Just like every year, Xiaomi’s Redmi number series gained wide popularity in 2020 as well. It was just not because the smartphones launched under the series were overall a great package, but also because the brand changed the strategy a bit. Xiaomi now offers more choices for consumers in the budget category.
Over the years we have seen Xiaomi launch a number series with a A series phone, but 2020 was different for the brand. The company added two more smartphones to the Redmi 9 series including the Redmi 9 Prime and the Redmi 9 Power.
I have always been a fan of Redmi’s number series smartphones, especially because of the kind of features they offer for the price. The Redmi 9 Power is no different. It has the looks, the power and all of that comes at a stunning starting price of Rs 10,999. The top end model is also extremely competitively priced at Rs 11,999.
This price segment has many options from brands like Realme, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, now also Micromax, among other brands. So, if you are looking for a smartphone under Rs 12,000 should the Redmi 9 Power be your choice? Well, let’s find out the answer for this question in our full review of the Redmi 9 Power.
Redmi 9 Power design
Gorgeous! That’s all I have to say about the design of the Redmi phone. It doesn’t at all look like any of the previous Redmi number series models. The stunning Aura power design offers a matte finish back cover and that makes the phone look premium for its price tag. The overall design of the phone looks clean and vibrant. The camera module is placed at the top left corner followed by a massive Redmi logo, which enhances the overall design of the phone.
The Redmi 9 Power also comes in several vibrant colours including blazing blue, mighty black, electric green and fiery red. I mostly like my phone in either black or white, but the electric green colour model of the Redmi phone has turned out to be one of my favorites. It looks elegant and doesn’t look tacky in any way.
One of the best things I like about the Redmi 9 Power design is that it is smudge proof. I didn’t have to use the device with a back cover. Another good thing about the phone is its weight. Despite packing a massive 6000mAh battery the Redmi phone is extremely light weight, 198 grams to be specific.
The size of the phone also appears to be apt for me as it could easily fit inside my jeans pocket. The phone offers a good hand feel and doesn’t feel too big or small in hands. It is easy to use the Redmi phone with one hand. I also like the fact that unlike most smartphones in the price range, the Redmi 9 Power doesn’t feel cheap. The build quality of the phone is great and feels good to use.
Redmi 9 Power display
The screen of the Redmi phone is a mixed bag. The display turns out to be pretty bright indoors, but under the scorching sun even 100 percent brightness level doesn’t feel adequate. There’s an option to turn on auto brightness, which will adjust the screen brightness as per required by the scenario.
The viewing experience the phone offers, in my opinion, could have been better. But not to forget it’s an under Rs 12,000 smartphone and most devices in this price segment struggle with displays. While I personally really like the design of the phone, I do wish the bezels were slightly on slimmer. The chin of the Redmi phone is pretty thick.
Redmi 9 Power performance and battery
As far as the performance is concerned the Redmi 9 Power is capable of managing basic day to day tasks, and runs basic games like subway surfer and temple run well. The phone often lagged when there were too many apps running in the background.
The Redmi 9 Power is not for playing heavy games, so I didn’t try out games like Asphalt 9 and other graphic heavy games. I mostly used the Redmi phone to perform my day to day task like taking calls, messaging, sending out emails, and browsing the internet and social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I also clicked many pictures to test the cameras. The smartphone managed to survive it all.
Even after performing all these tasks the Redmi 9 Power lasted for nearly 1.5 days easily for me on a single charge. The phone also comes with an 18W fast charger inside the box that takes nearly an hour to fully charge the device from 0 to 100 percent. At no point did the phone heat up during the charging process, so that’s a good thing.
Redmi 9 Power cameras
Most smartphones at this price range struggle with cameras and the Redmi phone is more or less the same in my opinion.
It’s good to see a phone so competitively priced offers a quad rear camera system. The phone includes a 48-megapixel primary camera coupled with an 8-megapixel sensor, 2-megapixel lens and the fourth one is a 2-megapixel depth sensor.
As far as the camera performance is concerned, in daylight the Redmi 9 Power manages to click decent pictures with good details but the colours look washed out. Portrait pictures shot with the phone look decent while the edges sometimes look distorted. Macro pictures need a whole lot of improvement through software update, in my opinion. Low-light camera performance is also another area which I feel needs enhancements.
The front camera performance also could have been better in my opinion. The selfies, most of the time, miss out on details and look washed out. The selfies clicked with the front shooter look dull in less light.
Should you buy Redmi 9 Power?
The Redmi 9 Power at the price of Rs 10,999 is a great option to consider in India right now. The design and battery are the two best bits about the Redmi phone. The smartphone looks gorgeous with a fresh design Aura design scheme. I do like the fact that despite packing a massive 6000mAh battery the Redmi 9 Power feels extremely light and easy to use with just one hand. The phone is also capable of managing all the day to day tasks well and also runs basic games well. This one is definitely not for the games out there.
The cameras of the 9 Power offer decent performance and manage to click fairly decent pictures with good details but colours sometimes look washed out. In my opinion, you will definitely need to add filters to pictures clicked with the phone before sharing on social media.
Overall, if you are looking for a smartphone under the price of Rs 12,000 the Redmi 9 Power is a pretty good option to consider in India right now.
from Xiaomi Redmi 9 Power review: A fantastic deal at Rs 10,999
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