Xiaomi Redmi Note 7: budget smartphone punches way above its US$190 price tag
- Its sleek look and glass back offers a more premium in-hand feel than the plastic backs found on most phones in this budget
- As for optics, the Note 7 advertises a 48-megapixel camera sensor, but that’s misleading
Just about every Chinese phone brand has a sub-brand or two that flood the market with budget devices while maintaining the “premium” reputation they’ve worked for years to build. Xiaomi is of no exception and its latest release under its Redmi sub-brand, the Note 7, is likely the cheapest smartphone without major compromises, with starting price at HK$1,499 (US$190).
Hardware and design
Whether it’s looks or in-hand feel, the Redmi Note 7 punches way above its price range. It has the usual notched-screen, glass-sandwich design that continues to dominate the smartphone industry.
To casual smartphone users, there’s not much about the Note 7’s body that betrays its budget roots. Only those who handle many phones will be able to tell Note 7’s chassis is crafted out of plastic, not aluminium; that the chin bezel is a few millimetres thicker than what Android flagships offer; and the 6.3-inch display is an IPS LCD panel that can’t produce true blacks like OLED screens.
The area in which the screen meets chassis is also slightly abrupt compared to OLED screens that blend more seamlessly into sides. These are things I would dock points for if the Note 7 cost HK$3,000; but at half that price, no complaints should be had.
As for optics, the Note 7 advertises a 48-megapixel camera sensor, but that’s misleading. Unlike the Honor View 20 and Xiaomi’s own Mi 9 flagship, both of which use Sony’s IMX586 48-megapixel sensor with Quad Bayer technology, the Note 7 here (at least the base model I reviewed) uses the inferior Samsung GM1 sensor that is not a true 48-megapixel lens.