Review of 5G smartphone Redmi Note 9T

Specifications

Platform	Android 10, MIUI 12 firmware
Display	6, 53 inches, 2,340 x 1,080 pixels, IPS, 60 Hz, 395 PPI
Chipset	Mediatek Dimensity 800U, video accelerator Mali-G57
Memory	RAM - 4 GB, ROM - 128 GB
Cameras	Primary: 48 MP, 1/2 ″, f / 1, 79, PDAF; depth sensor - 2 Mp; camera for macro photography - 2 megapixels. Front: 13 MP, f / 2, 25
Connection	2 × nanoSIM, Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, GPS / GLONASS, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, 5G
Battery	5000 mAh, fast charging (up to 18 W)
Dimensions (edit)	161.9 × 77.3 × 9.05mm
The weight	199 g

Design and ergonomics

The smartphone is definitely trying to give the maximum for its money, but the plastic back panel suggests that this is not a flagship, but a mid-range device.

The case cover is textured and resembles a fine mesh, due to which it does not collect prints as much as ordinary plastic.

We got the Violet Dawn coloring for review - a nice muted shade for those who don't want something completely bright. For lovers of the classics, there is a black version. There are no other options.

A fingerprint scanner built into the side of the power button is used to unlock the smartphone. It works quickly and almost flawlessly, problems arise only if the hands are wet. In the settings, you can choose whether the sensor will respond to touch or pressure.

Due to the fact that all physical keys are on the same side and have different heights, screenshots are almost impossible to take with the right hand without changing the grip. As a rule, trying to hold down the volume down and power buttons at the same time, you press only one thing. But it's easy to do it with your left hand, left-handers will like it.

The smartphone fits comfortably in the palm of the hand due to the slightly curved back panel, but the mesh texture does not make it less slippery. On the street it is comfortable to keep it only in leather gloves, otherwise it strives to slip out.

The complete silicone case solves the problem: the size of the phone increases slightly, but the grip becomes more reliable.

Screen

The Redmi Note 9T is equipped with a 6, 53 ‑ inch IPS ‑ display with a resolution of 2,340 x 1,080 pixels. Sounds good, but the same panel was used in last year's Redmi 9, which even at the time of release was almost half the price of the new model.

Out-of-the-box color calibration looks nice: the white balance is in place and doesn't fade into blue or other shades.

To protect users' eyesight, the smartphone has a reading mode. It makes the colors warmer. During the day, the orange hue is too conspicuous and annoying, but at night it is the perfect solution if you want to watch a little YouTube in bed before bed.

There is also a dark mode, but this is not an OLED screen, so saving power in the case of the Redmi Note 9T will not work.

The display is bright enough for indoor use (up to 450 nits), but on a sunny day outdoors it is not very convenient to use it: the screen is lit up and glares. However, this is a standard situation for mid-range devices.

There are no complaints about viewing angles: everything is readable even at extreme tilt.

Software and performance

The smartphone runs on Android 10 with the MIUI 12 shell, which has received a new design of icons, animations and branded applications. The system looks more unified and concise. Already this summer, the Redmi Note 9T should receive an interim, but still major MIUI 12.5 update.

You can change the desktop and lock screen saver through the Themes application. It contains separate background pictures and the actual themes. They include images for different screens, and some also offer customized icons for those who don't really like the standard ones.

The main problem of MIUI was and remains advertising: on the lock screen, during the installation of applications and in other scenarios, you will have to view ads. You can remove them according to this instruction (in the last paragraph, we advise you to revoke access for GetApps as well), but this is not at all obvious and seems unfair: buying a phone for 22 thousand rubles, you do not expect that the interface will look like an F2P game.

As for games - with simple casual ("three-in-a-row", Plants vs Zombies and the like) Redmi Note 9T copes perfectly. The same can be said about everyday applications: from branded "Notes" to messengers and mobile Lightroom (at least when processing photos taken with this device).

But the smartphone is not very friendly with heavier and resource-intensive games. During testing in Genshin Impact, performance was clearly lacking even at medium and low graphics settings. Already with a couple of enemies on the screen, the smartphone starts to slow down, which is why you inevitably take damage and die more often than you would like. Therefore, in shooters and online games, where accuracy and reaction speed are important, it is better to play with minimal settings.

