Xiaomi's "Redmi Note 10 Pro" is an affordable "universal smartphone": product review

Everyone at Samsung must have been watching the event where Xiaomi announced the latest model of the smartphone "Redmi" series with an indescribable feeling. Among them, "Redmi Note 10 Pro" uses a 108-megapixel (108 million pixel) Samsung sensor for the built-in camera, and the display is also made by Samsung and has a driving frequency of 120Hz. Moreover, Xiaomi's announcement was clearly aimed at Samsung's "Galaxy A71".

In fact, the Redmi Note 10 Pro surpasses Samsung's mid-range Galaxy A71 in almost all respects, but the global price is quite cheap at $ 279 (34,800 yen in Japan). However, I haven't seen many cases where a specific smartphone is attacked so intensively at a launch event.

But a few numbers make it clear that Xiaomi has prepared well. The best-selling Android smartphone in the world in the first quarter of 2020 was the Galaxy A51, and the best-selling Android smartphone in Germany in 2020 was the Galaxy A21. And Germany is an important untapped market for Xiaomi.

The real business opportunity for Xiaomi, then, is not in developing a Galaxy S21 Ultra competitor that costs more than £1,000. At first glance, it looks like a flagship model, but it has to create a strategic low-cost model that is likely to steal sales from Samsung's "Galaxy A" series.

Given this background, Xiaomi's strategy of introducing the Redmi Note 10 Pro is understandable. Starting at $279, the smart photophone is also seen in some flagships priced above $1,000, including a 120Hz AMOLED (active matrix organic EL) display, a massive 5,020mAh battery, fast charging, and stereo speakers. It has a feature that can't be seen. And most surprising of all, it's not crude in appearance, but on the contrary, it's refined.

As you know, Xiaomi's smartphone has the drawback that the software is too "personal". And the Redmi Note 10 Pro doesn't support 5G. Still, you can enjoy Marvel's "WandaVision" on a display that supports the "HDR10" standard, and you can shoot photos with a whopping 108-megapixel resolution. Minor weaknesses won't be a big problem.

Impeccable image quality

If you're not a die-hard iPhone user and don't mind that it's a brand most people haven't heard of, you'll love the Redmi Note 10 for any purpose. You'll be impressed with the Pro. Especially for photography enthusiasts on a tight budget, this product is a bargain. If you want a smart phone that doesn't cost too much, it's perfect for teens and adults alike.