Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 – Must Have Affordable Smartphone
This month Xiaomi introduced its flagship smartphone, the Xiaomi Mi 8, it is a high end phone that is set to challenge other entry of smartphone companies for high end phone. It has all the features and amazing specs of what a flagship phone should be, but of course it always comes with a high price tag.
But if you are in a hunt for a new smartphone with an affordable price and with a decent specs and features, one of the popular Xiaomi midrange phone is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. Right now, it has been rolled out globally with global and international version depending its location, but basically it has similar specifications. Well, we got one in our arsenal and so far here is our take on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5.
| Get it from Gearbest.com – Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 |
Design
Table of Contents
Weighing 181 grams, the Redmi Note 5 has a simple yet elegant design with its aluminium body. The volume rocker is on the right side along with power button which is easy to reach, the SIM tray is on the left side, supporting additional slot plus a microSD support up to 128 GB. On the bottom is a single speaker, the micro USB connection and 3.5 mm jack, on the top is infrared sensor. It has almost the same design concept with that of other midrange phones of Xiaomi, anyways it has a good design and very easy to reach controls, so why change it. The camera is on the back side similar to iPhone X and on the upper-center is the fingerprint scanner for security. The smartphone has a solid build with its entire buttons are easily accessible and responsive.
I guess the only thing negative on the design, is the camera that protrudes several mm on the body, I think this design exposes the glass that covers the camera lens that may lead to scratches. A case is a must to avoid future issues I have stated; anyways the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 comes with a jelly case on its package.
Display
The screen has a wide 5.99” inch IPS LCD screen with good color gamut, having a 2160 x 1080 pixel resolution, with 403 ppi. It is sharp, vibrant with 18:9 screen to body ratio. It has a slim bezel on the side, but the bezel on the top and bottom is much wider about half an inch on both side. I wish Xiaomi could have made it a bit slimmer similar to that of the Redmi 5. Anyways, I prefer the design over the notch type display that plague the world of new Android smartphones, like the Xiaomi Mi 8 as the latest victim of this awkward design.
Our verdict, it is one of the best displays in the midrange budget phone with options for setting the brightness and contrast for better eye health. Options include contrast (warm, standard, cool) there is also an option for reading mode to reduce blue light emission with the option for schedule.
Camera
Despite its price and midrange category, Xiaomi integrate a decent dual camera feature, a 12.0 MP + 5.0 MP. Features included are beautify, tilt shift, HTT ( option to capture photos on low light environment), scenery and other options for your photography needs.
So far, it captured decent photos especially on low light with HTT options it has a much better results. Zoom-in, is fast and smooth, but I find it slow when launching the camera, especially on the first launch with few seconds of delay. The auto-focus is great resulting in better results with blur background and sharp clear object of focus.
Regarding the video, it is also good with options for short video recording as well. Additional features include time lapse and slow motion if you want to play the video you recorded in slow motion, you can also capture videos on HD with 30 fps. There is also a huge improvement on the autofocus of video recording of Note 5, previous smartphone of Xiaomi such as 4X and other models has a very shaky auto focus during video capture. With the Redmi Note 5, this is greatly improved resulting to a great video output.
Front Camera
The Redmi Note 5 has a 13.0 MP camera with beauty options, there is also an LED flash on the front which makes it easy to capture videos or selfie photos at night.
Speaker
The smartphone got a single speaker, a small one on the bottom of the body along with the charging port and 3.5mm jack. I provide decent audio if you want to play music, although it lack some bass but so far it’s ok. But using it during a conversation on a social messenger, the volume is not that loud, even if it is already on full volume, which I find it disappointing.
Hardware
The smartphone runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 Octa Core 1.8 Ghz processor and powered by a tweaked Android O.S, the MIUI 9 OS. The memory has 3 storage options, pick from 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB of storage space, on our test device we got the 32 GB of storage space, about 10-12 GB has been consumed already by the O.S as well as pre-installed apps by Xiaomi and Microsoft, nevertheless still 20 GB is a lot of available space for apps and media files, if it is not enough, the smartphone supports up to 128 GB of micro SD card.
Connectivity and Sensors
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 supports nano SIM card (dual SIM standby) GSM/WCDMA/LTE with sensors such as accelerometer, ambient light sensor, e-compass, gyroscope, hall sensor, proximity sensor.
Battery
Packed with 4000 mAh battery that is non-removable, the smartphone has quite a good battery life, it lasted several days in just a single charge on our test. All I can complain is the lack of fast charging which is a must right now for smartphones.
Verdict
You can’t complain much on the overall features of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, it has a decent specs and features although it is not the perfect mid entry level phone, but with its affordable price tag, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is irresistible for those who are looking for a smartphone with good specs and features without spending too much.
Join the Gearbest.com Exclusive Brand Sale! Lowest Price for your favourite product only Exclusive at Gearbest.com!!!
