The evolution of Xiaomi Redmi Note phones in the last 5 years

Xiaomi is a Chinese electronics and software company that has been making a name for themselves in the past few years. The brand is now known as one of the biggest smartphone brands in the world with several lines of smartphones under their belt. One of their most famous line of smartphones is Redmi, a mid-range line that became an instant hit from their release in July 2013.

The Xiaomi Redmi smartphones are mainly marketed towards consumers in Asia and Europe. Since their release in 2013, Xiaomi Redmi has released several models and are constantly innovating their smartphones to provide users with more features and a better experience. In this article, we will look at how the Xiaomi Redmi Note smartphones have evolved in the past 5 years, from the viewpoint of design, display, performance, and camera.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (2017)

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 was released in January 2017 and measures 151 x 76 x 8.5mm with a weight of 165g. The body of the smartphone is made of aluminum, and it comes with an audio jack and a Micro-USB 2.0 port. There is also a fingerprint sensor on the back of the smartphone. The display of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is a 5.5-inch, full-HD IPS display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels.

The smartphone runs on an Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor and MIUI 8 based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The minimum storage for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is 32GB storage with 2GB RAM but external storage can be expanded up to 128GB. The smartphone also has a non-removable Li-Po 4100 mAh battery.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 comes with two cameras – one rear 13MP f/2.0 camera and one 5MP, f/2.0 front camera. The rear camera features a Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) mode and a dual-LED (dual-tone) flash while the rear camera can shoot videos up to 1080p.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (Redmi 5 Plus) (2018)

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 was released in March 2018 and measures 158.6 x 75.4 x 8.1mm, weighs 180g – which bigger and heavier than the Note 4 model. The body of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is designed with a glass front, aluminum frame and comes with an audio jack, a Micro-USB 2.0 charging port, and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. The display of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is a 5.99-inch

IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, made with Corning Gorilla Glass and slightly bigger than its predecessor but with a higher resolution of FHD+ (1080 x 2160 pixels).

The Redmi Note 5 inherits a chipset from the previous model but runs on a newer Android version (Android 7.1.2 (Nougat)). The minimum storage for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is 32GB storage with 3GB RAM and the external storage can also be expanded up to 128GB, similar to the Note 4 model. The 4000 mAh battery capacity is also slightly smaller than the previous model but it does come with 18W fast charging capabilities.

The camera arrangement of Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 contains a dual rear camera with 12MP f/2.2 main camera and a 5MP secondary camera with PDAF mode and single-tone flash. The front has a 13 MP, f/2.0 camera that comes with Beautify 4.0 Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a selfie timer.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro (2018)

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro is a model in the series that was released without accompanying variants. The smartphone was released in October 2018 and measures 157.9 x 76.4 x 8.2mm with a weight of 181g, slightly bigger and heavier than the previous Note 5 model. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro has an aluminum back with a plastic frame, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, a MicroUSB 2.0 port, and an audio jack. This model also has a larger display than the previous model, a 6.26-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, made with Corning Gorilla Glass with a resolution of 1080 x 2280 pixels.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro runs on the Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, Android 8.1 (Oreo) operating system, and MIUI 10 interface. The minimum storage for this model is also similar to the Note 5 but the external storage for this model is expandable up to 256 GB. The battery capacity is still 4000 mAh but this model, unfortunately, does not come with fast charging capabilities.

The camera for Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro has improved from the previous model, especially for the front camera. The smartphone comes with a dual-rear camera and a dual-front camera. The rear cameras are a 12 MP, f/1.9 main camera with dual-pixel autofocus and a 5 MP, f/2.2 depth camera. The front camera has a 20 MP, f/2.2 camera, and a 2 MP depth camera, with Beautify 4.0 AI and a selfie timer.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 (2019)

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 was released in January 2019 and measures 159.2 x 75.2 x 8.1mm and weighs 186g. The body for this model is made of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 back and a plastic frame and comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C port, and an audio jack. The display of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 is a 6.3-inch, IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels.

The smartphone is powered by the Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset and Android 9.0 (Pie), MIUI 10 interface. The minimum storage and expandable external storage remain the same as the previous Note 6 Pro model, as well as the battery capacity. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 does however supports Qualcomm️ Quick Charge️ 4 technology.

The model comes with dual rear cameras 48MP f/1.8 and a 5MP f/2.4 with some shooting options such as Night, Panorama, AI, Portrait, and Pro mode. This camera arrangement is considered “seriously impressive” compared to its price.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 (2019)

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 was released in October 2019 which is just 9 months apart from the previous Redmi Note model, hence, these two phones are expected to be quite similar.

If we look at the design, everything remains identical with the previous model from material to fingerprint placement, only the weight is slightly heavier with 190g.

Compared to the predecessor, this Redmi Note model is equipped with the Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset which is a newer and better chipset. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 still has the same minimum storage, expandable external storage, and battery capacity as the previous Note 6 Pro and Note 7 models. This model, however, does comes with 18W fast charging capabilities.

The camera capabilities for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 have improved significantly from its predecessors, with quad cameras on the rear. The quad-camera comes with a 48MP f/1.8 wide camera, an 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera, a 2MP f/2.4 dedicated macro camera, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth camera. The front camera of the smartphone is a 13MP, f/2.0 with Beautify AI feature.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 (2020)

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 was released in May 2020 and measures 162.3 x 77.2 x 8.9 mm and weighs 199 g. The body of the smartphone is made of a Gorilla Glass 5 front and a plastic frame and comes with a splash-proof coating. There is also a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and a USB Type-C port. The display for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 is a 6.53-inch, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels.

The performance of the Redmi Note 9, although does not fully convince some tech geeks, can still afford a decent performance with a combination of Octa-core MediaTek Helio G85 chipset and 3GB RAM/64GB ROM or4GB RAM/128GB ROM. The battery capacity has also increased from the previous model and is now 5020 mAh with 18W fast charging and 9W reverse charging capabilities.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 has the same rear quad-camera capabilities as the previous Note 8 model. This model also comes with 13MP f/2.3 front camera with palm shutter and AI portrait mode.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 (2021)

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 was released just last March 2021 and has a smaller size and lighter weight than the previous model. The body also has IP53 dust and splash protection and USB Type-C port. However, this model features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor instead of the usual rear-mounted sensor. The display for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 is a 6.43-inch, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.

While the previous Redmi Note model is equipped with MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, Xiaomi decided to upgrade the processor for the Redmi Note 10 with Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 chipset which is considered much more powerful. About RAM and storage, there are 2 options to choose from which are 4GB/64GB and 6GB/128GB. The battery capacity for this model was reduced to 5000 mAh from the previous model but now comes with 33W fast charging capabilities.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 also shares the same rear quad-camera capabilities as the previous Note 8 and Note 9 models. This model also comes with a 13 MP f/2.5 wide camera on the front.

The price movement of the Redmi Note series in the last 5 years

Lastly, if you are wondering about the difference and changes in the launched price for the Xiaomi Redmi Note models listed above, here is a simple chart to show price movement for the smartphones from 2017 until 2021.

^{*Starting price stated in the chart is the price of the lowest-cost variant. Different variants (with higher specs) will offer a higher price.}