Xiaomi’s a brand that is not too popular in Sri Lanka. This should change, however, as its Redmi Note 7 packs a punch. Everything you’d want to know about the device will be discussed below.
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Without a doubt, the Note 7 is a budget-friendly device.
At the end of the day, the warranty would influence its price tag. Seller warranties are much cheaper than their company counterparts. Onboard memory affects its price too.
The Redmi Note 7 feels premium. It has a glass back that’s refreshing as phones for this price are usually plastic. It isn’t just any glass, but Gorilla Glass 5. This means it can take a few beatings.
The phone has a plastic frame. The chances of anyone noticing it being plastic are low. It’s shiny, so it mimics metals. However, know that the frame attracts scruffs.
The Note 7 has a heft to it. It’s a 186 g device, which might make you think it’s more expensive than what it is.
It comes in 3 colour choices. These are blue, pink and black. The black is pretty plain, but the blue and pink ones have a great metallic finish.
Look at its rear:
On the upper left corner, you’ll see its dual cameras. Towards the center is the phone’s fingerprint sensor. We have no issues with the position of the sensor as some phones place it awkwardly. And we have no complaints about how responsive it is.
The phone has pretty tactile buttons as well.
Overall:
It feels well built, what more could you want?
By no means is the Redmi Note 7 small. The Redmi device comes with a 6.3-inch display. If you have smaller hands, one-handed use may be difficult.
It’s big, but is it all bark and no bite? Kind of. The phone rocks an IPS LCD screen. This means colours are alright but nowhere as vibrant as its AMOLED counterparts.
Like its back, the phone has Gorilla Glass 5 on its front. As a result, the Note 7 can take a beating.
The phone has a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. This means its PPI is 409 and quite detailed.
The Redmi device has an 81.4% screen to body ratio. Considering how easy on your wallet the Note 7 is, this is great as its display is almost all screen.
We all know how sunny it can get in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, the Redmi Note 7’s screen brightness isn’t that great. That being said, we have to say its viewing angles are impressive.
It comes with a notch. If you’re not a fan of notches, you’ll appreciate how small it is. It’s a water drop and can be hidden through the phone’s settings.
Without a doubt, the device is cheap. Its battery is commendable, though. It’s 4000 mAh and can last up to 2 days with moderate use.
If you’re glued to your phone, expect it to last about a day. This is still really good.
The 7 comes with Quick charge 4.0. The Note 7 uses an 18 W fast charger to take the phone from 0-100% in 2 hours. The thing is, the 18 W fast charger doesn’t come with the device. Instead, a regular 10 W charger does.
As you can imagine, the phone’s battery is nonremovable. And no, it doesn’t support wireless charging either.
We just have to talk about its memory variants. Without a doubt, you get quite a bit of storage space. Get ready to eat your heart out as you can choose between 32, 64 and 128 GBs of space. It gets better. You can use a microSD card and expand its storage.
In terms of RAM, you can choose between 3 and 4 gigs. This is pretty standard but 4 gigs of RAM keep your phone snappy.
The phone comes with the Snapdragon 660 chip. Performance-wise, everything’s a breeze. You won’t deal with lag, even if you’re multitasking. Considering that the phone is so budget-friendly.
If you’re wondering, the Redmi Note 7 is getting the Android 10 update.
The phone has two cameras on its rear. It has a 48 MP primary one, along with a 5 MP depth sensor. Its camera is impressive, coming with phase detection autofocus.
The Redmi device takes detailed shots that are on the softer side. For a lot of us, this makes them better. Thankfully, its camera doesn’t struggle with overexposure. This is a relief as many mid-rangers do.
You can customize saturation and contrast levels, but this might not be useful as the phone comes with an impeccable HDR feature.
The Redmi Note 7 has enough a lot of shooting options. These include Night, Panorama, Portrait, AI and Pro Modes.
As with any phone, its camera doesn’t perform that well in low light.
In terms of selfies:
The 13 MP front camera shoots pictures that aren’t bad and has a beauty mode that isn’t suffocating.
Without a doubt, the phone’s more than worth its price tag. Nothing’s holding you back, but you might want to check out the below section first.
We’ll be running through the Note 7’s best alternatives, so let’s get to it.
The Note 7 Pro is an improved version of the 7. It isn’t new as it came out 2 months after the 7’s release.
It has a 6.3-inch screen. It’s not only the same size but has the same screen to body ratio. If you guessed it, the phone also has Gorilla Glass 5 on its front. No surprise the glass on its back too.
Unfortunately, both phones have IPS LCDs.
Although it comes with Android Pie out of the box, the device is getting the Android 10 update.
The 7 Pro comes with a better processor. It hosts the Snapdragon 675 chip, after all.
Not just this:
In terms of memory variants, the Note 7 Pro does better. This isn’t a surprise as it’s supposed to be a more premium device. It comes with 4 gigs of RAM but there are versions with 6. The Note 7 Pro either comes in a 64 GB, or 128 GBs of storage space. And yes, you can use a microSD card on it.
The device has the same battery and charger. Its colour choices are different as you get a red, blue, black and white. Yes, the same metallic finish is also seen in the Pro.
The Note 8 was released four months after the Note 7 did. Its display is 6.3 inches and is IPS LCD as well. You could say they have the same screen to body ratio. The Note 8’s ratio is bigger by 0.4%.
While on the topic of its display, it has Gorilla Glass 5 on it. This is the case for its back too.
It comes with a Snapdragon processor. It rocks the Snapdragon 665 chip, which is superior to the Note 7’s. At least it’s supposed to be superior and when you compare the two, the 660 beats the 665 narrowly.
Instead of dual cameras, its rear has 3. As you can imagine, this helps it take better shots.
The Note 8 comes with a 4000 mAh battery and uses an 18 W fast charger. If you’re wondering, the phone can go from 0-100% in 2 hours and 15 mins.
It has more colour choices than the 7. The Redmi device looks stylish in 2 types of purple, black, white and blue. Yes, it has the same metallic finish.
How could we not talk about its memory variants? There are variants with 32, 64 and 128 GBs of space. What’s better is its RAM. You get to choose between 3, 4 and 6 gigs.
The verdict’s in. Although affordable, the Redmi Note 7 comes with enough features to keep you satisfied.
It has a great battery life, letting you use the phone for a long time. If you’re on the go, you don’t have to worry as charging doesn’t take that long.
The phone looks and feels great too. Its glass back and heft make it hard for anyone to clock its price tag. That being said, it has a plastic frame that doesn’t scream luxury.
The phone’s camera is good. It does well for its price, to be honest.
Its display is pretty big. Unfortunately, it has an LCD panel. We’re disappointed, but not too mad as the phone’s on the lower end of the budget spectrum.
Lastly:
Its CPU gives you no reason to complain.
