Review of Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 - a very successful smartphone that is not suitable for everyone

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

From year to year, state employees of this series offer the best price-performance ratio. This model is no exception.

Redmi Note 10 is a little lost against the background of its "big brother". Many buyers do not consider the younger model, if only because it does not support contactless payment. In 2021, the lack of NFC in a smartphone is really upsetting, but taking into account the price tag and other characteristics, the device is still very interesting. How he can attract, we will tell in this review.

Table of contents

• Specifications
• Design and ergonomics
• Screen
• Sound
• Performance
• System
• Camera
• Autonomy and charging
• Outcomes

Specifications

Platform	Android 11, MIUI 12 firmware
Display	Super AMOLED, 6.43 inches, 2,400 x 1,080 pixels, 60 Hz, up to 1,100 nits, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 (11nm)
Memory	6/128 GB (microSD card support)
Cameras	Main: main - 48 Mp, f / 1.8, 0.8 microns and PDAF; wide-angle - 8 megapixels, f / 2.2, 118 °; macro - 2 Mp, f / 2.4; depth sensor - 2 Mp, f / 2.4. Front: 13 MP, f / 2.5
Communications	2 × nanoSIM, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n / ac (2, 4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 LE
Battery	5,000 mAh, 33W fast wired charging (USB-C 2.0)
Dimensions (edit)	160.5 × 74.5 × 8.3mm
The weight	178.8 g
Additionally	IP53 splash proof, stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack, fingerprint reader

Design and ergonomics

Outwardly, the smartphone resembles a slightly smaller version of the Pro. True, if the Note 10 Pro has a glass back, then the Note 10 is made of plastic, like the ends of the case. The lid perfectly collects fingerprints and other smudges, which is especially noticeable on the device in steel color.

In addition, if in the Pro version the main camera module is located on two "steps", then in the basic one - everything is on one. At the same time, the lens unit and the flash frame are not covered with a single glass, but with different ones. The junction between them can become a great place for dust accumulation over time.

On the right side of the device is a power button with a fingerprint scanner. Its matte surface visually stands out on the glossy end, but it is quite difficult to find this element blindly at first. The button is narrow and its height almost coincides with the level of the edge itself. You have to get used to it.

In general, the smartphone fits well in the hand, but it is rather dangerous to carry it in a trouser pocket without a cover. As soon as you sit down somewhere - in the car or office - and the gadget will happily slip out of your pocket onto the floor. Given the fact that the plastic case is easily scratched, it is better not to risk it.

Screen

The Redmi Note 10 is equipped with a 6.43-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 pixels and a peak brightness of up to 1,100 nits. With autotuning, the brightness is, of course, noticeably lower, but it is enough to use the device on a bright sunny day.

The only thing that spoiled the impression was that auto-tuning sometimes works with a delay and sometimes lowers the brightness too much. You have to adjust it with your hands through the curtain.

The refresh rate of the screen is only 60 Hz, which is still the norm for inexpensive smartphones. The color reproduction is excellent, to the delight of all fans of AMOLED panels. Also, fans will be pleased with the full support of the AOD mode, which allows you to display the time, date, notification icons, various animations and even photos on the screen off.

For a state employee, the smartphone has rather narrow screen frames on three sides, but there is still a noticeable "chin" at the bottom. In the upper part there is a hole for a selfie camera. The display is protected from damage by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

Sound

Redmi Note 10 received stereo sound - the speakers are at the top and bottom ends. The sound quality is not surprising, but the very presence of stereo in the device of the budget segment is an absolute plus.

It is comfortable to listen to music at a volume of up to 75–80%. After some frequencies already merge into a mess, and the back panel of the smartphone begins to vibrate noticeably. When using headphones, you can adjust the sound to your liking using the system settings and equalizer.

Performance

The smartphone is equipped with a Snapdragon 678. This is a late 2020 chip manufactured using an 11-nanometer process technology. The chip has two powerful Kryo 460 Gold cores and six more energy efficient Kryo 460 Silver cores. They are complemented by the graphics accelerator Adreno 612.

In our modification, the amount of RAM was 6 GB, and the built-in memory was 128 GB. Moreover, these are quite fast LPDDR4x and UFS 2.2.

