Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 review
| 64GB 4GB RAM | $ 204.99 | $ 221.99 |
| 128GB 4GB RAM | $ 214.99 | $ 239.99 |
| 128GB 6GB RAM | ₹ 13,999 | |
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Introduction
One of the most popular mid-range series globally, the Redmi Note, recently got an upgrade. We've already reviewed the Redmi Note 10 Pro and found it to be an excellent handset, so it's now time to turn our heads to the vanilla Note 10. We are talking about the non-5G version here, though.
We know this sounds confusing, and we don't blame you. The Redmi Note 10 lineup is once again a bit of a mess when it comes to naming. Luckily for you, we got the better Redmi Note 10 as the 5G model sacrifices many good features in favor of 5G. Instead, the standard Redmi Note 10 focuses on what's important, and it's arguably the better value for most users, seeing how 5G still isn't a big thing in most countries.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 specs at a glance:
- Body: 160.5x74.5x8.3mm, 179g; Gorilla Glass 3 front, plastic back and frame; IP53, dust and splash protection (market/region dependent).
- Display: 6.43" Super AMOLED, 450 nits (typ), 1100 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 409ppi.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SDM678 Snapdragon 678 (11 nm): Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 460 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 460 Silver); Adreno 612.
- Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM; UFS 2.2; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
- OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 118˚, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 13 MP, f/2.5, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.12µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 33W, 50% in 25 min, 100% in 74 min (advertised).
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); FM radio, recording; Infrared port; 3.5mm jack, No NFC.
The non-5G version of the Redmi Note 10's main appeal would be the Super AMOLED screen with high peak brightness, the competent camera setup, the big, fast-charging battery and the stereo loudspeakers. The Redmi Note 10 5G, on the other hand, settles for an IPS panel, it misses on the fast charging tech and the stereo speakers.
And even though the Redmi Note 10 skips some of the premium Redmi Note 10 Pro features such as Gorilla Glass 5 build, 120Hz OLED panel and a better 108MP main camera, it has its own reasons to exist. It's still considerably cheaper (good price segmentation on behalf of Xiaomi), and it's also compact, going by today's standards. The 6.43-inch screen will definitely attract some potential buyers looking for something more portable. That's a rare find these days.
The only pitfall we can see by skimming the specs sheet is the lack of NFC. It's 2021 already, and even low-end devices offer NFC because contactless payments are becoming increasingly popular in many markets. Not having a simple NFC antenna can be a potential deal-breaker for a large group of users.
But for those of you who can't benefit from the 5G connectivity and contactless payments in your country, the Redmi Note 10 might just be the right handset for you. We are about to see how the brand new Snapdragon 678 SoC performs and how great the rather compact 6.43-inch OLED panel really is. It already sounds like a giid bargain with a starting price of just €199.
Unboxing the Xiaоmi Redmi Note 10
The retail box isn't special by any means. It contains the usual user manuals, a USB-A to USB-C cable for data transfer and charging, a transparent silicone case, which is pretty hard to put on and remove, and a charging brick rated at 33W.
Design and ergonomics
Just like its more expensive sibling, the vanilla Redmi Note 10 boasts an IP53 certification against water and dust. And it's one of the few Redmi's to have it too. However, don't expect the phone to be fine if you submerge it into water. The IP53 certification ensures against splashes and rain, for example.
But unlike the Pro, this one has Gorilla Glass 3 for its front, instead of Gorilla Glass 5, and the back is made of plastic, not GG5 again. The frame is also plastic, but there's nothing wrong with that. The handset still feels pretty good in the hand - it's thin (8.3mm) and light (178g) mainly because of its almost all-plastic build. It kind of feels less slippery too. Sadly, the Onyx Gray color we received is a huge fingerprint magnet, and you can easily see the smudges.
As we are still on the back, we can't miss mentioning the rather minimal protrusion of the camera module. Even when placed on a flat surface, it refuses to wobble like most. We find the camera design to be pretty nice, too, and it doesn't seem to be bothering us with asymmetry. Anbdditionally, the side panel edges are a bit more curved than usual and make the handset feel slimmer while improving the overall grip.
Flipping the phone reveals decently-sized bezels all-around, with the bottom one being slightly thicker, which is to be expected. The side frame and the top bezel seem roughly symmetrical in size. The punch-hole in the middle is minimal, mainly due to the use of an OLED panel. It allows for a smaller hole for the front-facing camera, and we can definitely say it's unobtrusive and doesn't eat away too much screen real-estate.
