Review Redmi Note 9s: Attractive price but should you buy?

“Beautiful strange” appearance: Some people like it and others criticize it

Manufacturers in recent years have tried to bring more novel designs to their mid-range products to avoid duplication in the market, besides creating a better brand identity as well as providing an experience. new for users only.

Redmi Note 9s is also among them and instead of changing the back style to change the gradient color, Xiaomi chooses the highlight that lies elsewhere: the camera cluster. Most mid-range products at this time chose the vertical camera design on the left side of the back, and the Redmi Note 9s decided to create a separate path when placing this cluster in the middle with a square shape.

Not stopping there, the controversial point here is that the protruding camera is emphasized with white borders, but not the whole cluster but … the two cameras above. Using this product, I still do not understand why Xiaomi made a slightly unusual decision. Of course it is personal opinion and also in some other users, the design of this type makes the product beautiful.

Putting aside that strange camera, this machine still has commendable details. The chassis is covered with the same color as the back, plus the back curved into the corners should create a seamless feeling from back to front. The edge of the screen though protruding but due to the good hugging frame should not be constrained during use. We can see that manufacturers for mid-range products are more interested in the grip of the user, when I recently saw in the Realme 6 series, the Redmi Note 9s now does the same thing.

Another point is that the fingerprint sensor on the Redmi Note 9s has been moved to the right edge of the device, right the power key, no longer on the back like the Note 8 Pro. With this change, users can easily unlock the device, no longer fumbling behind to stick to the wrong fingerprint on the camera cluster. The power button integrated with this fingerprint sensor is also slightly concave to avoid mistakenly pressing the volume key at the top. This is a small change but creates a better experience during the user’s daily use.

Overall, the Redmi Note 9s may not be pleasing because of the back too glossy (easy to attach fingerprints) and strange camera clusters, but in contrast to every small detail it makes the experience and operation comfortable. than.

Bigger screen than before, but not really attractive

Redmi Note 9s uses a 6.67 inch Full HD + screen, IPS LCD panel, 0.14 inches bigger than the previous model. That’s a spec, but in reality you won’t feel the difference, and if it does, it’s probably the selfie camera hole. In this new version, Xiaomi has a perforated design to replace the previous water drop, so the edge of the screen looks more open and offers a better display experience. But is that enough?

With the arrival of rival Realme 6, the Redmi Note 9s is weaker when only equipped with a 60 Hz refresh rate, while the Realme has 90 Hz in the mid-range segment and this will be the point that makes users hesitate. hesitate when choosing.

The 90 Hz screen on Realme 6 is dominating the display category of mid-range smartphones, something many other smartphones have not, including the Redmi Note 9s.

So what’s 90 Hz hot? With a high refresh rate, simple tasks like opening and closing animations or scrolling up / down web pages will be smoother, until gaming or watching movies, the action will be smoother. great number of. It will be hard to describe in words, but if you hold a product with 90 Hz or 120 Hz, you will feel what I am talking about here.

The screen of the Redmi Note 9s is also very nice, but to say what’s more attractive and worth upgrading than the Note 8 Pro predecessor is really not.

Camera meets daily needs, only unfortunately lacking optical zoom

In terms of specs, this camera cluster includes a 48MP f / 1.8 main sensor, an 8MP f / 2.2 super wide-angle sensor with 119-degree viewing angle, a 5MP macro sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. This is almost a “common denominator” for most mid-range smartphones today, fully meet the daily needs of a common user to record memorable moments.

It should also be noted that the main sensor of the Redmi Note 9s is somewhat lower than the previous one (48 MP versus 64 MP), but for me personally, it really does not matter because we usually produce electricity. When you talk to a phone, you want something really fast, not waiting for a super-resolution photo – shooting mode that you don’t always need.

Invite readers to look at a few test shots from this phone, in general, the quality of photos taken is quite good, neutral tones should also be easier to post-color as you like:

Configuration: Advantage with Snapdragon 720G processor

Other than the above points that make a little freaking out, the configuration of Xiaomi has never let us down. With the criteria of high performance with good price, this house has equipped the Redmi Note 9s with the best Snapdragon midrange Snapdragon 720G processor at the moment.

The Realme 6 may score well on the 90 Hz screen, but the Redmi Note 9s is better at processing performance thanks to Qualcomm chips.

With hot titles like Lien Quan Mobile, Asphalt 9 or Shadow Fight 3, Redmi Note 9s still gives smooth handling and extremely stable frame. Specifically, the writer used GameBench software to get the number of frames and received very positive numbers, most of the FPS stability is from 88% or more and only PUGB Mobile is 69% due to occasional drop to 18 FPS when in a highly detailed environment (running in HD graphics configuration and High frame rate).

A few GameBench numbers were recorded when I experienced the game on the Redmi Note 9s.

The scores were measured on GeekBench, 3D Mark and PC Mark respectively.

Fortunately, the device still retains the traditional headphone port, so gamers can still charge and plug in headphones while playing games.

In general, the Redmi Note 9s still has some points that have not really caught the attention, but the price and good configuration are what can attract users at the moment, especially for office objects. or students who are in need of a stable phone for entertainment during this Home stay. If you expect a phone with more tech to experience, it may take longer for Xiaomi to launch another product, or wait for the Realme 6 Pro to sell at a discount.