When Xiaomi decided to make Redmi a standalone brand, the company initially launched the Redmi Note 7 to kick off this move. Packed with powerful features, the device was able to make noise and attract consumers.
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| Redmi Note 7 Review; Setting the Bar High for Budget Smartphones |
As the highly-anticipated smartphone arrived in the Philippines, local fans easily gave in to the hype of the Redmi Note 7. Luckily, the handset won’t disappoint users with its offerings that won’t break the bank.
Tapped as our main driver for more than a month now, the Redmi Note 7 performed its job on a high note! Here’s our full review.
PHYSICAL:
Xiaomi dressed the Redmi Note 7 with a trendy physique, completed by the gradient color design. For our team, we received the Neptune Blue variant, which reminded us of Huawei’s Iris Purple color option.
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| 6.3-inch FHD+ screen |
The handset is slim but tall. Good thing, it can still comfortably sit on our hands. Also, thanks to its rounded corner, we can easily hold it even when playing games at horizontal position. However, solid grip is highly advisable because the phone is heavy at 186 grams, plus it has a slippery body. One-hand usage is possible, though.
We also advise users to house their device with its case to protect it from fingerprints and smudges.
Its front is dominated by a 6.3-inch screen that is mounted with a tiny notch, which accommodates its selfie snapper. We just observed that it has noticeable bezels especially on the bottom. Its earpiece, on the other hand, is located above its front camera.
Its volume rocker and power/lock button are sited on its right cheek, while its SIM card tray is located on the left side. For us, its 3.5mm audio jack is awkwardly placed on the top, as we prefer it on the bottom. Meanwhile, down below you’d see its microphone, speaker grilles, and USB-C port.
Flip the device on its back to reveal its glass back. It flashes its protruding dual rear cameras, LED flash, fingerprint scanner, and its branding.
All of its keys functioned well, and are thoughtfully placed somewhere we can easily reach it.
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| Bottom |
Its volume rocker and power/lock button are sited on its right cheek, while its SIM card tray is located on the left side. For us, its 3.5mm audio jack is awkwardly placed on the top, as we prefer it on the bottom. Meanwhile, down below you’d see its microphone, speaker grilles, and USB-C port.
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| Neptune Blue Color Variant |
Flip the device on its back to reveal its glass back. It flashes its protruding dual rear cameras, LED flash, fingerprint scanner, and its branding.
All of its keys functioned well, and are thoughtfully placed somewhere we can easily reach it.
DISPLAY:
Redmi equipped the device with a 6.3-inch IPS screen with FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution, resulting to 409ppi. The handset delivers a good display, and it comes with great viewing angles. It has vibrant and accurate colors, too. If you’re a fan of a really dim brightness level, then, you’d be happy with its range.
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| With a tiny notch |
Meanwhile, the only thing we didn’t like about its display is its notch. We have no issue about it having one, but we just felt like the brand should have given us an option to hide the notch. Nevertheless, it automatically eliminates its notch area when watching videos or playing games. Meaning, it appears like it has a large bezel on top.
The device has a Reading mode, making the colors of its display warmer. This protects your eyes when using your handset. You can adjust its contrast and colors, too.
See Also: Redmi Unveils K20 and K20 Pro "Flagship Killer 2.0" Smartphones!
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| Redmi Note 7 |
SOFTWARE:
Redmi loaded the device with MIUI 10.2.1 skin based on Android 9.0 Pie OS. Having a global version, the phone didn’t come with apps customized for the Chinese market. Instead, it is packed with Google native apps just like other smartphones.
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| MIUI 10.2.1 skin |
The skin looks neat, but if you’re a first time Xiaomi user, then, you’d find it confusing. Initially, we’re having a hard time navigating the device – good thing, we became too familiar after days of using it.
The Redmi Note 7 sports various features including Cleaner, Security Scan, and Deep Clean. Users can also manage their apps. It has Quick Ball, as well, allowing users to launch their preferred shortcuts. You can even personalize its button and gesture shortcuts for an easier navigation.
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| MIUI 10.2.1 based on Android 9.0 Pie OS |
PERFORMANCE:
The Redmi Note 7 is powered by 2.0GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor paired with Adreno 512 graphics. The unit we received, on the other hand, is geared with 4GB RAM and 64GB of expandable storage.