The sides are where things start to get interesting. The frame is so thin that it has been widened to accommodate the power key and the volume rocker.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
Both seem to be a bit bigger than you'd expect, and the unusual part is that the power button, which doubles as a fingerprint reader, isn't indented as you'd normally expect from a phone with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. It's actually slightly protruding, and we have some mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it doesn't change the overall usability, but on the other, there's no clear tactile feedback that you've placed your finger on it. Luckily, the button's actual placement is ideal, so when you stretch your thumb, it naturally falls on the button.
The bottom and top ends of the frame are flat and adopt a matte finish instead of the glossy one for the rest of the frame. It gives the phone a distinct look. There's the 3.5mm jack, the USB-C connector and the bottom-firing loudspeaker with its rather unusual design.
The top is where the IR blaster is placed along with the secondary loudspeaker. This leaves the left side with the Dual SIM tray. This one has a dedicated slot for a microSD card as well.
Redmi Note 10 vs. Redmi Note 10 ProAnd to how it compares to the Redmi Note 10 Pro, that's an easy answer. It does feel quite similar but with a few notable details. For once, the vanilla Note 10 feels considerably more compact and lighter. Since the back is made of plastic, it's a bit less slippery. That doesn't mean we didn't like the Pro's handling, quite the opposite. But physics and dimensions are hard to deny.
Redmi Note 10 vs. Redmi Note 10 ProCompact and bright OLED
The displays on the Pro and the non-Pro models from the Redmi 10 family are the biggest upgrade compared to their predecessors. While the Pro solves the dilemma between a 120Hz LCD and a 60Hz OLED that existed in this price bracket by simply providing both (OLED + HRR), the non-Pro settles for a 60Hz OLED panel. Which isn't bad by any means. For just around €200, you are getting a compact, 6.43-inch Super AMOLED screen protected by Gorilla Glass 3. It also has a fairly standard these days 1080 x 2400px resolution.
Xiaomi promises high maximum brightness and wide DCI-P3 color gamut coverage. It says that it can go up to 700 nits and even reach 1100 nits of peak brightness. Our tests confirm the former as the display peaked at around 682 nits in auto mode, while in manual mode, the panel can go up to 475 nits. Perhaps the advertised 1100 nits can be reached in small patches of the display, but that doesn't really mean anything when HDR isn't available in the first place. More on that later.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, | White, | ||
| 0 | 457 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 725 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 475 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 682 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 393 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 814 | ∞ | |
| 0.355 | 456 | 1285:1 | |
| 0.487 | 616 | 1265:1 | |
| 0.298 | 370 | 1242:1 | |
| 0 | 466 | ∞ | |
| 0.349 | 443 | 1269:1 | |
| 0.466 | 543 | 1165:1 | |
| 0.341 | 484 | 1419:1 | |
| 0.354 | 460 | 1299:1 | |
| 0.515 | 631 | 1225:1 | |
Still, the maximum recorded brightness is high enough to provide comfortable reading and content consumption outdoors on a bright sunny day. That's the brightness some higher-end phones have to offer.
If you are into color accuracy, we suggest that you go for the Natural preset. It offers an excellent average dE2000 of 1.5 - almost perfect. That mode would limit your manual brightness to 410 nits, though, keep that in mind.
Now as far as HDR is concerned, the handset's official specs say that only the Pro model supports HDR video playback. However, we found that YouTube recognizes the Redmi Note 10's display as HDR-compatible, but the Netflix app says just regular SDR playback. Either Xiaomi didn't certify its Redmi Note 10 for HDR playback to cut on expenses, or it doesn't say it has HDR until Netflix and Amazon Prime approve the phone. YouTube is a bit more liberal when it comes to HDR standards.
Battery life
It appears that the Redmi Note 10 falls behind its predecessor when it comes to endurance, mainly due to its low standby and web browsing scores. Both have almost identical battery cells - 5,020 mAh (Redmi Note 9) vs. 5,000 mAh (Redmi Note 10). However, an overall score of 110h is respectable nonetheless and should be enough to ensure a full day of battery life for most users. And more importantly, it doesn't drag behind the competition.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating above denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so that our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritty. You can check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Charging speed
According to Xiaomi's official data, the phone is one of the fastest charging phones for its class, and our tests confirmed that. The charging times we got were almost identical to what Xiaomi has advertised. In just 30 minutes, the phone replenished about 65% of its charge while a full charge took 73 minutes - a minute earlier than the company's official data.
