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[i2pc pros_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-up” cons_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-down” show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]Strong battery life
USB-C, 3.5mm jack & NFC
Triple slot
Snapdragon 680 with solid performance…
[/i2pros][i2cons]…but below-average performance
Little equipment, missing sensors
Still Android 11
Only 10W power pack instead of a possible 18 watts[/i2cons][/i2pc]
The Xiaomi Redmi 10C is similar to the Tablets in terms of size, but is cheaper than the popular Redmi Note series. Is the 6.7-inch display with the reasonable Snapdragon 680 sufficient as an argument against the price-performance recommendations of the middle class? Unfortunately, you have to make some compromises with the Redmi 10C. It has been on the market since July 2022, but now Xiaomi has lowered the official price: from 15,000 Tk to 16,000 Tk.
Two reasons could speak for the Redmi 10C compared to the other Xiaomi smartphones. On the one hand, the large 6.7-inch display offers a lot of image area, which is an advantage with a larger font and display size. The Redmi 10C was already on sale for 15,000 Tk. So it has a small price advantage compared to the more powerful Redmi Note 11.
The Redmi 10C is available in three colors: „Graphite“ grey/black, „Mint“ green and our version „Ocean“ blue. All three have a semi-matt sheen and a slight structure due to the fine, diagonal stripes. The look of the Redmi 10C is not really modern, the waterdrop notch takes up more space than the punch-hole version and the rear camera module is unnecessarily inflated.
Hint at a lens and write „AI“ in it? And also move the fingerprint sensor upwards- where it is also difficult to reach. This also results in two increases of almost 0.5mm: once to the outer and then to the inner frame with the camera. Other models get the design better. The low-budget smartphone measures 169.59 x 76.56 x 8.29 millimeters and weighs 190 grams.
The power button and the volume rocker are on the right of the frame of the Redmi 10C. At the top left is the triple slot for two Nano SIM cards and one MicroSD card. Below are the USB-C port (2.0), main speaker and microphone. There is also a 3.5mm jack for headphones.
Processing: With the exception of the Gorilla Glass 3 front, the Redmi 10C is made entirely of plastic. The structured back and the slightly shiny frame are one component. The frame and the back are nicely rounded, but the display does not without 2.5D glass that is slightly rounded at the side. This creates an unnecessarily large and angular increase, which also interferes with operation. The display is in the longer 20.6:9 format, which benefits usability: With a width of 76mm, I can at least operate it with one hand, even if you can’t reach the upper area of the display with your thumb.
The Redmi 10C only comes with the usual slips of paper, a 10 watt power supply and a white USB-A to USB-C cable. The full charging power of 18 watts cannot be exhausted with it (available directly from Xiaomi from 1000 Tk) and a screen protector could have been applied to the smartphone ex works. We also sorely miss a cover.
The larger 6.71-inch display should be the selling point for the Xiaomi Redmi 10C. Unfortunately, the display area remains the only plus point on the panel. An LCD IPS-Panel is installed, which has a resolution of 1650 x 720 pixels in HD+. The colorful MIUI hides the somewhat low pixel density of 268 pixels per inch quite well, but individual pixels become visible at the latest in small print. The refresh rate remains at the standard 60 Hertz.
The maximum brightness is 385 lux in manual mode and increases to 500 lux in automatic mode, which can still be too low in direct sunlight. The touch panel registers 10 fingers or inputs at the same time.
Software: The display is calibrated to be quite colorful when it works, which is also partly due to the colorful MIUI system. The settings are „Vivid“ (default), even brighter colors with „Saturated“ and paler colors with „Standard“. The color temperature can be freely configured. There are 6 levels available for the font and display size. Even without AMOLED, you can use the Redmi 10C in dark mode (dark mode). There is also a repeatable and configurable reading mode ( blue light filter).
For video streaming, the Xiaomi Redmi 10C is certified according to Widevine L1 and also supports HDR- although you benefit less from the LCD panel. In the practical test, Netflix and Disney+ worked without any problems in Full HD.
