’s the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro which has gathered all the attention as this is the company’s second smartphone with a dual-camera setup in this segment after the Mi A1 and what makes the deal even better is the fact that it is the world’s first handset to be powered by the newly launched Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC.

Moreover, at the rear panel of Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, there sits an iPhone X-like dual-camera setup which goes perfectly with the 18:9 edge-to-edge display design. But will this be enough for Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro to compete with the likes of Honor 7X, Honor 9i, Moto G5S Plus, and LG Q6? Let’s see.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Specifications

• 5.99-inch (2160 × 1080) Full HD+ 2.5D curved glass display with 18:9 aspect ratio, 450 nits Brightness, 1500: 1 Contrast Ratio, 83% NTSC Color Gamut, and Corning Gorilla Glass protection.
• 1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 636 SoC coupled with Adreno 509 GPU
• 4GB/6GB LPDDR4x RAM and 64GB of internal storage, expandable up to 128GB via microSD card.
• MIUI 9 based Android 7.1.2 (Nougat) out of the box.
• Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD), Infrared sensor and Fingerprint sensor at the rear.
• 12MP rear camera with f/2.2 aperture, 1.25μm pixel size, dual-tone LED Flash, PDAF, a secondary 5MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and 1.12μm.
• 20MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture, Sony IMX376 sensor and LED flash
• 4000mAh battery with 5V/2A charging support.
• Dimensions: 158.6×75.4×8.05mm and Weight: 181g
• 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (5GHz + 2.4GHz), GPS + GLONASS, Micro USB support for charging and data transfers and a 3.5mm Audio jack.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Price and Availability

Priced at Rs 13,999 for the 4/64GB variant and INR16,999 for the 6/64GB version, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro will be available in Black, Blue, Gold, and Rose Gold color options. While the box contents will also include an ultra slim casing, the smartphone will go on sale on February 22 in India as a Flipkart exclusive.

Additional offers include Rs 2200 worth of instant cash back and 100% additional data from Reliance Jio.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro (First Impressions)

While the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 comes with the same specifications as its predecessor sans an 18:9 FullView display, if you can shell out a couple of more thousands, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro feels like a better upgrade.

While we do miss the USB Type-C, fast charging support and Android Oreo out of the box, the fact that Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro comes with Beautify 4.0 for clicking AI driven beautified photos which are based on the skin tone of the subject and the AI-based Face Unlock feature will be added via a software upgrade in a couple months, makes this the best mid-range smartphone ever launch.

Moreover, since Snapdragon 636 SoC helped Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro get an AnTuTu score of 109,692, it is now the fastest ever Redmi Note ever and even if you have already seen the performance credentials of Redmi Note 4, the Note 5 Pro will definitely surprise you with its under the hood power.

The 12+5MP rear camera setup completes the list of stand out features and also gives the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro an edge over its competitors, who were competing in the segment with the same feature. Xiaomi has made the low-lighting capabilities of the camera even better but we do miss Optical Image Stabilization.

For those looking for a smartphone to be used for multimedia consumption, 5.99-inch (2160 × 1080) Full HD+ 18:9 display will help them stream video content or read online even under outdoor conditions.

In short, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro is the perfect successor to carry on Redmi Note-series’ legacy.