Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro first look: The budget flagship 

Xiaomi has a knack for springing surprises – big, beautiful surprises. Redmi te 7 Pro, that is making its global debut in India, is yet ar rabbit that it has pulled out of its hat. I have to say, one saw it coming, and even for those who did, Redmi te 7 Pro was a sure-shot shocker. With everything that Redmi te 7 Pro packs inside, it is hard to digest that thing starts at just Rs 13,999 (4GB RAM/64GB) and top-end 6GB RAM/128GB model costs an even crazier Rs 16,999. 

Xiaomi was certain about two things before launching Redmi te 7 Pro in India – Redmi te 7 Pro will cost same as Redmi te 6 Pro and Redmi te 5 Pro before it, and yet it will t cut any corners (at least, immediately visible corners). In typical Xiaomi fashion, Redmi te 7 Pro also punches way above its weight – or smartphone offers as many bells and whistles at its price point. Redmi te 7 Pro is a budget flagship, is what it is, more and less. 

This starts with design. Redmi te 7 Pro boasts of a fresh grient design langu and a waterdrop-style tch – which is a far cry from past Redmi phones. Redmi te 7 Pro is first Redmi phone to have a glass back, and it is toughened glass but Corning Gorilla Glass 5 (on front as well as on back) - Xiaomi says Redmi te 7 Pro is designed to survive 12-15 falls from 1m height (I still have to test that out, but that is what Xiaomi is claiming). Redmi te 7 Pro is also 14 per cent thicker than or glass phones, to d even more protection. Which is why it also weighs quite a bit, but those familiar with Redmi te 6 Pro/Redmi te 5 Pro wouldn’t mind that.  

Redmi te 7 Pro is also water-resistant. Sort of. w, it is technically t a water-resistant device, which means it does t come with any ingress or IP-rating. So, technically you’re t vised to go about throwing yourself in pool and taking Redmi te 7 Pro along with you with expectation that phone will have your back at all times but Xiaomi says it is a little more water-resistant than competing products – it is using watertight seals for all points considered weak for a smartphone. This means that all ports and buttons on-board Redmi te 7 Pro – SIM card tray, USB -C port, 3.5mm jack and speaker – are protected by watertight seals. se watertight seals, in turn, will ensure your device is protected against accidental spill and light rain. All this when coupled with phone’s P2i hydrophobic coating makes Redmi te 7 Pro resistant to light splashes of water/rain.  

But coming to design, which is one of main highlights of phone – Redmi te 7 Pro is first Redmi phone to come in a slew of grient finishes including Nebula Red, Neptune Blue and Black - Xiaomi is calling it aura design. While red and blue have this in-your face psychedelic look and feel, black is what you should get if you like things simple and sober – also re’s a possibility that black will be available in more quantities (at least initially) since red and blue are harder to make.  

On front, Redmi te 7 Pro has a 6.3-inch LTPS 1080p+ display with a teardrop/waterdrop style tch - Xiaomi is calling it a dot tch – much like or Xiaomi phones, colours look a little muted (especially by default) on Redmi te 7 Pro but brightness levels and viewing angles are quite good.  

or main highlight of Redmi te 7 Pro is its 48MP rear camera. Xiaomi is touting fact that Redmi te 7 Pro has an actual 48MP camera which is a simple way of saying, it is using a Sony IMX586 sensor (like Hor View 20) and t Samsung GM1 (like Vivo V15 Pro).  

Both Samsung GM1 and Sony IMX586 are first to make high-definition 48 effective megapixels photography possible on a smartphone form-factor – capable of producing high-quality photos with more details even when zoomed in. But here’s thing. Sony IMX586 is hands down a better sensor than Samsung GM1. At least on paper, since it can shoot native 48MP photos even as GM1 can shoot only 12MP only to n interpolate to 48MP (through software).  

Regardless, re’s more to smartphone photography than just sensor and megapixels – we will have more to say about Redmi te 7 Pro’s 48MP camera in our full review. 

Xiaomi is also touting a couple of more features of Redmi te 7 Pro’s camera(s) - dual camera system in Redmi te 7 Pro can recognize scenarios in 33 categories (with 6 India specific categories), and it also supports a stey handheld night mode for enhanced low light photography. secondary sensor in Redmi te 7 Pro is a 5MP and is used for depth sensing aka portrait photography. On front, Redmi te 7 Pro comes with a 13MP camera. 

In terms of core hardware, Redmi te 7 Pro comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor, making it one of most powerful smartphones in India at its price. This is paired with up to 6GB RAM and up to 128GB stor which is also expandable. dual-SIM phone runs Android Pie based MIUI 10 and supports dual 4G LTE. It packs a 4,000mAh battery and supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0 through USB -C (although, Xiaomi isn’t bundling a fast charger in box). 

Xiaomi has also launched Redmi te 7 in India, at an even more affordable price (than Redmi te 7 Pro) - it’s simply a toned down version of Redmi te 7 Pro with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor (Xiaomi says it is using processor’s full 2.2GHz clock speed unlike rivals that have been using a ‘lite’ version of this processor), a 4,000mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0 through USB -C, a 12MP plus 2MP depth rear dual camera system, a 13MP front camera, and a 6.3-inch 1080p+ LTPS display with Xiaomi’s dot tch and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on front as well as on back. Redmi te 7 will be available in solid Onyx Black, Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue options. 

One look at Redmi te 7 Pro, and it looks like, it is alrey a winner – it offers a premium design and high-end specs but costs 2X, 3X less than what a typical flagship will cost you. re is of course also Redmi te 7 for those with an even tighter budget (it starts at Rs 9,999 for base variant with 3GB RAM and 32GB stor, going all way to Rs 11,999 for top end version with 4GB RAM and 64GB stor). Watch this for our full review of Xiaomi Redmi te 7 Pro and Redmi te 7 in days to come. 

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