FOR our regular readers, you might have noticed that I mostly review flagship and midrange devices, but because I’ve been getting e-mails asking for affordable alternatives, I’ve decided to do a regular series that will feature the best bang for your buck devices, as well.
That is why for this week our topic is 9-9-9, not the mall, but the new Xiaomi Redmi 9 trio of entry-level smartphones—Redmi 9, Redmi 9A and Redmi 9C—all priced below P8,000. Both the Redmi 9A and Redmi 9 are now available via Xiaomi’s store on Lazada and Shopee, plus the brick-and-mortar Mi stores, while the Redmi 9C is expected to launch in the next few weeks.
The Redmi series has always represented Xiaomi’s mission to make exceptional smartphone experiences accessible to everyone, but which among the three is best suited for your needs?
Covering the basics: Redmi 9A
WE begin with the most affordable of the three, the Redmi 9A. Priced at P4,590, its two standout features are its large 6.53’’ Dot Drop display and long lasting 5000mAh battery. The Redmi 9A meets all the Department of Education’s minimum specifications for smartphones that could be used for distance learning and this one’s really worth considering. I’ve been using it for the past week and although I was really skeptical at first, it turned out to be quite capable for much of my basic tasks.
The Redmi 9A we have is Graphite gray, and while it doesn’t have that “glasstic” shiny finish, the textured lines on its back give it a more upmarket look. It’s not a fingerprint or smudge magnet, but if you have sweaty hands like I do, I would suggest you get a case as it doesn’t come with such freebie.
As mentioned earlier, the Redmi 9A has a 6.53-inch HD+ Dot Drop IPS LCD screen with 720 x 1600 resolution, a 20:9 aspect ratio and TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light certification. I don’t mind the Dot Drop notch as it serves its purpose of separating the notifications when swiping down on the left and shortcuts on the right. The phone doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner but it does have a pretty quick AI face unlock feature, though I’d still go for the good old passcode to keep your phone secure.
I don’t think we’ll be seeing a hole punch on entry-level phones anytime soon so I’ll take the dot drop notch over a forehead and chin like that other budget 2020 phone. Its display is bright enough and the text and icons are crisp and sharp, and the colors are accurate so I don’t have any complaints. Same goes for its single downward-firing speaker as sound quality is loud and enough for any phone at this price point.
It only has a single 13MP rear camera which gives it a slight disadvantage. The resulting photos, however, aren’t disappointing. Photos taken outdoor and well-lit areas are good as long as you give it an extra second to process, but indoor shots lack detail and end up quite soft. The 5MP front camera also takes good selfies and the portrait mode was a pleasant surprise. The Redmi 9A can shoot up to 1080p at 30fps, but the results are average at best.
The Redmi 9A uses the latest MediaTek Helio G25 chip with a PowerVR8320 GPU, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage. As an entry-level phone, it does the job quite well but there is a bit of delay at times, which is understandable for a phone with limited power.
The Redmi 9A wasn’t designed for gaming, but it can still run some of those graphic-heavy games such as Mobile Legends, PUBG Lite, Asphalt 9, etc. Just don’t expect the smoothest experience.
As for the battery, the large 5,000mAh capacity can last you an entire day of serious work, so even if it doesn’t have fast-charging support, you won’t really need to plug it in often.
What I liked most about the Redmi 9A is that it already runs Xiaomi’s latest MIUI 12. This latest update gives the Redmi 9A a clean, streamlined look like its more expensive siblings, and gives you tons of options to customize your phone’s settings.
The Redmi 9A is arguably the best phone you could get for P4,590. It’s a great first smartphone for your child to use for his home schooling and has Google Play so you don’t have to worry about finding the apps you need.
Quad camera budget champ: Redmi 9
THE Redmi 9 might be the most expensive of the three—the 3GB+32GB is priced at P6,990 while the 4GB+64GB variant retails for P7,490—but the upgrades you get, like the quad cameras, faster processor, bigger battery and fast charging make it worth every additional peso.
The Redmi 9 features a stunning smartphone design highlighted by a trendy circle accent that houses the vertical quad cameras. Our unit came in a chic gradient colorway called Ocean Green but it’s also available in Carbon Grey and Sunset Purple. It not only looks gorgeous but it’s also quite solid and well-built, and feels premium in the hand.
The Redmi 9 has a 6.53-inch Full HD+ display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, and its 2,340 x 1,080 resolution isn’t something you’ll find in other phones of this price range. Moreover, it also supports Widevine L1 DRM, which means if you love watching Netflix, you get to enjoy full-HD shows and movies on the Redmi 9. The display isn’t the brightest or the most vibrant we’ve seen, but the color reproduction and viewing angles are quite good and again for its price, there is very little to complain about.
Another thing that you don’t usually get in this price range is a quad-camera setup, and that gives the Redmi 9 an instant advantage over the competition. It has a 13-megapixel wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture; an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor with a 118-degree field of view and f/2.2 aperture; a 5-megapixel macro lens with f/2.4 aperture; and a 2-megapixel depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture. Camera modes include the standard Photo, Portrait, Video, Macro, and Pro, Slow Motion and Short Video. A couple of fun modes under Short Video is Slow/Fast motion and Kaleidoscope which can definitely make your social media posts unique. You also get an 8-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture housed in its dot drop notch.
The Redmi 9 produces its best photos outdoors and with great lighting, producing sharp, detailed photos with pretty nice colors. Quality dips a bit in less-than-ideal lighting, and when shooting indoors it’s best to give the phone a second to process the image before moving the camera to avoid blurry shots. A night mode would have made this a bigger win, but you can make adjustments using the Pro mode. For videos, it can record up to 1080p at 30fps, and I suggest you use a tripod or gimbal when shooting videos as it doesn’t come with stabilization.
On the performance front, Redmi 9 sports an optimized MediaTek Helio G80 SoC, delivering a 107 percent improved performance over its predecessor. Paired with a 5020mAh large capacity battery, Redmi 9 packs the power you need for everyday work and play. This performance beast even supports 18W fast charging technology.
Coming soon: Redmi C
Completing the lineup is the yet-to-be released Redmi 9C. But from what we know, it will have an AI triple camera, the same 6.53’’ Dot Drop display and 5000mAh high-capacity battery. It features MediaTek Helio G35, an octa-core gaming chipset which can go up to 2.3GHz. It will be available in Midnight Gray and Twilight Blue, but I’m really excited about its rare Sunrise Orange colorway. Estimated price using direct conversion of its announced Euro price tag is around P6,900 for the 2GB+32GB variant and P8,000 for the 3GB+64GB variant, although I’m sure the price will be lower than the Redmi 9. We’ll have more details once it becomes available.