Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S review: no 5G means no deal
"The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is temptingly cheap and offers the basics, but for a little more money you can buy a phone that will last longer."
advantages
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Long battery life
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Durable construction
disadvantage
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No 5G for future security
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is a good smartphone, but it also shows how important it is to pay attention to durability when making a purchase decision, regardless of the price. While it's strong value when it is discounted, as it was at the time of this review, you can get a better, more durable 5G phone at full price for not much more money.
5G might not be for you today, but maybe tomorrow and you will have to upgrade from the Redmi Note 10S to get it. I spent some time on the phone to see if it was worth taking the risk.
design
The Redmi Note 10S has a plastic frame and a plastic back with gorilla glass above the screen, as well as an IP53 protection class against splash water and dust. The 6.43-inch AMOLED screen is flat, while the back is slightly curved, and the whole thing weighs 178 grams and is 8.3 mm thick. There's a fingerprint scanner in the power button on the side of the phone, a 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom, and four cameras in the module on the back.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
It's not a remarkable looking smartphone, but it's far from unattractive, with a few standout design details that I really like, like the use of clear plastic for the camera module that makes it appear slimmer. The plastic body offers grip and lightness and is comfortable to hold for long periods of time, but it gets covered in messy fingerprints – on the front and back – and the back plate has an awkward curve when pressed.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
This is why the Redmi Note 10S is so price sensitive. It's obviously not a premium smartphone, but it's pretty close to being a little on the cheap. Nobody really wants to pay a lot for a phone that sounds hollow when tapped, and the Redmi Note 10S does. It's an inexpensive smartphone on a budget, but that doesn't matter if you can grab one for a low price.
camera
The main camera has 64 megapixels and an aperture of f / 1.8 as well as phase detection autofocus and is in addition to an 8 MP, 1: 2.2 wide-angle camera and a 2 MP depth and 2 MP macro camera . It's not bad. In good outdoor conditions, it will take well-balanced photos with a nice pop of color, provided you are careful with the “AI” mode. Sometimes it can really improve an image, but in other situations it can cumbersome color, add contrast, and manipulate the image so that it doesn't look natural. It is a game of chance that you unfortunately get.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
In more difficult lighting conditions, the camera's white balance suffers and storm clouds turn blue rather than gray or black. Outdoor shots lose visual tension and detail even in poor ambient light. Portrait mode is effective and edge detection is good. The selfie camera has an active beautification by default that brightens and smoothes your skin, but it can be easily turned off.
If you get the Redmi Note 10S at the right price, the camera won't disappoint, but just spend a little more and you can get phones with much better cameras.
perfomance
Xiaomi chose MediaTek as a partner for the Redmi Note 10S, but didn't opt for a Dimensity chip to add 5G. Instead, the phone uses a MediaTek Helio G95 octa-core chip with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. My test model has 6 GB of RAM. Using the phone for general purposes like Twitter and Instagram, web browsing, some YouTube, and casual gaming is fine and won't get hot or slow.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
I've played a lot of Asphalt 9: Legends during my time on the phone. I didn't change the default graphics settings and only saw the very occasional pauses during the action. It never got annoying and the phone never got too hot. It's a great little phone for casual gaming.
It's a great little phone for casual gaming
I like the 2400 x 1080 AMOLED screen and the video experience too. It's bright enough that I had no problem seeing it outside in sunlight, although I miss a high refresh rate. There are also stereo speakers on the phone which make watching videos a lot more fun than you often find on phones at this price point, but they don't offer much bass.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
There's no 5G on board which affects the phone's longevity as you might not want the fast data connection now but next year. It has NFC for Google Pay and dual SIM support, as well as a microSD card slot. I also like the fingerprint sensor, which is well placed in the power button and reacts quickly.
software
The phone has Android 11 with Xiaomi's MIUI 12.5.2 interface on top. It comes with Google Play and all the usual Google services as well as a variety of Xiaomi's own apps such as a calculator, a QR code scanner, a file manager and the Mi Store App Store. It is visually identical to the version on the more expensive phones from Xiaomi such as the Mi 11 Ultra and runs smoothly and stably here. It's customizable, the notifications can be interacted with in the notification shadow, and I've found it to be reliable.
There are some annoyances, however. The always-on screen isn't always on no matter what settings I'm using, but instead lights up when a notification comes in or when you double-tap the screen. Dark Mode is arbitrary with app support which results in some apps not displaying properly, and I also don't like the way the wallpaper is dimmed by default as it makes the phone look boring.
The always-on screen is not always on no matter what settings I use
None of these things are really unique to the Redmi Note 10S and affect all MIUI phones. However, the version 12.5 installed on the Redmi Note 10S appears to have improved energy efficiency and many of the pre-installed apps can either be hidden or uninstalled, which was not always available in previous versions of MIUI. I don't mind using MIUI as I expect these quirks, but Xiaomi's Android software is still less pleasant to use than Samsung's One UI and OnePlus & # 39; s OxygenOS.
battery
If you turn off the Redmi Note 10S overnight, the 5,000 mAh battery will last for three days with normal use. This includes using the camera, social networking, a video call and some voice calls, as well as other basic phone chores. Use the phone more heavily and it still lasts for two days with no problem. Battery life is a real strong point, but high-intensity tasks can drain it quickly. For example, an hour of high definition YouTube video takes up at least 15% of battery life.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
A 33 W fast charger is included in the scope of delivery, which, according to Xiaomi, delivers a charge of 54% in 30 minutes.
Price and availability
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is not officially sold in the US, but it can be imported. It's available now through Xiaomi's official online store in the UK, where it costs £ 229 at full price, which is around $ 320. However, at the time of writing, it's discounted to £ 179, or around $ 250.
Our opinion
If you can get the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S at the lowest price, it's an affordable smartphone for people who don't ask too much of it or who have the expectation to use 5G. It offers great bang for your buck, with a good screen and long battery life. The MediaTek Helio G95 processor is not the newest, but it is powerful enough for everyday use as well as casual gaming. Even the camera is acceptable under the right conditions.
It offers great bang for your buck, with a good screen and long battery life
However, the lack of 5G is a problem. Cheap 5G phones are in abundance today, and they don't cost much more than the Redmi Note 10S. You might not be able to get 5G in your area today, but it might be next month or next year and you won't need to upgrade your phone if you choose wisely today. If you can afford to get a 5G phone now (or have the time to save a little more) it will be totally worth it in the long run, and that puts the Redmi Note 10S out of the running.
Is there a better alternative?
Yes. If you're in the US but don't want to import the Redmi Note 10S and want to spend around $ 250, we recommend the Motorola Moto G Power (2021) for $ 200 if 5G isn't your thing, or toss take a look at the $ 300 OnePlus Nord N10 5G or the Samsung Galaxy A32 5G for $ 280 if so. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, but two have 5G, which offers a certain degree of future security.
In the UK, we recommend spending a little more to get the OnePlus Nord CE 5G, which costs £ 299. The software is better, it comes with 5G for the future, has IP67 water resistance, and is the same or better than the Redmi Note 10S in most other areas as well. Also take a look at the Realme 8 5G, which also has 5G from MediaTek's Dimensity 700 chip and costs £ 200.
How long it will take?
The plastic housing and protection class IP53 against splash water and dust should give the Redmi Note 10S a good chance of surviving moderately rough treatment. This is a 4G LTE phone and does not come with a 5G modem. So if you want to try the fast data connection in the future, you'll have to switch your phones.
Should you buy one?
No. You can get a phone with better software and that will last longer if you spend just a little more money.
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