Im back for another tech review after some months of test and max usage of smartphone review unit and Im happy to share my thoughts and also my comment about the new smartphones that Im using today.
First I got this Redmi Note 10 5G -- its my first ever try and use smartphone from Xiaomi Philippines and also my first time to test and try a 5G enabled smartphone. Its a good start to try this mid range level smartphone by Xiaomi and ever since this brand is such a crowd favorite because of its premium built and also much affordable price range
For my review my focus is on the Redmi Note 10 5G performance of its camera in video and photos, the body case build, the screen, the 5G connection, multi tasking and also gaming.
Before I share more info of my review, below are the tech specs of the Redmi Note 10 5G
REDMI NOTE 10 5G
TECH SPECS
6.5” DotDisplay with 90Hz AdaptiveSync
Resolution: 2400 x 1080
Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 front
MediaTek Dimensity 700, Octa-core CPU, up to 2.2GHz
7nm manufacturing process
Arm Mail-G57 MC2 GPU up to 950MHz
4+128GB and 8+128GB
LPDDR4X RAM
MIUI 12 based on Android 11
rear camera - 48MP triple camera with wide angle
front camera = 8MP front camera f/2.0
3.5mm headphone jack
Hi-Res audio certification
5000 mah
16hrs of gaming, 22 hours of videos, 178 hrs of music
18W wired charging
22.5W charger
5G ready dual sim
NFC
USB Type C
Side mounted fingerprint sensor
AI face unlock
body colors: chrome silver, graphite gray, nightime blue, aurora green
SRP -
PHP 9,990 4GB RAM
PHP 11,490 8GB RAM
For the price range of the Redmi Note 10 5G, I can say that the price is very competitive and a much easy to acquire brand model on the level of a 5G enabled device. If you are looking for a much more affordable phone with 5G with good tech specs, I suggest you take a look on this Redmi Note 10 5G
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The Redmi Note 10 5G is not as flashy like the sub models of Mi and Poco, but I understand that the Redmi brand stands one step away from the flagship level because of its tech specs of its camera, processor and screen.
In this times, its very rare -- and starts a new normal of having a screen with 90hz refresh rate and thats what we love in watching videos and also in gaming. Getting a high refresh rate above 60hz, this screen specs got me interested to explore more about Redmi Note 10 5G performance.
UNBOXING
Here's the box of the Redmi Note 10 5G, its very simple and no other flashy decor, but inside is the phone that really matters. It looks ordinary, but then read the note there--- its a 5G phone!
watch my video unboxing here - https://youtu.be/N7ih2ZPy9UQ
Inside the box includes the - Redmi Note 10 5G unit, jelly case, USB C cable, charging brick, some manuals and warranty card, SIM tray pin ejector and....there's no headphones
I noticed that some phone brand did not include the headphones, and here at the Redmi Note 10 5G, they didnt include it, I think the move is to make the price go lower and some people prefer to use their old headphones to go for the wireless versions.
THE SCREEN
6.5” DotDisplay with 90Hz AdaptiveSync
Resolution: 2400 x 1080
Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 front
That's the main specs of the screen. The 6.5" size of its display is just right. Its not too big or small but for watching, reading and playing games, the size is just right. Because 6.5" and more size is much more better nowadays.
thanks to a Corning Gorilla Glass for added protection on the screen from scratches accidental rub with other objects or surface. Take note that there's no protective film on it, but dont worry, a Corning Gorilla Glass can do better for protecting the screen.
Its lighter when holding it or using it with one hand.
Text on websites and social media are readable and there's no problem on different lighting conditions
One of the best feature of the Redmi Note 10 5G is that you can switch to 90hz refresh rate if you want a much smoother UI performance on the screen, smooth and fluid video motion and also best performance when it comes to gaming. But take note that getting a higher refresh rate can consume a lot of battery juice so use the the 90hz refresh rate wisely.
THE BODY
The body case is very simple and as I mentioned earlier it has no flashy decor on it. Its all plastic and I got worried that it might not survive to a nasty fall on the floor. So make sure you hold and take care of the Redmi Note 10 5G body and make sure you use its jelly case as added protection.