This makes the Redmi Note 10 the fastest-charging device in our comparison below, and it seems to be particularly speedy in the 30-minute test, which is arguably the more important one. How many times you had to charge your phone from 0 to 100%?
30min charging test (from 0%)
Time to full charge (from 0%)
Speakers
The Redmi Note 10 has a pair of nice-sounding stereo speakers. To be fair, we can't be too pretentious about the speakers as rarely do we see a stereo set of those in this price bracket.
But if we have to be more critical, there are some things that need addressing in the next generation. For instance, the maximum loudness is slightly above average, and there's a noticeable distortion of the vocals and highs when you crank up the volume to maximum. This can be avoided by toning down to around 80% of the volume. This way, you still get a decent strength, but the overall sounding becomes clearer. However, there's nothing you can do about the fullness as the bass isn't as prominent at any level.
We do have to add that the speakers are well-balanced and the top one is just as loud as the bottom ones.
Once again, these observations shouldn't be a decisive factor on whether you should be buying this phone or not. Let's be realistic - the stereo speakers are a nice bonus to the overall package. The only real issue that could have been avoided is the placement of the secondary speaker. When holding the phone horizontally, your left hand will almost always muffle the left speaker during gaming or when watching videos. You might have to hold the device in a different way than you are used to.
XiaomiRedmi Note 10-26.2 LUFSGOODLOUDNESS SCORE
XiaomiRedmi Note 10 Pro-25.7 LUFSVERY GOODLOUDNESS SCORE❌︎
XiaomiPoco X3 NFC-25.3 LUFSVERY GOODLOUDNESS SCORE❌︎
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how .
MIUI 12 on top of Android 11
MIUI 12 has been released long ago, and most of the Xiaomi devices announced from 2019 until now are running the said version of the custom OS. The Chinese maker has a good track record of updating even its old, low-end devices to the latest MIUI version. However, that doesn't mean that all of them are running Android 11. The good thing about MIUI 12 is that Xiaomi often tries to deliver the latest features irrespective of the Android version.
The Redmi Note 10, however, has the latest UI on both fronts - it's got Android 11 and MIUI 12. Sure, MIUI 12.5 is expected this spring, but we are already off to a great start, given that many of the mid-range devices released in the past few months are still running Android 10.
In any case, the biggest revamp on the MIUI 12 would be the Control center. It wasn't enabled by default when we turned the phone on. This option would separate the quick toggles and the notifications in two shades, iOS style. Swiping down from the left side of the front camera will show you the notifications, while the right opens up the quick toggles and the brightness slider. Some of the toggles aren't customizable, such as the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, mobile network and the flashlight. The rest of them can be re-arranged. We suggest you try out this configuration even though it would take a while to get used to.
Notification shade and Control center
The way notification cards appear can also be adjusted. You can either go with a more MIUI-esque style of cards or keep the standard Android appearance of each notification (take a look at the first two screenshots). And while we are on the topic of notifications, we must say that Xiaomi has its own take on Android 11 notification bubbles, which is called Floating Windows. Not all messaging apps support notification bubbles, but it seems that MIUI is capable of enforcing floating windows on all messaging apps. At least on the ones we tried. Receiving a notification pops up on the screen, and if you drag it down, the chat window will appear minimized, and it becomes interactive. Opening up a separate chat bubble (like Messenger's chat heads) is also an option by tapping on the small icon in the lower-right corner of the notification card.
MIUI and classic notification cards, floating windows in messaging apps
Going from strictly classic view to a full-blown, customizable app drawer. That's the evolution of managing apps within MIUI. The app drawer isn't enabled by default too. It offers a ton of options like customizable app categories, two options for a scroll bar. The best part is that the search bar has been positioned at the bottom, so it's within a thumb's reach when using just one hand.
App drawer
The display-related features are plenty too. One of the most useful ones is having a Sunlight mode. For those of you who prefer adjusting the brightness manually, the Sunlight allows you to have the best of both worlds. Once the ambient sensor detects strong ambient light, it would kick in and boost the brightness higher.
Display settings
Since the phone has an OLED panel, an always-on feature is at hand. There are different light effects for notifications, a highly-customizable always-on appearance with different themes, signatures, clock styles, etc. The standard raise-to-wake option and the double tap-to-wake are at your disposal as well.
