Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Review
If you compare its specs, it doesn't seem like a proper upgrade to last years Redmi Note 4. Apart from better cameras and modern design with new 18:9 display ratio, everything is more or less the same. But the icing on the cake is the pricing. Even with few minor improvements, it should hold its place. If someone is very much strict on a budget then they won't be disappointed with what is being offered.
Redmi Note 5 Pro should be the actual Redmi Note 5, but what's in the name. If adding a pro makes it better, then let it be. From design to the camera, from performance to speed, everything is bumped up to a respectable level. A flagship grade processor, faster RAM, an amazing front camera with AI capabilities and same can also be said for the back (if not the best, being Sony sensors this time) and yet again at an amazing price. But with all bells and whistles, this phone also lacks some charm, which I will be summarising in points down below.
It has an iPhone X-ish camera placement, for which most will troll Xiaomi for blatantly copying it. When they can implement portrait mode on the single front camera with the use of AI, then I really couldn't see a need for a depth-sensing 5MP camera lens at back. Because all it does is sensing depth for portrait mode, unlike the secondary lens of Mi A1, that can optically zoom-in.
The Aperture on the main lens is narrowed down to f/2.2 which isn't a good thing, with a sensor with the bigger pixel to compensate so let's see how well it does in low light. There is no Type-C. It's something that people were expecting as Type-C is future, but yet again Xiaomi did their cost-cutting & choose to stay with standard micro USB.
Considering the number of units of the pro they are going to sell, they could have sourced the USB-C ports, drivers, and cables at a negligible premium over what they would spend on microUSB system. I do not see a legit cost-cutting going on there when the price of the components is barely different.
Since there is no mention of the Android version on either of the Redmi Note 5, I suspect it to be running on Android Nougat 7.1.1. That means Android Oreo will be the last official Android update for both Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro, with regular MIUI support. Don't buy the 6 Gb variant of Redmi Note 5 pro. It doesn't make any sense to pay 3000 more for more RAM, that you might not need. Settle with 4+64GB version and save your money for its accessories.