The thing that I did not like is the camera bump. Its a much wider and big, so take of it and dont let it scratching on any rough surface
Added cosmetic is the Redmi Note 10 5G text logo at the back.
One of the best feature here is the side fingerprint scanner to unlock the phone or to use it as your credentials for opening apps or accounts when purchasing. This is a must use, so dont forget to register your own fingerprint for unlocking the phone
At the bottom of the Redmi Note 10 5G, you can see there the tiny mic hole, USB C dock and 3 lines for the speaker.
On the left side is the SIM tray where you can add an expansion memory using a micro SD card and also your 5G SIM -- at this time Im using SMART 5G because thats the only good network when Im in Tagaytay and also there's 5G here in my home in Bacoor.
for a 6.5" display size, It looks okay for viewing some videos or using it for gaming. The only thing that I did not like is the pin hole camera at the middle left corner. When playing Call of Duty Mobile, I need to adjust the firing button away from the pin hole front cam, because I always accidentally press the camera and not the firing button. I do wish that the next Redmi will move the camera away from the mid part - top of the screen and put it on the lower side.
And here's the camera bump.
Make sure you dont let it sit on the table camera down, its better to use a phone holder on the table or use those ring holder to let the phone stand or avoid the camera from touching the surface.
Inside the Redmi Note 10 5G -- yikes Im consuming more space because of gaming apps.
But as you can see that I still have more reserve for photos and video, all you need to do is manage your files and back it up to your Google Drive or to your external Drive at home.
128GB is a big storage space, but for a gamer POV, the storage size is just right and it can hold up to 15 best gaming apps
You can say that the Redmi Note 10 5G can be your dedicated gaming phone or a content creator device. And similar to my mobile lifestyle, Im both, but if ever Im going to use the Redmi Note 10 5G as my content creator device, I need to save at least 30GB space for photo and video per day if ever Im going full blast to vlog or do photography.
Some phone users are not aware of the helpful tools installed on the phone, like the Cleaner app that lets you clean the phone memory and releases the apps from running on the background, and there's the Security app that helps to manage the phone optimization, virus and also boost the speed and battery life.
For phone users, explore your phone more so that you can use these apps in a regular basis, because it can help give you a better phone performance and battery health.
Here are the screen menu of the Redmi Note 10 5G
Check out the :
Reading mode - for anti blue light mode
Dark mode - to darken the screen and remove all white background
DND - it is not Dungeon and Dragons haha, it means Do No Disturb, a one click to mute all notif and set the phone to vibrate
Battery saver - a one click tool to set the phone to battery saving mode, brightness and other feature will be removed or lessen
Cast - to cast the screen to any monitor or TV
Mi Share - Im not using this, I think its for sharing files
Floating window - if you open a lot of apps, when you press this the app will minimize and float on any screen on the phone
Screen Recorder - one of my most important feature. But in gaming, the FPS is lowered when recording and sometimes eats a lot of memory
And here's what it looks in Dark mode. cool di ba ?
THE CAMERA
rear camera - 48MP triple camera with wide angle
front camera = 8MP front camera f/2.0
Look at that rear cam specs! wow! 48MP triple camera with wide angle is one of the best feature of this mid range phone. And using the 48MP cam mode in shooting is awesome! Check and see the sample below after this camera review.
I like the rear cam's AI and its very accurate and the image stabilization really helps and remove away any shaky hand movement that causes photo blur.
The front cam is just 8MP, it performance poorly on low light areas, but make sure you have a better lighting when taking photos and video when using the front camera.
But using this on an outdoor environment with good sunlight will give a better photo selfie result.
I have a sample below, so dont miss it.
