Redmi 9 Power Review with Pros and Cons

I don’t think of any other brand that has launched eight smartphones under one series. I think Xiaomi is the first brand to do that, we have eight Redmi 9 Series smartphones and it’s counting. The Redmi 9 Power is a newly launched smartphone under the 9 series.

The phone has all the elements of the budget smartphone but is this worth buying over all the other smartphones, this is what we’re about to find out. So let’s review Redmi 9 Power and see whether you should spend Rs 10,999 or not?

Redmi 9 Power Price in India

Redmi 9 Power price in India starts from Rs 10,999 for 4GB of ram and 64GB storage while 4GB + 128GB storage is priced at Rs 11,999. The phone is available in Gray, Green, Blue, Orange colour options. The first sale of Redmi 9 Power is on 22nd December 2020 at noon via Amazon.

Display Quality

Display Size	6.53 inches FHD+ LCD Display
Display Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Resolutions	1080 x 2340 pixels resolution
Dimensions	162.3 x 77.3 x 9.6 mm
Screen Refresh Rate	60Hz refresh rate

Almost all the smartphones at this price come with FHD+ except Motorola G9 Power. The Redmi 9 Power comes with huge 6.53 inches waterdrop display with 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution and this is a 60Hz screen.

The phone has 400 nits brightness which means there won’t be any problem while using Redmi 9 Power under the sunlight, the screen will be visible. You can also play games or watch movies outside your home and still, the screen will be visible.

Also Read: POCO M Review – Re-Brand of Redmi 9 Power at lower Price

The phone has support for camera2Api which means you can use the GCam camera app or any other camera apps without any problem. It also has supports for wide-wine L1 which means, there won’t be any problem streaming FHD+ content on OTT platforms.

Micromax IN Note 1 is also priced at 11k and yet, this phone doesn’t have wide-wine L1, it only supports 480p streaming on OTT platforms.

Overall, Redmi 9 Power has great display quality, there won’t be any problem while watching movies or playing games.

Design and Build Quality

Build

Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic frame, plastic back

As you can guess, the phone has plastic build quality which is no big deal as most of the phones is coming with a plastic body. So don’t complain much about the build here. To protect the front side, Xiaomi has used Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

Overall, there is nothing to talk about the build but when you see the rear side, you will say, this is a new design as compared to any other Redmi smartphone.

The phone has a vertical rear camera setup alongside a flashlight, the cameras are placed on the metal box which looks way better than what they have done with Redmi 9 Prime. In short, I just love what Xiaomi or you can say, Redmi has done with the design, it looks fresh.

On the front side, they have added an old waterdrop notch, here I feel, they could have gone with punch-hole but hey, this is a budget smartphone, so can’t expect too much. Still, the punch-hole display would have been a great touch. Also, the phone is made of plastic that means when you hold Redmi 9 Prime, it will feel cheap, so do keep that in mind while you order one.

In short, considering the price tag, I don’t think you should worry about build quality and design depend on you, whether you like it or hate it, it is up to you.

Cameras

Camera (Rear)	48 MP Primary Sensor 8 MP Ultra-Wide 2 MP Depth
Video Recording (Rear)	1080p@30fps
Camera (Front)	8MP Selfie Shooter
Video Recording (Front)	1080p@30fps

The Redmi 9 Power comes with a quad rear camera setup featuring a 48MP primary sensor, 8MP ultra-wide lens, 2MP macro lens and 2MP depth sensor while there is an 8MP selfie shooter. Both of these cameras can shoot videos in 1080p@30fps.

Surprising thing is, Redmi has included 8MP ultra-wide lens rather than a 2MP macro sensor. One thing to note here, the phone has 48MP primary sensor that doesn’t mean it will give the best image quality, so don’t buy a phone because the phone has 48MP or 64MP camera sensor.

Still, the 48MP sensor will give more detailed images as compared to the 13MP camera sensors because the 48MP sensor has more pixels as compared to the 13MP sensor.

Still, I feel, Redmi need to optimized the 48MP sensor for the night as the camera doesn’t take good images at night even with night mode. I have added some of the camera shots down below, so let me know what you think about cameras.

Coming to the 2MP depth sensor, keeping it short, the 2MP sensor won’t give good image quality, so don’t expect much from the third camera sensor. Also, a 2MP Macro sensor will give the same image quality as a depth sensor, they should have gone with dual cameras.

Talking about the front camera, the Redmi 9 Power has a single 8MP selfie shooter which can also shoot video up to 1080p@30fps. Redmi should have provided a 16MP front camera but they did give an 8MP instant of 5MP. In short, this is not the best phone to take the best selfie or shoot a vlog for YouTube.

