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A sort of recurring similarity has settled into Xiaomi’s smartphones. If it weren’t for the fact that the Chinese company entirely rules the budget smartphones segment, one could vociferously complain that it’s becoming difficult to tell one Xiaomi phone from another. But oh well, Xiaomi has recently launched the successor to its Redmi Note 5 Pro, quite naturally called the Redmi Note 6 Pro. The first was phenomenally popular, and the second has got off to a great start according to Xiaomi’s figures. By now, these phones have a proven record of sturdy reliability with problems being the exception rather than the rule, so they’re easy to recommend.
The Note 6 Pro in the black we got is a staid metal chunk. It’s easy to grip because it’s narrow but it’s also very slippery and smudge-prone, making it look messy, which means the provided case should go on immediately. When you switch on the phone and get it going, the first difference from the 5 Pro, for those who’ve seen it, is a wide notch. Since it takes up more than half the top of the screen, one can’t help thinking it hardly seems worth the trouble. I wasted no time getting rid of it with the software work-around. The 6.26-inch display seems nicer with better colours, but there’s no dramatic change from before. It holds up pretty well in sunlight. The sound that goes with that display is adequate though nothing notable.
The Note 6 Pro doesn’t come with a change of processor. Xiaomi sees no need to change the Snapdragon 636 on this device as it’s been stable enough. Pair that with either 4 GB or 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage and that’s your lot. It works just fine, largely lag-free and quick, but you won’t find yourself marvelling at it any more. There is competition now. This device comes with Xiaomi’s upgraded operating system. There are tweaks and new features like gestures. It does however still run on Android 8.1 and not the latest 9 Pie. The new phone has a dual camera set-up using larger pixels and a wider aperture of f/1.9. The second camera gives you a bit of depth of field for portraits. The primary 12 MP plus 5 MP set-up shoots nice-enough images and has some mandatory AI going on, though you’ll only see it if you clearly encounter one of the 32 scenes supported. For the front camera, we have a 20 MP and 2 MP combination. I found the camera overdoing it somewhat, even with beauty modes turned off. Selfies were over-exposed and over-softened. If you’re keen on a lot of video shooting, this may not be the device to choose.
Overall, the Note 6 Pro is more of the same and as a reviewer, I can’t help hoping Xiaomi shakes it up a bit with the next iteration. If Xiaomi has as good a run as with the previous version, perhaps customers are happy with things being exactly as they are.
Price: ₹13,999
Pros: Improved display, better camera, sturdy as ever, debuts upgraded operating system
Cons: Tired design, wide notch, smudges easily, not latest Android version, not much difference in specs and performance, no in-box fast charger, same storage, no USB - C
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