- GeniusUpdates1@Gmail.com
Menu
With the Poco M3, Xiaomi has launched a powerful smartphone for around BDT.9000. For some time now there has been a new edition of the bestseller in the form of the Xiaomi Redmi 9T, which is currently available over the counter for a few Tk more. The differences between the Redmi 9T and the Poco M3 are quickly named: a slightly different design, an ultra-wide-angle camera, and NFC for contactless payment. The rest of the hardware remains identical with a Snapdragon 662 processor, IPS Full HD display, 48-megapixel main camera, and a large 6000mAh battery.
In this review, we take a look at the Xiaomi Redmi 9T. There are no big surprises. But in the end, it doesn’t matter with a cheap smartphone. Good value for money is more important to us. And you can find out whether the Redmi 9T delivers this in the following test.
The Xiaomi Redmi 9T has a plastic case that measures 162 x 77.3 x 9.6 millimeters and weighs 198 grams. This is a fairly large and heavy smartphone. It can still be easily stowed in the trouser pocket and the weight is still comfortable in the hand. The design of the back has been made more subtle compared to the Poco M3. The huge camera module has been scaled down and is mounted vertically on the right side. In addition, the plastic no longer has a leather-like texture, but a rough surface. I like both much better than the extravagant look of the Poco M3. If Xiaomi would now remove the big Redmi logo on the back, would I be perfectly happy?.
Due to the rough surface, the smartphone is excellently protected against scratches on the back and is also easy to hold. The camera module protrudes just one millimeter from the back and is flush with the supplied silicone protective cover.
On the right is the power button, which also serves as a fingerprint scanner. The sensor did its job perfectly in the test and quickly unlocked the smartphone from standby when you put your thumb on it. Alternatively, you can also use face unlock to open it. This function also works quickly and reliably.
Just like the Poco M3, the Xiaomi Redmi 9T also has no notification LED. Although this feature is very popular with many users, it is becoming increasingly rare. It’s a shame that the Redmi 9T is no exception here. Otherwise, there is at least the full equipment with USB-C, headphone connection, and triple SIM slot (2 x SIM + Micro-SD up to 1TB). Even hybrid stereo speakers (auricles + speakers on the underside) have made it into an affordable smartphone. Otherwise only the Poco M3 offers this in this price range. The scope of delivery includes a USB-C cable and an 18-watt power supply. There is also a silicone protective case and a pre-installed screen protector.
The Xiaomi Redmi 9T is a well-made low-budget smartphone. The design has been made more subtle compared to the Poco M3. Of course, the smartphone is a bit heavy with its 6.5-inch display and 6000mAh battery. However, thanks to the rough plastic back, it feels comfortable in the hand and is resistant to scratches.
The 6.5-inch display greets you on the front. The front camera is housed in a teardrop notch that protrudes 8mm into the display. The good news is that the Xiaomi Redmi 9T uses a Full HD display with 2340 x 1080 pixels despite its low price. Individual pixels cannot be seen with the naked eye.
The display is of course an IPS panel. AMOLED displays have now made it into the price range under BDT 18000 with the Redmi Note 10, but you simply can’t expect that for around BDT 9000. In principle, it is also a good IPS display. The color representation is pleasantly natural and the viewing angle stability and the contrasts are great for such a cheap smartphone. But there is one limitation: Like the display in the Poco M3, the Xiaomi Redmi 9T does not have high brightness. The highest value has already been reached at 320 lux in automatic mode. This results in a noticeable reduction in readability in direct sunlight. However, the display is still easy to read outside in the shade.
Gorilla Glass 3 was installed to protect against scratches. Around the display, there are equally wide bezels of 3 millimeters at the top, bottom, and sides. The chin measures 6.5mm and is therefore also relatively narrow for a low-budget phone. The touchscreen registers up to 10 points of contact at the same time. The operation is sufficiently precise. As with the Poco M3, there is a slight delay when typing quickly because the smartphone’s processor is not particularly fast. The software has a dark mode and settings for the display’s color temperature. Of course, there is also a reading mode for the evening hours.
With a Full HD IPS panel, the Poco M3 offers good hardware for a price range of around BDT 9000. Color representation, contrasts, and viewing angle stability are flawless for such a cheap smartphone. Unfortunately, we only have to complain about the brightness: At 320 lux, the readability outside in the sun is simply no longer good. performance
A Snapdragon 662 in the Xiaomi Redmi 9T is responsible for the computing power. Again, there is the same hardware as the Poco M3. It is an octa-core processor consisting of two clusters. Specifically, there are four Cortex A73 cores with 2.0GHz in the performance cluster and four slower Cortex A53 cores in the energy-saving cluster. An Adreno 610 GPU is responsible for the graphics. The processor is manufactured using the 11-nanometer process. That’s good for a low-budget smartphone.
