Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 review: Steady and reliable performance on a budget

Item: Redmi Note 10
Rating: 4
Author: Shruti Dhapola

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 review: The Redmi Note 10 offers good specifications for an affordable price. But how does it perform in daily use? Here's what we thought.

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Redmi Note 10 review: The budget phone in this year's Note series, this one doesn't get all the fancy specifications, but it offers reliable performance. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

Written by: Shruti Dhapola

5 min readNew DelhiMay 13, 2021 02:22 AM IST First published on: Mar 16, 2021 at 10:50 AM IST

The Redmi Note 10 sports the most humble specifications in this year’s lineup of the Note 10 series. It doesn’t get the 108MP camera or the 120 Hz refresh rate, but offers solid features, which will matter the most for any budget segment buyer. It has a big battery, fast charging support, a good camera and processor, coupled with a big enough display. Here’s our review for the Redmi Note 10.

Redmi Note 10: What’s good?

The Redmi Note 10 has a slightly smaller 6.43-inch display compared to the Pro variants, which have a 6.67-inch screen. While this variant also gets an AMOLED display, the refresh rate remains at 60 Hz. Overall, the phone is more compact compared to the Pro Max and fits comfortably in the palm of my hands.

It is a lighter and easier to use device compared to some of the bigger phones that have become common. Many users will appreciate this design aspect. While the camera juts out at the back, it is not so prominent as on the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max. The end result is that the device does sit flat on its back, and is a lot more stable. The fingerprint scanner is embedded inside the power button and works accurately to unlock the device within seconds.

The Redmi Note 10 has an excellent display for the asking price. Be it gaming or watching Netflix, the display does the job well. In sunlight, it is legible and works well. When I took pictures with the phone out in bright sunlight, the display worked fine, though it is a bit reflective. But then this is a phone starting at just Rs 10,000. I also watched ‘Call My Agent’ on this phone at night in my bedroom and the display was never harsh.

Redmi Note 10 has a 6.43-inch display, which is also an AMOLED screen. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

The phone runs Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 processor coupled with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, though the base variant starts at 4GB+64GB. The phone’s performance was smooth during my week-long usage. Be it social media apps such YouTube, WhatsApp or Facebook, or games like Mars, Two Dots, Asphalt 9 all ran without any hiccups.

The Redmi Note 10 runs MIUI 12 based on Android 11. Yes, it is annoying that Redmi still pushes notifications for its own GetApps store and tries to pre-install many apps when you are setting up the phone. Thankfully, when MIUI 12.5 rolls out, users will be able to remove many of Xiaomi’s own pre-installed apps entirely.

Redmi Note 10 performs smoothly and should keep most users happy. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

The camera on the Redmi Note 10 might not have the big 64MP or the 108MP sensor, but it is still pretty solid considering the price. The 48MP camera can capture more details should you choose to click in that mode, though remember it makes images heavier and these will take more space on your phone. Overall, the pictures are pleasing with good colour reproduction and plenty of details.

Check out all the camera samples in high-resolution on Flickr

Redmi Note 10 //embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js

The Night Mode will definitely brighten the picture, though it struggles with focus in some instances. The Portrait mode performs very well, provided you have ample lighting and the person remains steady. The camera performance on this device is solid for most part.

The battery on the Redmi Note 10 is 5000 mAh and it is good to see Xiaomi bundle this with a 33W fast charger. I could easily get the phone to a full 100 per cent in just over an hour or so, and the battery size means it will easily last more than a day, even with the most heavy-duty usage.

Macro sample on the Redmi Note 10. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

Redmi Note 10: What’s not so good?

The Macro camera still struggles and I could see that it could not preserve colour accuracy in some cases, especially when I got too close to the object. Getting a sharp Macro proved a challenge, and this is definitely one aspect of the camera I did not enjoy.

The ultra-wide and Macro camera performance remains underwhelming. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

The Redmi Note 10’s ultra-wide camera is also not that impressive. One can really see the difference in picture quality compared to the main camera when shooting ultra-wide.

Redmi Note 10: Verdict

The Redmi Note 10 works well for its starting price of Rs 10,999. If you are in the market looking for a phone at the Rs 10,000 mark, this is definitely one of the best options you can consider.

Yes, it might not have some of the more fancy specifications, which its Pro variants tout, but unless you have the need and a budget for those, I would say this gets the job done. The Redmi Note will be more than adequate for most users, who want a reliable phone without spending too much.