Always-on display options
A friendly reminder that this phone uses an OLED screen, so the Dark mode will not only save you some battery and will also look cool while doing so.
The fingerprint reader seems to be fast, accurate and reliable for the most part. We didn't have a lot of misreadings while using it. We highly recommend using the option to unlock the device only when you press down the button. Phones with side-mounted fingerprint scanners often register false reads in day-to-day handling the phone or simply when taking it in or out of your pocket. And sometimes, you may find yourself locked out of the phone or needing the backup unlock method.
The control over the battery usage has never been more granular. Aside from the option to choose the level of battery saving for each app, you can also analyze a time frame of your choice to see which app has used most of your battery. If you find a misbehaving app, you can just hit the nuke button on it and restrict background usage. Otherwise, all apps are set to the default option, which means the system will analyze and handle the apps based on your usage. Still, we find the interactive battery graph to be a killer feature for finding battery hogs.
Battery settings
The Redmi Note 10 might not be a beast of a phone, but gaming is possible. For this, Xiaomi has included the so-called Game Turbo subset of features that offer a distraction-free environment to play in peace. It's also supposed to boost performance, but no specifics have been given on how exactly it does that.
Game Turbo settings and features
Anyway, you will be greeted with individual profiles for each game that allow you to adjust things like auto-brightness, notifications, calls, etc. Each profile also lets you adjust the touch response, the sensitivity to repeated taps and even the touch-resistant area (read palm rejection).
Quick shortcuts during gaming allow you to adjust things on the go in case you forgot to set up a profile beforehand. Arguably the most useful feature is to leave the game running in the background while the screen is off. For those games that require "farming" for stuff.
In-game overlay
We are once again pleased to use MIUI 12, and while we didn't have any serious issues or hiccups, we found the current implementation to be running a tad slower than expected. Sometimes when navigating through menus or switching between apps, we can't get past the feeling they are slow. It was particularly pronounced when launching the camera app. It might be due to the state of the software, and a future update would solve that, or it's just the limitation of the SoC and the relatively heavy nature of the UI. Don't get discouraged, though; we are just nitpicking here, not really complaining.
Performance
The Redmi Note 10 is the first phone with the Snapdragon 678 to enter our office, but even before we present you the benchmark results, it's not hard to tell that it's just an incremental upgrade over the Snapdragon 675, hence the name. Both chips share the same CPUs, GPUs, ISPs, modems and 11nm manufacturing process. The only difference is the slightly higher clock on the 678, promising marginally better computational performance.
The Snapdragon 678's CPU consists of two core clusters - 2x 2.2 GHz Kryo 460 Gold cores (ARM Cortex-A76 derivative) and 6x 1.7 GHz Kryo 460 Silver (ARM Cortex-A55 derivative). The GPU is Adreno 612 - the same as on the Snapdragon 675. The only difference, as we already mentioned, is in the clock speeds as the Snapdragon 675's two main cores are ticking at 2.0 GHz - 200 MHz slower.
In this particular case, the phone's SoC is paired with either 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage or 4GB/128GB or 128GB/6GB. We feel like Xiaomi could have gone for the 128GB variant as base storage, but you still have a microSD card at your disposal if that's not enough for you.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
AnTuTu 8
Higher is better
GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (onscreen)
Higher is better
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
3DMark SSE Vulkan 1.0 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
As expected, the chipset performs just slightly better than its predecessor, the Snapdragon 675. Perhaps due to the newer OS, the Snapdragon 678 has a higher score on the GPU-intensive benchmarks. But when compared to chipsets found in rivaling smartphones, the overall performance is rather unsatisfactory.
In fact, in some tests, the Redmi Note 10 scored lower than its predecessor, which runs on the MediaTek Helio G85. The Galaxy A32 also seems to be doing better in some cases with its Heliо G80. And, of course, it's no match for the Snapdragon 700-series too. The Poco X3 NFC, for example, runs on the Snapdragon 732G SoC, and it undercuts the Redmi Note 10's price.
Quad-camera setup
As most phones these days, the Redmi Note 10 boasts a quad-camera setup on its back, but as you've probably guessed by now by following previous releases, not all cameras are all that useful. We've got a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro camera that probably only a few people would use.