There is a 64GB version and a 128GB version of storage. It is surprising that Xiaomi does not use cheap eMMc memory chips, but uses high-quality UFS 2.1 memory. Accordingly, the read speed is excellent at 510MB/s and the write speed at 200MB/s. Regardless of the size of the system memory, 4GB RAM is always used, which achieves an average speed of 6GB/s. As far as the size of the main memory is concerned, we have already seen more in models like the Cubot X20 Pro, even in the low-budget area. However, the 4GB RAM is also sufficient for multitasking with a few open apps.
The performance of the system and apps is sufficient for the smooth operation of the smartphone. Opening applications takes a small commemorative second. In addition, there are now and then a few stutters on graphically complex websites and in games. This is ultimately normal in this price range and the Xiaomi Redmi 9T even does an excellent job compared to the competition. But you should be aware that smartphones, a BDT 9000 smartphone is not for speed junkies and gamers.
The Xiaomi Redmi 9T has an Android 10 system with MIUI 12 base. There will also be an update to MIUI 12.5 based on Android 11, but that may take a few more months.
On the system side, MIUI should be familiar to most of our readers by now. It is a heavily modified Android interface with a beefed-up look and many setting options. Compared to low-budget smartphones from smaller brands with “pristine” Android, the Redmi 9T offers a lot more configuration options and features. This is a big advantage per se. However, MIUI 12 also has fairly sophisticated animations, which in turn eat into performance. In a smartphone with comparatively little performance, this naturally has an effect on the speed and the animations are not really smooth.
Otherwise, MIUI displays advertisements in the system at one point or another. With these instructions, you can completely deactivate the advertising. You can also use this guide to delete superfluous apps. If you are not yet familiar with smartphones and perhaps need a little guidance when setting it up, you will also find our operating instructions for MIUI here.
Finally an upgrade to the Poco M3. The Redmi 9T not only has a high-resolution 48-megapixel main camera but also an ultra-wide-angle camera with 8 megapixels. Overall, the camera setup looks like this:
Of course, the GM1 sensor with 48 megapixels from Samsung stands out in the camera setup. This is already known from the Redmi Note 8 and should produce decent recordings for the price range. In addition, there is now an ultra-wide-angle camera, which can be used to capture more of the scenery if desired. And finally, of course, Xiaomi couldn’t resist presenting us with two “garbage sensors” with 2 megapixels, which are responsible for close-ups and blurring in portraits.
The Xiaomi Redmi 9T has all the necessary network frequencies on board for use in Germany and Europe:
As befits a good Chinese cell phone, two SIM cards can of course be operated in parallel. You don’t even have to do without the option of expanding the memory.
The SAR value of the Xiaomi Redmi 9T is 0.6 W/kg on the head and 0.8 W/kg on the body. The network reception was average in the test and there were no problems using the O2 network in rural areas either. The voice reproduction when making calls is good, although the Redmi lacks a bit of dynamics here. VoLTE and VoWifi can be used without any problems.
Wifi 5 (dual-band .ac) and Bluetooth 5.0 are available for the wireless connection. Both are the standards that we expect in this price range. The reception strength did not show any abnormalities and streaming was still possible in two rooms next to the router without any problems. The location is determined via GPS/A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, and even Galileo. The localization worked excellently in the test. The Xiaomi Redmi 9T can easily be used as a navigation device on the go. The integrated e-compass, which is not a matter of course in a smartphone in this price range, also helps here. There are also the standard sensors for brightness, proximity, acceleration, and an infrared transmitter. A Widevine L1 certification is also available, so that content from pay-to-watch providers such as Netflix and Sky can be viewed in full resolution. However, a gyroscope is not part of the equipment list.
NFC is also already available for mobile payments. If you are looking for a cheap mobile phone with Google Pay support, you will get your money’s worth here.
For old-school users, there is also an FM radio that can be used with headphones plugged in. Otherwise, you get a clean and loud sound through the headphones. The stereo speaker setup consisting of speakers on the underside and the auricle is also available for sound reproduction. Of course, you shouldn’t expect a “real” stereo sound here. However, the Xiaomi Redmi 9T at least delivers a loud sound without annoying distortions. For this price range, the requirements are thus fulfilled.
If you like long runtimes, you get the right endurance runner with the Xiaomi Redmi 9T. After all, 6000mAh is almost twice the capacity of “normal” low-budget smartphones. This, of course, puts the somewhat high weight into perspective.
In practice, the smartphone lasted 3 days with an active usage time of 2.5 hours per day. The consumption values roughly correspond to those of the Poco M3. 7% battery consumption for one hour on YouTube, 8% for social media, and 10% when using games (tested with Asphalt 8). The Xiaomi Redmi 9T is thus excellently positioned and also achieves a good value of 13.5 hours in the PC-Mark test.
When charging, the Xiaomi Redmi 9T can be charged with a maximum of 18 watts. This is definitely a good value for a low-budget smartphone. In practice, however, it takes quite a long time for the battery to be charged. After an hour you have 50% in the battery again and it takes 2.5 hours to reach 100%.
