Not taking any risks, Xiaomi has retained the Snapdragon 636 processor in this phone too. But Note 6 Pro is different because of the notch display and quad camera setup. Will Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro smartphone be as successful as Redmi Note 5 Pro? Let us know…
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Design
by design Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Very similar to Note 5 Pro. If you look back at Xiaomi Mi A2, Redmi Note 5 Pro and Redmi Note 6 Pro, you will not be able to easily differentiate between the three devices. The vertical dual rear camera setup given on the back is convex. LED flash has also got a place in the camera module. There is a metal backplate on top of the plastic frame of the smartphone.
However, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro looks best from the front, especially because of the notch at the top of the display. The notch of this phone is bigger than the notch of Redmi 6 Pro, which is the first smartphone of Xiaomi to come with a notch display in India.
Xiaomi has given power and volume buttons on the right side. The power button is easy to access. But accessing the volume buttons is not that easy. The feedback of all the buttons is great. There is a 3.5 mm headphone jack, secondary microphone and IR emitter on the top. There is a micro USB port at the bottom which was disappointing. Because many smartphones in this price range come with USB Type-C port, take Nokia 6.1 Plus and Motorola One Power for example. There are grills on either side of the micro-USB port. Of these, there is a speaker in the right grill.
The phone has a hybrid dual SIM tray on the left side. Xiaomi has made the phone curved at the back, so that the grip remains good in the hands. The weight of 182 grams does not cause discomfort to the hands. If you are wondering about the weight, it is due to the large 4000 mAh battery.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro specifications, software and features
Xiaomi has decided to use Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor in this phone. Remember that this processor has also been a part of Redmi Note 5 Pro. Nokia 6.1 Plus, Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 and Motorola One Power also come with this chipset.
Note 6 Pro has two variants – 4 GB RAM with 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM with 64 GB storage. We have reviewed the variant with 6 GB RAM. Hybrid SIM slot is provided, that is, you have to choose between a microSD card and a second SIM. This phone comes with dual 4G VoLTE support.
Connectivity features of Redmi Note 6 Pro include Bluetooth 5, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, GPS, and FM radio. This phone has a Wi-Fi passthrough feature that allows the phone to work as a Wi-Fi repeater.
The phone has support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, but Xiaomi has provided a 10-watt charger in the retail box. Like Xiaomi Poco F1, Note 6 Pro has water resistant P2I coating.
You will get MIUI 10 based on Android 8.1 Oreo in Redmi Note 6 Pro. Considering the availability of Android Pie in the market, we feel that Xiaomi could also have launched Redmi Note 6 Pro with the latest Android version. Our review unit had the security patch for the month of October.
Some changes have been made to Xiaomi’s custom UI. The new multitasking layout looks fresh. Like other phones that come with a notch, you have the option to hide the notch. Xiaomi keeps many apps pre-installed on your phones. Dailyhunt and Me Video repeatedly spammed our notifications.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro performance, battery life and cameras
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro worked without any lag. Probably 6 GB RAM had an important contribution in this. Multitasking was easy. There was no need to close any app in the background. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 is not a very old processor. It is capable of running most of the apps and new games. We played PUBG Mobile game. It ran on lowest settings. The phone definitely gets a little hot after playing games for a while.
The battery of Redmi Note 6 Pro is 4000 mAh. In our HD video loop test, the phone died after 15 hours 36 minutes. This is 1 hour less than the performance of Redmi Note 5 Pro. In normal use the battery easily lasts for more than a day. If you do not use the phone a lot then you can expect longer battery life.
Xiaomi has also made the 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel rear camera setup of Redmi Note 5 Pro a part of the new phone. However, the 12-megapixel sensor is new and comes with 1.4 micron pixel size and dual pixel autofocus. Its aperture is F/1.9, which means its camera will capture more light than the sensor of Redmi Note 5 Pro. The secondary 5 megapixel depth sensor works to assess depth in portrait shots. A 20-megapixel selfie camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor are provided on the front panel.
These days the word Artificial Intelligence is used everywhere. Xiaomi claims that the camera app of Redmi Note 6 Pro has AI scene detection. According to Xiaomi, the rear camera can recognize 31 scenes using AI and the selfie camera can recognize 12 scenes. Its camera app is similar to the camera apps of other Xiaomi smartphones.
Landscape shots came out with decent detail. The phone was successful in achieving the correct exposure. If you zoom in at 100 percent, you will miss details. Auto HDR is also available. It starts working automatically at the time of need. Note 6 Pro surprised us in macro shots. Good separation was seen between background and subject. We also tested the AI camera. The phone was easily identifying the subject.
Tap to view Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro camera samples in full size
You can adjust the level of blur even after taking a portrait photo. In low light the phone tries to capture more light by reducing the shutter speed. In such a situation, the pictures become blurred when the object moves. If there is no source of light nearby then the photos do not come out as sharp. The lack of detail is clearly visible.
You can adjust the level of blur even after taking a portrait photo. In low light the phone tries to capture more light by reducing the shutter speed. In such a situation, the pictures become blurred when the object moves. If there is no source of light nearby then the photos do not come out as sharp. The lack of detail is clearly visible. With Redmi Note 6 Pro you will be able to record videos up to 1080 pixels. This is disappointing, as many phones in this price range come with 4K video recording capability. EIS is provided to stabilize the footage, but it brings a shimmering effect.
our decision
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro handset is an upgrade to the Redmi Note 5 Pro. It’s really an upgrade in some respects. The notch display of Note 6 Pro is bigger and brighter. There is also a slight upgrade in the camera due to which the outputs are better. Xiaomi has done a good job of making a good product better. Now Xiaomi is facing a strong challenge in terms of hardware. In the market in the same price range Nokia 6.1 Plus, Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 And Motorola One Power Like handsets.
Xiaomi had recently cut the price of both the variants of Redmi Note 5 Pro. These now sell for Rs 13,999 and Rs 15,999, which are the same as the launch price of Redmi Note 6 Pro. There are older phones available now, but in our opinion the Redmi Note 6 Pro is a better option.
Advertisements have been a big problem in MIUI. But now the situation has become so bad that even normal use is becoming difficult. Along with this, MIUI 10 given in Redmi Note 6 Pro is based on Android 8.1 Oreo. That means your software experience is also not the latest.
The price of the powerful version is such that it puts Redmi Note 6 Pro at par with Xiaomi Mi A2, Vivo V9 Pro and realme 2 pro Like the handset will challenge. All three handsets come with more powerful Snapdragon 660 processor. Considering the current price, we would suggest you to buy the starting variant of Redmi Note 6 Pro. If you are considering an expensive variant, there are better options available in the market.
The new phone is likely to once again be the most popular in the Rs 15,000 price range due to Xiaomi’s aggressive pricing. However, the higher RAM variant is priced at Rs 15,999 which is close to the Xiaomi Mi A2 running stock Android. The challenge is also from Realme 2 Pro. Both these smartphones come with more powerful Snapdragon 660 processor. Apart from this, there is also Motorola One Power (Power) which is equipped with 5000 mAh battery. Considering the current price, we would suggest you to buy the starting variant of Redmi Note 6 Pro. If you are considering an expensive variant, there are better options available in the market.