To give us an overview about its actual performance, we ran it on various benchmark apps. Here are the results:
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| Benchmark Scores |
- AnTuTu – 136,183
- PCMark Work 2.0 Performance – 6,230
- 3DMark (Ice Storm Unlimited) – 23,711
- 3DMark (Ice Storm Extreme) – Max
- 3DMark (Sling Shot) – 1,991
- 3DMark (Sling Shot Extreme – OpenGL ES 3.1) – 1,327
- 3DMark (Sling Shot Extreme – Vulkan) – 1,274
- Geekbench (Single Core) – 1,628
- Geekbench (Multi Core) – 5,181
The device gave off an impressive performance for its price. It didn’t lag when we’re heavily using it, while switching from one app to another was smooth, as well. Moreover, our team didn’t encounter any issue when running our favorite games even when at highest settings. However, when reaching its low battery percentage, the unit became hot. It’s manageable, though.
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| 48MP dual-rear camera setup |
CAMERA:
Redmi equipped the handset with a dual rear camera setup composed of a 48-megapixel main shooter and 5-megapixel depth sensor. It has various camera features including HDR, AI mode, Group Selfie, Beautify, Portrait, Night, and Pro.
For selfies, it is mounted with a 13-megapixel snapper that supports AI Beautification.
Sample Photos:
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| Indoor |
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| Food |
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| Low-light |
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| Outdoor (low-light) |
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| Outdoor |
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| Macro |
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| Night Mode |
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| Outdoor - Night |
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| Outdoor - Night |
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| Portrait |
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| Selfie - Portrait |
The images produced were at 12-megapixel resolution, though you can maximize its 48-megapixel lens when using its Pro mode. By default, the device can capture great photos with sharp colors and good details. It can shoot nice low-light images, but some of these have obvious noises.
Meanwhile, its selfie snapper can take natural-looking images even when its beautification was enabled. It has a flawless bokeh effect in Portrait mode, too.
In terms of recording videos, we're impressed with its stabilization, but it has poor video quality at night.
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| Premium design |
As usual, the Redmi Note 7 comes with basic connectivity features. It’s a dual-SIM device that can support LTE connectivity. When users run out of data, good WiFi connection is expected. Other features include its Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, and USB Type-C.
While we have no problem with our signal reception, we have to note that there were times when its GPS couldn’t accurately detect our location. It still works and tolerable, though.
The Redmi Note 7 offers long battery life, which was made possible by its large 4000mAh stamina. As our main driver, the device can last for almost a day. Mobile activities include basic communications, social media browsing, and casual gaming.
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| PCMark Battery Life Test |
Meanwhile, when we’re continuously using it, our team had to charge it twice a day to accompany us on our daily tasks. With this setup, our WiFi and data connection were on, its brightness level was at lowest level, while we enjoy heavy social media browsing, and intensive gaming.
We ran it on PCMark Battery Life test and it got 14 hours and 45 minutes.
It took us almost two hours to fully charge the device.
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| Redmi Note 7 Review |
FINAL WORDS:
Considering its price, the Redmi Note 7 was able to exceed our expectations. If you're currently reading this to know if the device is really worth buying, then, the answer is yes. It has premium-looking design, good display, impressive camera features, and long battery life, which are hard to find on other devices at this price point.
Allowing users to get the best value for money, the brand proves that consumers don’t have to spend too much bucks to score a great phone.
You can get the Redmi Note 7 starting at Php7,990.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Specs (Philippines):
- Dual Nano SIM, dual standby, supports 4G/LTE connectivity
- 6.3-inch FHD+ IPS (2340 x 1080) capacitive touchscreen, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 409PPI
- Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, front and back
- Dimensions: 159.2mm x 75.2mm x 8.1mm
- Weight: 186 grams
- Android 9.0 Pie with MIUI 10.2
- 64-bit octa-core CPU, Adreno 512 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset
- 3GB/4GB RAM
- 32GB/64GB/128GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB via MicroSD card
- 48MP f/1.8 PDAF + 5MP f/2.4 dual rear cameras, 1080p video recording with gyro-EIS
- 13MP f/2.2 front camera
- Multimedia Player
- FM Radio
- 3.5mm audio jack
- Bluetooth v5.0
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual band
- GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
- Sensors: fingerprint, IR, accelerometer, proximity, gyroscope, compass
- Battery: 4000mAh Lithium Polymer, non-removable, support Quick Charge 4, 18W fast charging
- Colors: Space Black, Neptune Blue, Nebula Red
- Price: Php7,990 (3GB+32GB), Php9,990 (4GB+64GB), Php11,490 (4GB+128GB)