The main and the ultrawide are pretty much the standard too - 48MP main unit with f/1.8 aperture. The sensor itself is 1/2.0" big and offers 0.8µm pixels and, of course, outputs 12MP images by combining four adjacent pixels into one. As for the ultrawide, it's the popular 8MP, 1/2.0", 1.12µm pixels sensor paired with f/2.2 aperture that everyone uses. This particular implementation promises a 118-degree field of view.
On the front we have a 13MP, f/2.5, 1/3.06, 1.12µm camera for selfies.
Now, compared to the predecessor, the Redmi Note 9, it's a small step backward. The macro camera loses the AF feature, which is crucial for successful close-up shots, and the selfie has a smaller aperture, thus allowing less light to get into the sensor. Those two missteps won't matter all that much in the end, but at least keeping the same setup would have been appreciated.
Camera menus
The camera app is business as usual with no big changes over the last MIUI generation. The various camera modes are arranged in the typical carousel placed right above the shutter key, while additional settings for each camera mode can be found above the viewfinder. Interestingly enough, the macro mode isn't standalone in the carousel, so you you have to open up the so-called hamburger menu first and then tap on Macro.
Additional settings like the picture and video resolution, shutter behavior, file types, camera modes re-arranging, etc., can be found in the general settings menu, also found in the hamburger menu. Oh, and we noticed that the camera app launches pretty slow, so consider this.
Daylight samples
Main camera
The first thing we've noticed about the 12MP daylight samples from the main camera is that they are unusually sharp and detailed given the price tag of the handset. The camera system can resolve fine detail on buildings, foliage and even in the shadows. The only downside is that there's noticeable grain inhomogeneous backgrounds, like the sky, for example. The noise becomes more prominent with indoor shots where the light was still sufficient. Expectedly, indoor images are noticeably less sharp.
12MP daylight samples
The dynamic range is pretty impressive. At no point did we see any clipped highlights while the detail wasn't absent in the shadows. Notice the last picture where the conditions were quite challenging. We noticed, however, that a good portion of the photos we took were a bit on the soft side or out of focus. That's why we suggest taking more than one or two photos of a said scenery just to make sure the phone got it right.
12MP daylight samples
When it comes to color reproduction, the phone keeps it true to life, so if you are fond of more lively colors, we suggest you try out the AI, which is usually turned off by default. The AI recognizes some subjects in the scenery, makes the colors pop, adds a little bit of sharpening, which results in more added noise too. We felt like the additional sharpening is unnecessary due to the halos it produces and the original photos are sharp enough to begin with. The AI won't always kick in, though, probably when it struggles to identify a certain scene.
AI daylight samples
As usual, the 48MP mode isn't recommended because it tends to be softer, noisier and the HDR is disabled. There's some general fogginess in all of the 48MP samples so sticking to the default 12MP mode is preferable.
48MP daylight samples
Even though the phone doesn't have а dedicated zoom camera, the software offers a quick 2x zoom toggle right above the standard 1x one. It's needless to say that the results aren't great as the images are soft, over-processed at times and considerably noisier than usual. Perhaps in some cases, for social media posting, the images can be good enough.
2x zoom samples
Ultrawide camera
We weren't expecting the ultrawide camera to be remotely close to the main camera's quality. The limiting 8MP resolution is one of the decisive factors, so you will be getting considerably softer-looking images. There's also a case to be made that the ultrawide shots have a narrower dynamic range too. But as you get closer to the subject, things start to clear up.
Ultrawide daylight samples
The close-up samples that we took look a lot sharper. We've noticed what a great job the lens correction algorithm does. Extreme edge softness isn't common either, so we can definitely say that the ultrawide camera can take some decent shots outside under the right conditions. And when compared to the competition, those samples are actually really good. Color reproduction seems to be the same as the main camera's.
Ultrawide daylight samples
The indoor shots are what gets the secondary camera, though. The lack of strong ambient light results in considerably softer and noisier images.
Low-light samples
Main camera
While taking the night shots with the standard Photo mode, the HDR icon was almost always active. It's clear that some sort of HDR is working well to bring out some detail from the shadows. When the HDR wasn't working, you can clearly see the clipped highlights and the "burned" light sources. You can just go ahead and turn HDR always on for your night shots. Contrast and colors are good for the most part and white balance seems to be on point too.
Low-light samples
Some additional sharpening can be seen in some areas of the buildings giving the pictures a clearer look. Unfortunately, the noise-suppression algorithm is working overtime, washing out some fine detail, which works great for the night sky, not so much for the objects in the shadows. We noticed that some images turned out blurry, so we once again suggest that you take more than just one photo for optimal results.