Like the Redmi Note 11, the Xiaomi Redmi 10C is powered by the Snapdragon 680. The octa-core is manufactured using the 6nm process and consists of 4 x 2.4 GHz and 4 x 1.8 GHz processor cores with an Adreno 610 GPU. Xiaomi sells the Xiaomi Redmi 10C in two memory versions: with 3/64GB or 4/64GB memory. It relies on LPDDR4x work and UFS 2.2 system memory. The latter achieves data rates of 969 MB/s when reading and 497 MB/s when writing. In our 3GB / 64GB variant, the main memory is increased by 1GB of virtual RAM. The storage space can be expanded by up to 1TB via the triple slot with a microSD card.
The performance is roughly on par with the Redmi Note 11- the Snapdragon 680 is solid, but in the lower middle class. Normal applications are completed at a reasonable speed and apps can be used smoothly. Of course, 3D games are not part of the Xiaomi Redmi 10C’s profession. The worst thing that stuck in my head was the normal MIUI-Use, the smartphone seems to be a bit overwhelmed with the feature-rich system and stalls when multitasking (e.g. returning to the main screen sometimes creates a loading screen). MIUI 13 based on Android 11
Our Xiaomi Redmi 10C is also still running Android 11 and MIUI 13. The functionality of MIUI does not change with the older base, but we should still note this as a negative point. At the time of the test, the security patch was August 2022 or was even updated to October during the test period. The Xiaomi Redmi 10C should be supplied with security updates quarterly until 2025.
A hell of a lot of bloatware is pre-installed from the factory. Although this can be completely uninstalled, it is annoying. The advertising in Xiaomi apps is worse- for example advertising for the Singles Day offers in the Xiaomi Germany shop on the lock screen when the „Carousel“ is activated. This is where most websites are more intrusive, but you can also turn off the ads with our guide.
Otherwise, MIUI 13 comes with a lot of functions and setting options, ex works. As an Android user, you naturally enjoy the options for personalizing your own cell phone.
Compared to the Redmi Note 11, the Xiaomi Redmi 10C only looks like it has a quad-cam. Apart from the same main camera sensor, there is only a 2MP depth sensor for portrait shots. The selfie camera on the Xiaomi Redmi 10C also has to give way to a much worse sensor.
The Samsung ISOCELL JN1 is used, as in many other smartphones. With proper optimization, the 50MP sensor usually delivers decent photos in daylight. To anticipate: The middle class was better positioned and got higher quality sensors than the Samsung JN1. The focus is now more on the performance, the processor and the display. The Xiaomi Redmi 10C is not a disaster and can at least be used as a smartphone during the day. But that’s not guaranteed. But let’s see what the Xiaomi Redmi 10C delivers in practice.
Pixel binning combines four pixels into one and the Xiaomi Redmi 10C delivers images with a resolution of 12.5MP. In daylight, the Redmi 10C takes relatively good photos, which are at least pleasing with the slightly oversaturated colors. But the weaknesses quickly become apparent. Compared to more expensive smartphones, the level of detail drops significantly and the dynamic range is far less impressive. Bright areas are also overexposed.
As is well known, the 50MP mode is more of a gimmick and visibly increases the sharpness. In bad weather, with little light or dreary subjects, the Xiaomi Redmi 10C has a much harder time. Which we unfortunately already know from the Samsung JN1.
There is a massive loss of image quality at night. The ISO noise is largely overplayed by images that are too dark. The illuminated parts of the night shots still show the familiar noise. The separate night mode helps at least a little to brighten the picture so that the scene is clearly recognizable.
The Xiaomi Redmi 10C delivers solid portraits for the price range. The recognition of the motif works reliably in most cases. When recording, however, I would like more „confirmation“, like a „bokeh ready“. The separation between foreground / person and background works without any major problems. The front camera also reliably recognizes the face via the software alone and records the background out of focus.
