Xiaomi has gone the whole nine yards with its Redmi 9 Power, which is a budget offering but not a compromise for anyone looking for a decent phone. Recently we reviewed the Mi 10i, which is a blockbuster of sorts to begin the year, but this one makes for a reasonable purchase. Let’s look at some of the features on the Redmi 9 Power that impressed us.

Value for money

Last year has seen tumbling purchasing power with an even more price-sensitive post-pandemic market staring at manufacturers. The demand is for value-for-money devices with good-enough specs, leaving the premium market in the hands of a couple of players. The two winners have been Samsung and Xiaomi.

Consider this: There is a Samsung phone for almost every price point. Just visit the online store and sort the phone list in terms of price. There is something for you at intervals of Rs 1,000 or so if you factor in the storage variants. The South Korean company goes from under 10K to more than a lakh.

Xiaomi has a similar strategy. Look at all the phones that have ‘Redmi’ and ‘9’ in it. And the strategy has worked out well because even the cheapest of Redmi phones offer decent camera, performance and battery life.

Doesn’t make users feel left out

Redmi 9 Power’s big selling point is the 6000mAh battery, which is gigantic. Yet, the company managed to keep the weight and thickness of the phone in check at 198g and 9.6mm respectively. Beyond these two figures, the Redmi phone has a solid build quality even though the back panel is made from plastic. The chassis is sturdy, with no flex while the bezels are as narrow as it can get in this price segment.

Where the crowd may get divided is the branding on the rear panel. Even my 70-year-old father, who can’t distinguish a potato from an onion without his glasses, can spot the word ‘Redmi’. Is it that bad? I may not like it but at the same time there are five others who like to flaunt brands. What I am more interested in is the weight of the phone and its balance, both of which are spot on.

Battery ga-ga

There is a massive 6,000mAh battery but is it necessary? We believe that Power in the phone’s name points to the battery. Depending on your usage pattern, one can get anything from a day and a half to two days and a bit more. Hang on, did we say a day and a half? Isn’t that slightly low? There was a fair amount of casual gaming, video streaming and office work involved on the new phone. Snapdragon 662, which runs the show here, is supposed to be battery efficient or maybe it’s about how MIUI handles the battery.

Having said all of that, a day and a half sounds amazingly good. Further, if you have an USB-C to USB-C cable, you can even charge up your friend’s phone, like a gift of 400-500mAh! Inside the box is a 22.5W charger though the phone supports 18W quick charging. Having a bigger charging brick helps if you want to use it to power up other devices around the house.

Point and shoot

In way of camera performance, a fine line separates good and great. The shooters on the back comprise a 48MP main snapper, 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP each of macro and portrait. Photos taken in bright sunlight score higher than those taken indoors with all the windows open; there could have been more sharpness. Look, here’s a phone that costs 11K and I don’t expect it to match the performance of a mid-range phone, let alone a flagship device. The photos look good and are good enough for social media. We also didn’t face too many problems with focus. Taking photos while watering plants early morning, the camera latched on to the water drizzle very well. While using the ultra-wide camera, colours may appear slightly lustreless but enough details get captured. The night mode is just about enough to get decent shots when lights go down. As for the macro and depth sensors, why even bother! Videos too walk the fine line even though they are capped at 1080p@30fps. Overall, not too shabby.

Happy this and that

So you have a new phone. It would be great to see it do some neat tricks. Though more and more people are using Bluetooth-controlled remote controls, the Mi Remote app is there to take care of devices that are controlled using infrared-enabled remotes. I tried it on my Atomberg fan and the Samsung AC; works very well.

Second, there’s a splash proof nano-coating which many phones at this price point don’t offer. Also present is Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to tackle scratches. These are good additions at 11K.

The fingerprint scanner — works quite fast — is on the side, which is an ideal location. Users can enable multiple fingerprints to ensure the device unlocks easily.

Finally, and here’s a big one, the phone comes with stereo speakers, which is a rarity in this price segment. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the large FHD+ IPS display. Dialogues come across clearly and the sound can get loud but not distorted.

Should you consider?

Despite the camera’s comme ci comme ca performance, there are very few faults on the phone. Great battery life. Great stereo speakers. Good display. Good processor. Yes, there’s Realme 7i, which sports a 90Hz display and a similar processor, but Redmi wins with the power quotient. Getting two days out of a phone that costs Rs 11,000 is no joke. While we get ready to review Samsung Galaxy M02s, all we can say is Redmi 9 Power has enough bells, whistles and also trumpets working in its favour.

Redmi 9 Power flies because

⚫ It has good battery life

⚫ It comes with stereo speakers

⚫ There is a large, well-calibrated screen

⚫ It comes with 18W fast charge and reverse charge support

Redmi 9 Power could have flown higher had…

⚫ The main camera offered sharper pictures

⚫ The level of bloatware could have been way lower