Redmi Note 6 Pro Review : Everything that's New

Redmi Note 6 Pro

Xioami has launched a successor to their ultra popular Redmi Note 5 Pro. I got a hands on with the Note 6 Pro and compared it to the Note 5 Pro for a while. The purpose of this article is to determine whether the Redmi Note 6 Pro is a worthy upgrade over the Note 5 Pro. So let's get on with it then, shall we?

Build quality and Design:

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Right off the bat, I could tell that the Redmi Note 6 Pro is thicker than its predecessor. It's mainly because of the display which has been raised a bit higher from the frame than the Note 5 Pro. The two are nearly indistinguishable in terms of weight, but I feel the Note 5 Pro is a tad bit heavier.




The metal back used for the Note 6 Pro is slightly different than the one on its predecessor. It catches fingerprints and smudges a lot more. Also, it was making squeaking noise when it was first unboxed because some hinge inside it was loose. We had to forcefully push it down until it clicked itself in.

That is not very encouraging, because the Redmi Note 5 Pro is built very well in comparison. But after that, there seem to be no apparent structural compromises, so let's move on for now.

Other than a few design changes that you might have seen in the above video, the phones are identical. The Redmi Note 6 Pro is a tad bit shorter than the Note 5 Pro. They're pretty much identical in everything else.

The Displays:


There's no way you could have missed this one.

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The Note 6 pro has a gigantic notch which is new to the Redmi Note series. Even though I despised display notches until a few months ago, I seem to have developed some tolerance towards them. It didn't bother me much during my time using the Redmi Note 6 Pro.

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I did find something to be a little bit off with colors on the new display. Particularly the Red colour, which seems quite a bit washed out as compared to the predecessor. The Blues are more or less identical and Greens have been improved.

The Cameras:


The Redmi Note 6 Pro boasts some camera improvements, especially in the selfie department. The front camera flash on the Note 5 pro has been replaced in favour of a secondary sensor. That is a very welcome change in my opinion, because the selfies are noticeably better on the Note 6 Pro.

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Redmi Note 6 Pro selfie camera handles exposure like a champ. It's a day and night difference between this and the Note 5 Pro. Take a look at the selfie portrait samples.

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Note 5 Pro

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Note 6 Pro
Rear cameras are pretty similar. The Redmi Note 6 Pro does have a bigger f/1.9 aperture, but it doesn't seem to make any noticeable difference in real life. Xiaomi has praised the new cameras a lot, but I couldn't spot any significant improvement in low light scenarios in my experience with it.

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Note 5 Pro




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Note 6 Pro


The same exposure improvement apply to the rear camera as well where the Note 6 Pro consistently produced well exposed shots. The Note 5 Pro had some issues with consistency in dynamic range, which have been ironed out here.
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Note 5 Pro

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Note 6 Pro

The Note 6 Pro now comes equipped with AI enabled photography, meaning that the scene will be optimised based on the lighting and other conditions. Again, it didn't make a world of difference in my testing, but it might be a significant step forward in the long run. 

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Note 5 Pro Rear cam Portrait

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Note 6 Pro Rear cam Portrait
 We'll have to wait and see how Xiaomi follows up with this going forward.

Performance and Battery Life:

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The performance is pretty much exactly the same as it was on the Redmi Note 5 Pro, and that's not a surprise. Both of these phones are essentially running on the same hardware, and have similar battery capacities. That's not a bad thing, because Redmi Note 5 Pro was a great smartphone in terms of these two factors.
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I am just disappointed that once again, Xiaomi has decided to go with microUSB port instead of Type C like on their Mi A-series devices. I don't get why they're doing this.

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Anyway, let's wrap this up comparison.

Final Verdict:

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After comparing the Redmi Note 5 Pro with the new Redmi Note 6 Pro, it is safe to conclude that unless you definitely need a front camera upgrade, there is no need to go out and grab the new one.

Even if you are looking to buy one of these two, I would rather save my money and get the Note 5 Pro instead. Note 6 Pro is available for 2000 Rs lesser on an offer, but I am pretty sure by the time this article goes live, it has ended.

Those were my opinions and observations. Let me know what your thoughts are on the new Redmi Note 6 Pro in the comments below. Check out my new Twitter handle along with my Instagram and Facebook profiles as well.

See you very soon with another post. Cheers!

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