This filling allows the smartphone to easily cope with all daily tasks. The power of the device rests only in demanding mobile games, where you basically have to be content with average graphic settings. Throttling, of course, is present, but it can be partially leveled by adding the desired game to "Game acceleration" in the "Special features" settings item. This option really works and will be useful if you often disappear on the battlefields of COD Mobile or PUBG.

System

The smartphone runs on Android 11 with the MIUI 12 interface. It has not received an update to version 12.5 at the time of writing, but visually, these assemblies are still no different. Therefore, everything said in the Redmi Note 10 Pro review is relevant for this model as well.

In short, there is still the same intrusive advertising, excellent dark mode, flexible desktop settings, two types of notification curtains to choose from and convenient floating windows.

With all this, Redmi Note 10 has no problems with navigation buttons, freezes and application work, like the Pro version. The system works stably and without any errors. There is nothing to find fault with.

Camera

At the back of the smartphone there are four cameras, the main of which has a 48MP Sony IMX582 sensor with phase focus. This is a very successful module that Xiaomi has already installed in Mi 9T and Mi A3. With daytime shooting, he copes well. Judge for yourself.

Photo on the main camera (to view in full resolution, open in the next tab):

In low light, the camera easily loses focus, but does not distort colors. Therefore, you can still get the desired shot at dusk or with dim light if you get into the habit of taking a series of shots for each scene.

By default, the camera shoots at 12 megapixels, the full 48 megapixels are enabled in the settings. The night mode is also available there, which, most likely, will be in demand only in rare cases, since it strongly highlights the picture and makes it unnatural.

Portrait photography:

Smartphone portraits are good. An additional 2 megapixel camera helps with them, which determines the depth of field. Like other Xiaomi smartphones, the Redmi Note 10 allows you to change the level of background blur in any shot taken in portrait mode.

The 8MP wide-angle camera can be useful for capturing daytime landscapes or even sunsets, but you shouldn't expect more from it. As the amount of light decreases, the edges of the frame begin to noticeably lose sharpness, and dynamic objects are almost always blurry.

Photo with a wide-angle camera:

The fourth camera - 2 megapixel - does not deserve special attention. There is not even a special mode for it in the shooting menu. If you need to take a photo of a miniature object close up, then a crop from the main camera is better for this.

For selfies, a 13 megapixel module with 1.12µm pixels is provided. This camera was pleasantly surprised by the color reproduction, portrait mode and automatic HDR, which turns on when you really need it.

Autonomy and charging

In terms of autonomy, this model also surpasses its "older brother", which is quite logical, because Redmi Note 10 does not have a gluttonous display with a frequency of 120 Hz. Here is the usual 60 Hz AMOLED panel, with which the battery charge does not melt before our eyes. With everyday use, you can always be sure that there will definitely be enough food until the evening.

If you try to squeeze all the juice out of a 5000 mAh battery during daylight hours, actively using the camera, watching online video and texting in a couple of instant messengers, you can count on about 6-7 hours of an active screen. This is a decent figure.

Full charge time at maximum power (33W) via USB ‑ C is approximately 1.5 hours, and the battery will charge 50% in 25–30 minutes. This speed allows you not to worry if you have not set the smartphone to charge overnight. This can be done in the morning while you are going to work or school.

Outcomes

Definitely Redmi Note 10 is a much more successful model than Redmi Note 10 Pro with its raw firmware and "childhood diseases". The basic version of the smartphone can be scolded only for a very slippery body, not the most convenient fingerprint scanner and, of course, the lack of an NFC chip.

However, if you do not use contactless payments and you need a balanced modern smartphone, then Redmi Note 10 should be considered one of the first.

At the time of writing the review in Russia, the smartphone cost from 13,990 rubles, and on AliExpress with discounts it can be found for 12,000. For this money, Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 offers a good AMOLED screen, decent cameras, stereo sound, excellent autonomy and fast charging.

Among its strong competitors, only the new one is worth highlighting. It has a 90Hz IPS screen and NFC module, but lacks a wide-angle camera. In addition, Poco loses in terms of charging speed (18 W) and so far it can only be bought on AliExpress.