With a resolution of 5MP, one can already imagine that the selfies are no more than functional. Even without zooming into the shots, the rough structures and washed-out details are noticeable. Even the color reproduction is a bit too pale and dark areas already show some noise during the day. At least the fixed focus worked for me in every selfie shot. And at least you can use the front camera for face unlocking and video calling.
The Xiaomi Redmi 10C records videos in Full HD with a maximum of 30fps, both with the main and the front camera. Videos with the main camera are at least stabilized by the software, which visibly increases the video quality compared to other low-budget smartphones. Otherwise, the image visibly lacks details and color dynamics. The main camera’s autofocus could also work faster.
The triple slot of the Xiaomi Redmi 10C simultaneously accepts two nano-SIM cards for dual-SIM operation and a microSD card (up to 1TB) for memory expansion. With the Snapdragon 680, the smartphone only transmits to the LTE / 4G network. The most important mobile radio frequencies for Germany are supported. To increase the voice quality, the Redmi 10C uses VoLTE and VoWiFi when making calls. The cheap smartphone does an adequate job here: The ear speaker is loud enough for my taste, only the microphone could filter out background noise more effectively.
Only the lower main speaker handles the sound output in media mode. It’s supposed to be up to 40% louder than its predecessor, but it doesn’t sound really good. There is an audible lack of depth in the lower volume range.
The Xiaomi Redmi 10C connects to the local network via dual-band WiFi 5. The connection is maintained reliably, but is a bit weaker than we are used to from flagships. Other devices can be connected via Bluetooth 5.0 and you can even use aptX and LHDC with compatible headphones. NFC is also installed and can be used for Google Pay. The Redmi 10C uses the satellites GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo for navigation. Although the location is already determined inside the building with an accuracy of 3 m within 10 seconds and navigation in the car went smoothly, an e-compass is still missing. Important for some apps: Although proximity, ambient light and acceleration sensors are installed, there is no gyroscope.
Biometric unlocking: As already mentioned, the fingerprint sensor is not positioned particularly ergonomically. For me, this meant that the reliability in practice was only around 70%. Left-handers should also have a much harder time. Alternatively, Face-Unlock can also be set up via the front camera. This sometimes works even faster than with a fingerprint. The phone can be activated either by lifting the device or by double-tapping on the display.
The Redmi 10C is equipped with a 5000mAh large battery. Thanks to the economical components- the display has practically only half the resolution and the frugal SD680 in the 6nm production process- the cell phone lasts for several days. In the PC Mark battery benchmark (display at 200 lux brightness) the Redmi 10C cracks the 16 hours. In practice, 3 Tage und 2 Nächte mit einem daily Display-on-Time von approx. 2.5-3 Stunden waren nicht a Problem.
Unfortunately, the Xiaomi Redmi 10C only comes with a 10 watt charger, although it can be charged with up to 18 watts. Unfortunately, the Xiaomi Redmi 10C did not respond to a Power Delivery power supply: after 70 minutes, the battery was only half charged and only fully charged after 2:40 hours. With the right charging adapter, the charging process takes almost exactly two hours, with the battery being 65% full again after one hour.
The practical test shows that the Xiaomi Redmi 10C serves a superfluous niche in the manufacturer’s range. It is suitable as an entry-level cell phone with a large screen: use the normal smartphone functions smoothly, take snapshots during the day with the 50MP camera and do not have to charge them every day. Actually sounds great.
Beyond that, you won’t be happy with the Xiaomi Redmi 10C. For a few euros you get „more smartphone“ for your money in the „lower“ middle class. The Xiaomi Redmi 10C doesn’t feel particularly high quality, the Snapdragon 680 is a bit overwhelmed with MIUI 13 and apart from the battery life there are no highlights on the device. As alternatives in the class, you get the better overall package with the Redmi Note 11 and the great 90 Hertz AMOLED, or you can use the new Poco M5 with the strong computing power thanks to the Helio G99. In the price range below 15,000 tk, older mid-range smartphones are simply better advised than new low-budget devices.
