The Redmi Note 7 that has gone official in China today is the first smartphone after the separation of Redmi brand from its parent company Xiaomi. Last year, Xiaomi had released the Redmi 6A, Redmi 6 and Redmi 6 Pro smartphones in China, but it had skipped the Redmi Note 6 handset probably because it featured similar specs as the Redmi Note 5 phone. Unlike the Note series predecessor models, the Redmi Note 7 has arrived with a premium glass body. It offers an impressive screen space through its waterdrop notch display. Also, the smartphone is equipped with a 48-megapixel rear camera.
Design and Display
The glass-bodied Redmi Note 7 measures 159.21 x 75.21 x 8.1mm. Redmi claims that the Note 7 features a “rock solid and diamond-like” durable body. The handset is fitted with 2.5D Corning Gorilla 5 glass panels with additional 0.8mm thickness on its front and rear. To protect it from breaking easily, the company has strengthened its four corners and the “microcrack” edge polishing process has increased the sturdiness of the device. Hence, the drop protection performance of the glass build of the Note 7 is four times stronger than competing glass.
The Note 7 is the first dustproof and water-resistant Redmi phone. However, the company did not confirm on the IP rating of the phone at its launch. The buttons and ports of the smartphone have been specially treated to protect it from water damage. It is the first Redmi smartphone to arrive in attractive color gradient choices.
The 6.3-inch screen of the Redmi Note 7 produces 19.5:9 aspect ratio and full HD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. The display carries support for 450-nits brightness, 1,500:1 contrast ratio, sun legibility and eye protection mode. The size of its side bezels is reduced to 1.95mm. Also, the chin of the device is not very thick.
Performance
The Snapdragon 660 chipset from last year is the driving force of the Redmi Note 7. The handset comes in 32 GB and 64 GB storage choices. Both models are equipped with up to 6 GB of RAM. At the launch event, Redmi compared the performance prowess of the smartphone with OPPO K1. It revealed that the Snapdragon 660 powered Note 7 scored 144,599 on AnTuTu benchmarks whereas the OPPO K1 and Vivo X23 driven by the same SoC respectively scored 133,961 and 128,616. Redmi claims that the Note 7 even outscored the Kirin 710 powered Honor 8X smartphone in AnTuTu benchmarks.
The Redmi Note 7 has a dedicated microSD card slot for expanding its storage. The latest MIUI 10 based Android 9 Pie OS comes preloaded on the Redmi Note 7. There is a 4,000mAh present inside the smartphone. The Note 7 is also the first Redmi phone to come equipped with USB-C port for Quick Charge 4.0. It takes around 2 hours and 5 minutes to charge it with a regular 10W charger that comes bundled with the phone. However, the 18W fast charger that can be purchased separately will allow the phone to charge to the full in just 1 hour and 43 minutes.
Cameras and Other Features
Photography is one of the major features of the Redmi Note 7 since it is equipped with f/1.8 aperture 48-megapixel + 5-megapixel AI dual camera setup. Redmi has used Samsung ISOCELL GM1 48-megapixel Ultra Clear sensor as the primary sensor. The company claims with the help of the Samsung lens, the Redmi Note 7 can capture poster-level HD photos. Also, it can shoot amazing photos in low-light conditions by combing four pixels into one large pixel.
Sitting inside the frontal notch of the Redmi Note 7 is a 13-megapixel camera that has a large pixel of 1.6micron. It is equipped with features like AI Smart Beauty and AI face unlock. The Redmi Note 7 is equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack and it also features an infrared blaster which makes it possible to use it as a remote control. A fingerprint scanner resides of the backside of the smartphone.
Price and Release Date
Here are the color variants and pricing of the different variants of the Redmi Note 7:
- 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage – 999 Yuan (~$147)
- 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage – 1,199 Yuan (~$177)
- 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage – 1,399 Yuan (~$206)
It can be bought in Black and color gradient editions of Fantasy Blue and Twilight Red. The smartphone comes with a free protective cover. The company is also selling trendy cover with random holes on it for heat dissipation only for 29 Yuan (~$4). The Chinese manufacturer is also providing 18 months of warranty for the buyers of Redmi Note 7. The pre-sale of the phone starts today, and it will be available for buying from Jan. 15 from 10:00 AM.
Lastly, Redmi has revealed that there will be a Sony IMX586 48-megapixel camera edition of the Redmi Note 7 coming in the near future. This handset will be hitting the market as Redmi Note 7 Pro.