But there is also a plus: even under severe loads, when the picture crumbles into pixels, the smartphone remains cold. This is the advantage of a plastic case over a metal one. The display surface temperature rises, but not enough to cause problems.

Sound and vibration

Redmi Note 9T was the first in its line to receive stereo speakers, which certainly made the sound more spacious. But there is no need to talk about impressive quality. Even at medium volume, rattling is noticeable, and the rear panel vibrates noticeably.

Vibration is familiar to everyone who has ever used a Redmi smartphone. It is turned on by default for typing, and you want to turn it off almost immediately: it is strong and accompanied by a rather loud buzz, which begins to annoy after the first typed sentence.

Owners of wired headphones or speakers with audio output will appreciate the presence of a 3.5 mm jack at the bottom. Perfectionists, on the other hand, may be disappointed by the location of the USB port - it is not centered.

Camera

The main camera consists of three modules: the main one with 48 megapixels, as well as a depth sensor and a macro with 2 megapixels each. They decided to sacrifice the wide-angle module here, probably to keep the price so low.

The main unit shows a reasonable dynamic range in good lighting conditions. Although in winter in a typical Russian city there are not enough bright colors for a serious stress test, there is enough detail in the shadows and the sky is displayed quite believably.

Photo on the main camera.

Night mode during testing seemed almost useless. What's wrong with him, what without him, the smartphone adequately removes in the evening, but gives an extremely mediocre result in the dark.

Shooting at dusk without night mode.

Shooting at dusk with night mode.

Shooting at night without night mode.

Shooting at night with night mode.

Portrait mode works well, but hair doesn't always stand out correctly. I am glad that you can change the degree of background blur after shooting.

At a quick glance, portrait mode (right) looks nicer than normal mode (left), even with imperfectly defined boundaries.

Macro camera in a smartphone is 2 megapixels, but it is almost impossible to catch any texture on it. Even if it seems that the camera has finally focused, the focus can go off in the second while you press the shutter button. The manufacturer did not emphasize this module during the presentation, and it is not hard to guess why.

Outdoor macro photography.

Indoor macro photography.

Most Chinese smartphones sin with strong blurring and whitening of the skin of the face when shooting with the front camera. The second flaw in the Redmi Note 9T is present, this is especially noticeable if you shoot in low light. But there is no busting with blur, on the contrary, the algorithms even try to make the image a little sharper. In good light, the result is unexpectedly very similar to the post-processing in the iPhone 7-8th generation models, although this is not observed in the main camera.

There is no noticeable difference between the standard and AI modes, but HDR completely kills the image quality when there is a lack of light, and the face is unsuccessfully blurred with it.

The smartphone records video in resolution up to 4K @ 30 fps, there are also options for 720p @ 30 fps, 1080p @ 30 fps and 1080p @ 60 fps. Electronic stabilization works well, but distortion of objects during movement is present and quite noticeable.

Autonomy

The device was equipped with a giant 5,000 mAh battery. But miracles should not be expected: such a capacity is here in order to compensate for the unexpectedly gluttonous processor (which is surprising for a 7-nm chip).

Even without 5G, with active use: social networks, camera, web surfing, 1-3 hours of games - by the end of the day, 25-30% of the charge remains. Of course, this is not zero, but to calm the soul, you still want to put your smartphone on charge at night. But without games and active video viewing, two full days of autonomy are quite possible.

With a powerful 22.5 W adapter, Redmi Note 9T charges from 0 to 100% in about two hours, and, what pleases, such a charger is included in the kit, and not purchased separately. The box also contains a USB ‑ A to USB ‑ C cable and a simple transparent case mentioned above.

Outcomes

Redmi Note 9T is suitable for those who are looking for a large smartphone with NFC and a backlog of 5G networks, which are just beginning to be tested in Russia. Its power is enough for everyday tasks, but you shouldn't hope that it will behave well in tough games. If this is important to you, it is better to look towards game models. For example, for the Black Shark series from the same Xiaomi, if you don't want to overpay for the flagship.

The quality of shooting is a very subjective parameter, but if you do not plan to take a lot of pictures in the dark or do mobile video shooting, this model will be able to please with a good main camera for its 21,990 rubles.