VIDEO PERFORMANCE
I've used the both camera for vlogging and also for livestreaming. The bit rate for streaming is just okay and I like its fast and good quality when it comes to video streaming, I did a test using Facebook Live to stream our gaming and also me doing a longer streaming hours up to 11 hours total
here are some samples:
vlog test - https://youtu.be/n4_tE1O3Yeg
game stream cam - https://youtu.be/kzuufHcCDww
11 hours livestream - https://youtu.be/Eg-UqgS1YFg
PHOTO PERFORMANCE
And here are my photo samples using the REAR CAM with 48 MP
And then below are my photo samples and selfie using the FRONT CAM with 8 MP
THE GAMING PERFORMANCE
This is one of my fave activity is to review smartphone's performance when it comes to gaming, and I've mention before that the Redmi Note 10 5G is a good dedicated device for gaming.
And Im surprised that the 90hz refresh rate adds more better gaming experience as it adds more FPS and also smoothness of the gaming movements.
Before playing a game, make sure you activate the Game Turbo app, so that the phone can optimize and set the phone to max performance for a better gaming experience.
All games are okay and everything is so smooth and the FPS is upgraded thanks to the 90hz refresh rate.
For my gaming test series go here to my Youtube playlist - REDMI NOTE 10 5G - VLOG SERIES - YouTube
Facebook
THE MULTI TASK PERFORMANCE
Im a phone user that use a lot of apps and programs, well because these apps gives more convenience to our life thats why we need them in the first place.
From social media apps, video apps, photo apps, editing apps, gaming apps and many more, there are times that some of them are running at the same time. But then if you have a habit of closing the apps and re launching it by demand, then you can optimize and organize the usage of the phone's memory
The Redmi Note 10 5G version Im using is a 4GB RAM version. But as you can see that its a basic specs for RAM and its a good common RAM size for smartphones if you are a heavy user and a gamer. But getting a higher RAM means it can run apps more.
If you plan to get the 8GB RAM version, then you should get it base on your budget and need.
But me as a heavy user, I find the 4GB RAM can hold much apps running, but it need some assistance of RAM management. So close the app when done using to free up more memory for the next app to run.
Instagram
Twitter
Canva
Snapseed
Youtube
Watching videos on Youtube -- wow the 90hz refresh rate upgrades the FPS of my videos!
VIDEO PERFORMANCE
I've used the both camera for vlogging and also for livestreaming. The bit rate for streaming is just okay and I like its fast and good quality when it comes to video streaming, I did a test using Facebook Live to stream our gaming and also me doing a longer streaming hours up to 11 hours total
here are some samples:
vlog test - https://youtu.be/n4_tE1O3Yeg
game stream cam - https://youtu.be/kzuufHcCDww
11 hours livestream - https://youtu.be/Eg-UqgS1YFg
PHOTO PERFORMANCE
And here are my photo samples using the REAR CAM with 48 MP
And then below are my photo samples and selfie using the FRONT CAM with 8 MP
THE REDMI NOTE 10 5G PERFORMANCE SECTION
THE GAMING PERFORMANCE
This is one of my fave activity is to review smartphone's performance when it comes to gaming, and I've mention before that the Redmi Note 10 5G is a good dedicated device for gaming.
And Im surprised that the 90hz refresh rate adds more better gaming experience as it adds more FPS and also smoothness of the gaming movements.
Before playing a game, make sure you activate the Game Turbo app, so that the phone can optimize and set the phone to max performance for a better gaming experience.
All games are okay and everything is so smooth and the FPS is upgraded thanks to the 90hz refresh rate.
For my gaming test series go here to my Youtube playlist - REDMI NOTE 10 5G - VLOG SERIES - YouTube
THE MULTI TASK PERFORMANCE
Im a phone user that use a lot of apps and programs, well because these apps gives more convenience to our life thats why we need them in the first place.
From social media apps, video apps, photo apps, editing apps, gaming apps and many more, there are times that some of them are running at the same time. But then if you have a habit of closing the apps and re launching it by demand, then you can optimize and organize the usage of the phone's memory
The Redmi Note 10 5G version Im using is a 4GB RAM version. But as you can see that its a basic specs for RAM and its a good common RAM size for smartphones if you are a heavy user and a gamer. But getting a higher RAM means it can run apps more.
If you plan to get the 8GB RAM version, then you should get it base on your budget and need.
