As expected, Xiaomi has introduced its latest Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro in India, on Valentine’s Day. The duo continues to demonstrate Xiaomi’s knack for packaging plenty of kit for little money. The devices start from as low as INR9,999/MYR603 for the Redmi Note 5, up to the top spec 6GB RAM Redmi Note 5 Pro for INR16,999/MYR1,025.
The Redmi Note 5 Pro sports a brand new design, featuring an expansive full-screen 18:9 5.99-inch Full HD+ display. Offered in four colour options—Gold, Rose Gold, Blue and Black, the device is packaged nicely in a sleek, metal unibody.
Under the hood is where it gets interesting. The Redmi Note 5 Pro is the first to use Qualcomm’s 14nm Snapdragon 636 processor, with Kryo 260 CPU cores. The chip is 59% more powerful than the Redmi Note 4, and scores an impressive 109,000 points on AnTuTu benchmark tests.
It may be a mid-range device, but Xiaomi did not hold back on memory. The Redmi Note 5 Pro packs a whopping 6GB of high-performance LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB of storage. Xiaomi also offers a cheaper 4GB LPDDR4X variant.
A welcomed feature is the hybrid dual-SIM tray that enables you to upgrade storage via microSD.
For the first time ever, the Redmi Note series gets a dual-camera setup. You’ll recognise the strangely familiar iPhone X-inspired camera bump that houses the 12MP f/2.2 + 5MP f/2.0 shooter.
The 12MP Sony IMX486 offers a large 1.25 micron pixel size for better low light performance. The 5MP unit on the other hand captures depth information.
On the front, the Redmi Note 5 Pro uses Sony’s 20MP IMX376 sensor, coupled with a front-facing LED light.
Xiaomi said that through an OTA update in March, the device will gain the Face Unlock feature.
As far as a modern smartphone goes, the device ticks all the right checkboxes. It touts 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS and even an infrared blaster.
It comes with a large 4,000mAh battery that charges up via micro-USB. It supports QuickCharge 2.0, however Xiaomi only bundles the standard 5V/2A brick.
The Redmi Note 5 Pro runs MIUI 9 based on Android Nougat.
Pricing and availability
The Redmi Note 5 Pro officially retails for INR16,999/MYR1,025 for the 6GB RAM + 64GB storage, while the 4GB RAM goes for INR13,999/MYR844. The device will go on sale starting 12PM, 22 February 2018.
For something cheaper, you may want to consider the Redmi Note 5.
For more info, visit mi.com.
