18th Feb 2021, Kathmandu
The ongoing pandemic has increased our reliance on electronic devices so much that our smartphones have now become a gateway to the outside world. The battery life of our devices has now become a major factor to consider because a dead smartphone is useless like a mask on the chin. Xiaomi Corporation (founded in 2010) has been investing in producing wide ranges of smartphones, mobile apps, laptops, home appliances, bags, shoes, consumer electronics, and many other products for more than a decade now.
Many observers believe that the reason for Xiaomi’s rapid success within a short time period is due to its ability to differentiate itself within the Android universe. Now for the year 2021, Xiaomi has launched a new smartphone Redmi 9 Power. This new powerhouse mobile packs in a 6,000mAh battery, one of the biggest in Redmi smartphone models. So how well does the Redmi 9 Power fare for the price? Here’s my review.
Design
Smartphones with big batteries usually come in heavy and bulky sizes, so that is one compromise you should be willing to make. Xiaomi has tried to provide a possible solution by keeping the weight of the Redmi 9 Power in check. One of the best features of this smartphone is that it has a water-repellent coating and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. On the bottom side, it has a USB Type-C port, the primary speaker, and the primary microphone. It is a dual-SIM smartphone that accepts Nano-SIM (GSM) and Nano-SIM (GSM) cards.
The phone tips the scales at 198g; lighter than the previous model Redmi 9 Pro. The Redmi 9 Power has a new design and the back panel making it look quite different from the other smartphones in the Redmi 9 series. With your brand new smartphone, you get a big Redmi logo plastered on one side, while the entire rear has a textured finish which makes it resistant to fingerprints. Xiaomi Redmi 9 Power comes in four color models, namely Mighty Black, Fiery Red, Electric Green, and Blazing Blue.
Software and battery life
The Redmi 9 Power comes with a 6.53-inch full-HD+ resolution display and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 SoC processor and 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM. You can choose between 64GB and 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage, which costs Rs. 18,999 for (4/64GB) variant and Rs. 20, 999 for (4/128GB) variant.
The Redmi 9 Power runs MIUI 12 on top of Android 10 along with the Android Security. You can find preinstalled applications like Moj, Dream 11, Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, WPS Office, Linkedin, and a few more games in the Redmi 9 Power. All the new updates provided in MIUI 12 are available on the Redmi 9 Power. Gaming and multitasking would not be an issue with the 4GB of RAM it has onboard. The fingerprint scanner is quick to unlock the device, never needing more than an attempt.
The Redmi 9 Power is powered by a 6000mAh powerful battery that supports proprietary fast charging. With sustained battery life, you get to stay away from the charger for a long time. You can even extend the battery life of your smartphone by enabling Ultra Battery Saver mode. Given the big battery capacity and 18W fast charging support, the Redmi 9 Power reached 28 percent battery level within 30 minutes and 44 percent in an hour. Complete charging of the smartphone takes more than two hours.
Camera features
With the Redmi 9 Power, you get a 48-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. You can find quick toggles for HDR and AI, among other things. Xiaomi has still kept the Macro camera button in a different sub-menu, which isn’t easily noticeable. Daylight photos taken with the Redmi 9 Power were decent with good details of the subject nearby. Selfies taken with the Redmi 9 Power in daylight are quite decent than its competitor smartphones, and portrait selfies have decent edge detection. The dynamic range was acceptable for a smartphone of this price range.
Verdict
‘Killing two birds with one stone. The Redmi 9 Power follows this principle, as it does two things differently. It has stereo speakers, for enhancing the video and gaming experience on the device, and the big battery gives it a push in the right direction. Camera performance is acceptable for this price range, however, it isn’t that great. Because of this wide range of features, the Redmi 9 Power is one of the best budget smartphones under Rs. 20,000 right now. If you find yourself in the market looking for a smartphone mainly for media consumption, the Redmi 9 Power should definitely be on your list.
Overall Specification
Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE
LAUNCH Announce 2020, December 17
BODY Dimensions 162.3 x 77.3 x 9.6 mm
Weight 198 g (6.98 oz)
Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3 protection), plastic frame, and plastic back
SIM Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
DISPLAY Type IPS LCD, 400 nits (typ)
Size 6.53 inches, 104.7 cm2 (~83.4% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 6.53-inch full-HD+ 1080 x 2340 pixels (~395 ppi density)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 3
PLATFORM OS Android 10, MIUI 12
Chipset Qualcomm SM6115 Snapdragon 662 (11 nm)
CPU Octa-core (4×2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver)
MEMORY Card slot microSDXC (dedicated slot)
Internal 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM
UFS 2.1 – 64GB
UFS 2.2 – 128GB
PRIMARY CAMERA Quad 48 Megapixel, f/1.8, primary lens, 0.8µm, PDAF
8 MegaPixel, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide lens), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm
2 MegaPixel, f/2.4, (macro sensor), 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
Video- 1080p@30fps
SELFIE CAMERA Single 8 MP, f/2.0, 27mm (wide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm
Video- 1080p@30fps
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack yes, 24-bit/192kHz audio
Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE
GPS Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
NFC No
Infrared port Yes
Radio FM radio
USB USB Type-C 2.0, USB On-The-Go
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint, accelerometer, proximity, and compass
BATTERY Type Li-Po 6000 mAh, non-removable
Charging Fast charging 18W
Colors Mighty Black, Fiery Red, Electric Green, Blazing Blue
Price Rs. 18,999 (4/64GB) & Rs. 20,999 (4/128GB)
