Not even 3 months have passed since Xiaomi first introduced the Redmi Note 6 Pro. Now, we are bestowed upon by the presences of the latest installment to the Redmi series, the Redmi Note 7, which has taken everyone by storm.

Not only has Xiaomi improved the new Redmi Note 7 significantly from the Note 6 Pro, both in terms of hardware and design, compared to its predecessors. It has also been able to piqued the interest of the consumers to their apex, by introducing the 48 Megapixel camera in the back. A first ever on a mid ranger. Which clearly sets it apart from the usual pact. So, lets see how it fairs against the ever-present competition in the mid ranger segment.

Specifications

• Body:2 x 75.2 x 8.1 mm, 186 grams, Gorilla Glass 5 back, polycarbonate side frame.
• Screen:3″ IPS LCD, 1080 x 2340px resolution (19.5:9); ~409 ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SDM660 Snapdragon 660 (14 nm) chipset: octa-core CPU (4×2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260); Adreno 512.
• Memory:4GB RAM, 64GB built-in storage, microSD slot support (takes the second SIM slot).
• OS:Android 9.0 Pie; MIUI 10.
• Rear camera:48MP f/1.8, 1/2″, 0.8µm, PDAF support, 5MP depth sensor, LED flash; 1080p@30/60/120fps video recording, EIS.
• Front camera:13MP, 1080p@30fps video recording.
• Battery:4,000mAh, Quick Charge 4.0 support 18W (9V/2A).
• Connectivity:Dual-SIM; LTE Cat.12 download/ Cat.13 upload, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band MIMO, 2×2 antennas, GPS; Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C 2.0.
• Misc:Rear-mounted fingerprint reader, FM radio support, IR Blaster.

Designs

Unlike before, you won’t be seeing another MI logo in the back of this device anymore. Xiaomi decided to follow the footsteps of Hauwei and Oppo; to turn the Redmi moniker into a sub brand. I have to say that Redmi logo on the glass back doesn’t look half bad. Yes. Glass back. REAL glass back. This is also a first in this segment. We have seen the likes of Asus and Realme using glossy plastic to make it look like a glass. But, not Xaiomi. They outdid themselves in the design section this time. This gives the phone a real premium feel. Do keep a cloth for wiping the back. As, the shiny glass back tends to attract hella lot of fingerprint smudges.

Display, Battery and Loudspeaker

The display on the Note 7 is actually good for the price tag. Plus, the Gorilla Glass 5 on top and back offers a better protection against scratches and drops. However, as the number on the Note series increases, we seen one thing constantly decrease. That is the overall display brightness. It went from 530 nit on the Redmi Note 5 Pro to 479 nit on the Redmi Note 7. All thought it’s not going to affect anyone’s day to day usage. However, one might struggle to get a clear view of the display under direct sunlight.

Next up, is the battery. Redmi Note 7 comes with a 4,000 mAh battery like its predecessors and companies a Quick Charge 4.0 support for faster charging. Sadly, no Quick Charge supported charger is provided. After using the device for some time, I noticed that it lasted a day or two with 6 to 7 hours’ worth of screen time.

Last but not the least, the loudspeaker. It clearly isn’t the loudest in the bunch. But one could clearly hear it ring in a room full of crowd. Which should be good enough for most people.

Camera

It was in 2012, when I first came across the Nokia PureView 808. The first phone with 41 MP camera. It was the rage back then. 7 years later, the Note 7 graces us with something similar. A 48 MP smartphone. Well, at least that’s what Xiaomi wants to us to know. In truth its actually a 12 MP camera, powered by the latest Samsung G1 Image Sensor.

So, is the 48 MP actually a lie? not really. The image sensor on the Redmi Note 7 takes 4 shots at the same time and combines them through image interpolation method to produce a 48 MP image. End product is always a 48MP image.

Enough of that. So, how does the camera actually perform? Pretty good I have to say. It takes great picture in day light and due to its 1.2 micron pixel size, more light can reach the sensor. Which in turn, produces some great low light shots with more details and less noise.

For me. The Redmi Note 7’s camera is currently the best a mid range smartphone can offer for the time being. In some cases, you can even compare its camera to the likes of flagship smartphones.

Are we reaching the point where the borderline between flagship and mid-range camera quality is finally blurred? I guess we will find out soon enough.

Operating System

Some hate it. Some love it. MIUI has received both types of affection. At the end of the day, this Chinese ROM is what you’re going to have to live with. MIUI 10 has introduced a lot of improvements over its older version and now is truly a ROM which should be given proper recognition.

Redmi Note 7 comes with Android 9.0 Pie. If you check Xiaomi’s previous track records you can expect a minimum update to Android 10.0 and MIUI update to MIUI 13.

The Verdict

Although, the Redmi Note 7 seems like an all rounder with all the best deals. It still has many short coming. The screen has edge bleeding issues and some other minor hiccups here and there. Along with that, its counterparts do offer better options in few sections with similar price tags giving it a really hard time. After everything is said and done, the Redmi Note 7 offers a superior value for the price with the specification it’s offering.