This is a budget smartphone, so expect less. Overall, the Redmi 9 Power has good camera quality but Redmi need to work on night mode or just optimize the camera for low-light, this would make a huge difference in camera quality. For now, the phone has above average camera quality.

Performance

Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 Processor (11 nm)
GPU	Adreno 610
CPU	Octa-core (4×2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver)
OS	MIUI 12-based on Android 10
5G	NO

The Redmi 9 Power is powered by Snapdragon 662 processor which is built on 11 nm technology with Octa-core (4×2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver) CPU and Adreno 610 GPU. The phone is running on MIUI 12-based on Android 10.

Recently launched Moto G9 Power also has the same Snapdragon 662 SoC but this phone with priced at 12k and has an HD+ display.

Snapdragon 662 is not a great processor but hey, this is a budget smartphone, so don’t expect much from this processor. You will be able to play games like PUBG Mobile, COD Mobile or any other game at low graphics. As I have told you, Snapdragon 662 is not built for gaming, so don’t just buy Redmi 9 Power for gaming as this is not built for gaming.

It’s running on MIUI 12-based on Android and it will get Android update every soon but the UI has ads, no matter what you do, Redmi will show some ads here and there.

Overall, Redmi 9 Power will be a good option for watching movies, surfing through social media but it’s not built for gaming.

Audio and Call Quality

The phone has stereo speakers which would be great for watching movies or playing games and the surprising speakers are good. The phone also has a second noise-cancelling microphone which is a big feature these days as most of the budget smartphone doesn’t have the second microphone.

The call quality is also great and here, that second microphone comes in place. It will give the best possible audio quality even if you’re in a crowded place, another person on call will be able to hear your voice without any problem.

Battery Life

Battery Size	6,000mAh battery (non-removable)
Charging Port	Type-C Port
Charging Speed	18W fast charging support (18W charger will be included in the box)

This is where Redmi 9 Power sines, the phone has a massive 6,000 mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. This time, an 18W charger is included in the box unlike, Redmi 9 Prime, where you have to buy an 18W charger separately.

The phone has a massive battery that will last for two days but if you’re a heavy user then it could last for a day.

“the battery life depends on your phone use if you every day play games for 6 hours then you need to charge a phone every 6 hours but if you’re like me and don’t use the phone very often then it will last for a day or so”

Conclusion

If you want a bigger battery, bigger display, fast charging support and budget smartphone and you can live with average performance then Redmi 9 Power could be the best option for you but if you want a phone for gaming then it’s better to spend some extra money and go with RealMe 7 which is priced at Rs 14,999.

Do I Recommend Redmi 9 Power?

Yes, I do recommend Redmi 9 Power to those people who want a massive 6,000 battery and big display and who don’t play many games on a smartphone then, Redmi 9 power would be the best smartphone. The phone will give a good performance but this is not an ideal choice for gaming yet you can play games with low graphics.

Redmi 9 Power Pro and Cons

Pros	Cons
Massive Display Size	Not for Gaming
Huge 6,000 mAh battery	Ads in the UI
Dedicated SD Card Slot
18W fast charging

Redmi 9 Power Full Specifications

Specification	Redmi 9 Power
Launch Date	December 17, 2020
Available From	December 22, 2020 via Amazon
Display	6.53 inches FHD+ LCD Display
Dimensions	162.3 x 77.3 x 9.6 mm
Screen Refresh Rate	60Hz
Resolutions	1080 x 2340 pixels resolution
Build Quality	Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic frame, plastic back
Ram	4GB
Storage	64GB | 128GB
Camera (Rear)	48 MP Primary Sensor 8 MP Ultra-Wide 2 MP Depth 2MP Macro
Video Recording (Rear)	1080p@30fps
Camera (Front)	8MP Selfie Shooter
Video Recording (Front)	1080p@30fps
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 Processor (11 nm)
OS	MIUI 12-based on Android 10
GPU	Adreno 610
CPU	Octa-core (4x2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver)
5G	No
Battery	6,000 mAh (non-removable)
Charging Speed	18W fast charging support {18W Charger Included in the box)
Charging Port	Type-C 2.0
3.5mm Jack	Yes
NFC	No
SIM slote	Two SIM + Dedicated SD Card Slot
Fingerprint	Side-mounted Fingerprint
Sensors	Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, proximity, compass
Weight	198 grams
Colors	Gray, Green, Blue, Orange
Price	4GB Ram + 64GB storage: Rs 10,999 4GB Ram + 128GB storage: Rs 11,999
Available At	Buy@Flipkart