The difference between the Night mode and the standard Photo mode is night and day (no pun intended). The Night mode introduces much more detail into the scene, balances out shadows and highlights even further. The fine detail that the noise-suppression algorithm usually brushes out is restored and gives the images a clearer appearance. Take a closer look at the stairwell on the first photo as well as the bricks in the third photo.
Night mode samples
Still, we can't get away from the notion of a bit over-processed image when shooting with the dedicated Night mode. The bricks and ornaments on the buildings make the shots look like a digitally rendered picture. The good news is that the Night mode doesn't take long to complete and stack all the needed frames. In fact, it's just as fast as the main photo mode. Having said that, we strongly recommend going for the Night mode in all poorly-lit conditions, as long as you don't mind the over-processed look at times. Oh, and the rather warmer white balance too.
Ultrawide camera
It's hard to expect good results from the ultrawide camera after dusk. We found that in some cases where there's enough light in the scenery and you are shooting close enough to the subject (take the last two photos as an example), you can get half-decent results. Nevertheless, the samples look soft, noisy and lack highlight-shadow balance.
Low-light ultrawide samples
Once you are done with the pixel-peeping, get ready for some more in our photo compare tool. It helps you see how the Redmi Note 10 stacks against the competition.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 vs Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC and the Motorola Moto G 5G in our Photo compare tool
Macro samples
We miss the autofocus feature from the previous generation as it provided more stability, especially when taking photos of moving subjects. Also, guessing the exact focusing distance wasn't an issue. Now, we are stuck with a 2MP camera that has a fixed focus, and you have to take several shots at different distances to achieve a clear image. And as for the performance itself, the close-up images look okay with optimal lighting conditions, but the 2MP resolution is a limiting factor when it comes to resolving fine detail. Colors do look lively, though.
Macro samples
Portraits
The Redmi Note 10 Pro seems surprisingly proficient when it comes to portrait photography. Edge detection is really good and had us convinced with the faux bokeh effect. It struggles to keep the subject's hair separated, especially with complex background, but which phone doesn't? In all the samples with various lighting conditions, the level of detail is excellent, the skin tone is natural-looking and colors pop.
Portrait samples
Selfies
The selfies look good too as no matter the condition, the subject's face is always well-exposed and fine detail is preserved. Skin tone is on point, although, it can sometimes look a bit pale. The portrait mode isn't as convincing as on the main camera on the back, but it gets the job done. We didn't see any big difference between standard and portrait selfies - the rendition is pretty much the same.
Selfies: Normal • Portrait • Normal • Portrait • Normal • Portrait • Normal • Portrait • Normal • Portrait
Video recording
The phone is capable of recording 4K videos at 30 frames per second while EIS is available only for 1080p videos shot at 30fps. Full HD videos in 60fps are a no-go for the EIS.
As far as video quality is concerned, we can say that there's a big difference in how the software processes videos and stills. The former's color reproduction is a bit on the bland side, while dynamic range is rather narrow. The shadow under the thees is especially thick, while the white building in the distance looks clipped. And so are some of the bright yellow taxis passing down the street. Contrast and noise management, on the other hand, are good. Sharpness isn't amazing but fine detail can be found across the whole frame. We'd take this 2160p video over every other 1080p video in this price bracket.
Naturally, the ultrawide camera's video recording capabilities cap at 1080p. To our surprise, colors look more lively, but that's all that's going for it. There's some fine noise across uniform areas, the dynamic range still seems a bit lacking, and the overall look of the video is downright soft.
There's also a dedicated 2x zoom toggle, which we decided to try out and aside from the fact that there's no way to shoot a stable 2x zoom video without EIS, which the phone doesn't have in 2160p, we were pleasantly surprised by the result on our tripod. You really have to look close enough to notice the loss of detail, otherwise the video sample looks decently sharp, all things considering. If you find yourself a tripod, you can definitely shoot some nice-looking, zoomed, 4K videos.
And here's our handy video compare tool to see how the phone rivals its competitors in a more controlled environment.
2160p: Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 vs Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC and the Motorola Moto G 5G in our Video compare tool
Competition
The Redmi Note 10 appears to be in a sweet spot, at least in most markets and at this time of the year. The price of the phone will eventually fall in the coming months, which would only make it even more desirable. But what about current competition, what are your alternatives? Well, most of the options are slightly pricier, and only a handful of cheaper devices are worth consideration.
The Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC is a close sibling to the Redmi Note 10, going for about €20-30 less, which means that it can be found for roughly €170-180. If you are not particularly into OLED panels (we know some of you are not), the X3 NFC is an excellent option. And as the name implies, it has NFC. The Poco X3 has another trick up its sleeve - 120Hz refresh rate. You probably won't be able to utilize it in all games, but it does enhance the overall user experience. The device's stereo speakers are also a tad louder.
Another big advantage of the X3 is the longer battery life, especially in standby and web browsing. More importantly, the X3 runs on a significantly more powerful Snapdragon 732G. At the end of the day, the difference in size can solve this dilemma - the Poco X3 NFC comes with a considerably bigger 6.67-inch screen diagonal, so it's not as pocketable as the Redmi Note 10.
Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC • Motorola Moto G 5G Plus • Motorola Moto G 5G • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
Now, moving up the price bracket, we start to see some more popular options from Motorola. But those two recommendations are rather tricky. The Moto G 5G and the Moto G 5G Plus are both within the price segment, with the former being a direct rival to the Redmi Note 10 as it's priced at around €220. On the other hand, we were able to find the undoubtedly better Moto G 5G Plus for a little over €230 at the time of writing this review whereas it's usual price falls between €250 and €260. So it pays to shop around.
The Moto G 5G Plus will feel much faster with its Snapdragon 765G SoC and also give you a 90Hz display as a bonus, albeit an LCD. Battery life is similar, charging is slower, and it doesn't have a set of stereo loudspeakers.
Most of what we said about the Plus model applies to the non-Plus variation as well. Sure, there's no 90Hz display, but the chipset is again more powerful, battery life is longer, and the screen is considerably bigger. In case the latter is a factor when choosing a phone. In any case, one of the main appeals of both handsets is having a rather clean Android with a couple of added features on top. Don't forget the NFC too, both Motorola's have NFC - something the Redmi Note 10 lacks.
Finally, we can't end this review without mentioning the Redmi Note 10's more expensive and bigger sibling - the Redmi Note 10 Pro. Priced at around €280, the Pro seems to offer a slew of premium features like a 108MP main camera, 120Hz, HDR10-capable OLED display, a more competent Snapdragon 732G SoC, Gorilla Glass 5 protection, more base RAM (4GB vs. 6GB) and louder, better-sounding stereo loudspeakers. NFC is also available for select markets. Those are some compelling arguments to shell out an extra €80 for a phone, but not everyone would appreciate the HRR display or the Gorilla Glass 5 build, for example. It's a tough one, we admit. Xiaomi has done a really good job with the pricing and feature segregation. If the Pro was even a little cheaper, it would have been a no-brainer, and the Note 10 would have been doomed from the start.
Verdict
The Redmi Note 10 offers several key improvements over its predecessor, the Redmi Note 9, but some corners had to be cut. The bright OLED panel, the stereo loudspeakers, the IP53 certification and the faster charging, are arguably the most notable upgrades. However, the macro camera's autofocus, the reverse wired charging, the NFC and the Gorilla Glass 5 front panel were lost along the way. Moreover, this time around, the chipset doesn't feel adequate. The Snapdragon 678 is a fairly recent SoC but doesn't seem to be that much better than its predecessor (Snapdragon 675) either.
Nonetheless, the Redmi Note 10 is an excellent all-rounder offering some rare features for its price. Sadly, some deal-breaking cons could potentially get in the way of the device's success, and that's the missing NFC (meaning no contactless payments) and the rather unsatisfactory chipset performance.
Pros
- Compact and lightweight design with good ergonomics and IP53 certification
- Bright OLED panel with always-on display.
- Good camera performance during the day (ultrawide included), dependable Night mode after dusk.
- Good battery life and fast charging.
- Dedicated microSD card slot and IR blaster are rare to find.
- Feature-rich and mature MIUI 12 on top of Android 11.
- The loudspeakers are nice to have.
- Finally 4K video recording and decent one at that.
Cons
- The competition has more powerful SoCs.
- Missing some features from the predecessor - no Gorilla Glass 5, no AF for the macro cam, no reverse charging.
- No NFC.
| 64GB 4GB RAM | $ 204.99 | $ 221.99 |
| 128GB 4GB RAM | $ 214.99 | $ 239.99 |
| 128GB 6GB RAM | ₹ 13,999 |
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