But me as a heavy user, I find the 4GB RAM can hold much apps running, but it need some assistance of RAM management. So close the app when done using to free up more memory for the next app to run.
Canva
Snapseed
Youtube
Watching videos on Youtube -- wow the 90hz refresh rate upgrades the FPS of my videos!
VN editing app for videos
All apps are okay and Im surprised that the Redmi Note 10 5G can run Filmic Pro App, a special app for video recording and Im happy that the app runs smoothly and launches a feature that I can use an external mic when video recording.
And yeah -- the Redmi Note 10 5G default camera doesnt use a switch to activate an external mic, if you connect your mic and use the default camera, the mic will not be detected. For better performance, activate the external mic feature by using the Filmic Pro app.
THE 5G CONNECTIVITY
I mentioned on my first post that this is my first test and try of a Xiaomi smartphone and also 5G. So Im excited to use the Redmi Note 10 5G feature of 5G connectivity. It took me a while to get a 5G SIM because of the lockdown issues during the pandemic, but then Its a wow moment for me that the SMART 5G network really works well when Im in Tagaytay.
Tagaytay has a good SMART connectivity but its on 4G+ but the speed is amazing and it feels like Im at home using a 35MBPS speed. Im happy with the fast speed of both mobile network and device.
But here in my home in Bacoor, I learned that we have 5G network ever since hahaha.
So here's the download and upload speed using the Redmi Note 10 5G and the SMART 5G network.
With this 5G feature -- I can use the unli 5G network of SMART using their Giga Life app and subscribed on PHP599 for 30 days
The catch is that the 5G speed is non shareable and only the Redmi Note 10 5G can also use the 5G network.
But when the Redmi Note 10 5G is connected on our Globe at Home Fiber network -- we get the highest speed 39MBPS at least, a much higher speed that the original speed we are paying for per month which is up to 35MBPS
so when your modem has a 5G WIFI, you can use the Redmi Note 10 5G to connect to a much higher WIFI bandwidth using the 5G via landline.
its really awesome!! and fast! -- I use this set up when Im into gaming at home.
THE REVIEW
If Im going to rate the Redmi Note 10 5G - I will give it a 9/10, almost perfect!!
But everything that I need is already here and If ever Im going to switch to a new phone (replacing my main phone for purchase and calls) I can switch now to this Redmi Note 10 5G
here's why ?
- I love the 48MP photo capture in the rear camera
THE REVIEW
If Im going to rate the Redmi Note 10 5G - I will give it a 9/10, almost perfect!!
But everything that I need is already here and If ever Im going to switch to a new phone (replacing my main phone for purchase and calls) I can switch now to this Redmi Note 10 5G
here's why ?
- I love the 48MP photo capture in the rear camera
- The live streaming on this phone is well optimized when it comes to video and battery
- The video stabilization on both camera is amazing!!!! I need this when vlogging if ever Im going to use this as my 2nd vlogging phone camera
- The video stabilization on both camera is amazing!!!! I need this when vlogging if ever Im going to use this as my 2nd vlogging phone camera
- The 90hz refresh rate is a wow factor for me! it upgrades my game and also videos for entertainment
- The sound when gaming is a bit low, but using a headphone can upgrade your listening mode
- 128GB storage in a phone within the less 10k price is also good! I like this feature and for me its like a freebie and takes the 128GB storage as the normal or base size for phone storage in this time
- The 5G connectivity is also good, this is the reason because of my plan to switch to Redmi, the 5G network is getting better in our country, so its time to get a 5G phone now to enjoy more fast connection for communication and mobile computing.
- The phone size is a bit smaller to others, I just hope that they can maximize this to 6.7" for the gamers target, but for a 6.5" it is just right and good for turning this as your primary phone.
- The 5G connectivity is also good, this is the reason because of my plan to switch to Redmi, the 5G network is getting better in our country, so its time to get a 5G phone now to enjoy more fast connection for communication and mobile computing.
- The phone size is a bit smaller to others, I just hope that they can maximize this to 6.7" for the gamers target, but for a 6.5" it is just right and good for turning this as your primary phone.
