Competition is spectacularly cut-throat in the smartphone market. In India, Rs 1,000 can make a big difference, both in what you get from two phones from the same brand as well as shining a light on the customer mindset. Some may wonder, why does a new phone (or a handful) gets launched every other day but the Indian consumer is constantly looking for choices.
We have the Redmi Note 10S. Yes, we have already had Redmi Note 10, Note 10 Pro and Note 10 Pro Max, so why another phone, which is Rs 1,000 cheaper than 10 Pro and Rs 2,000 expensive over the Note 10? It’s a trend that Samsung had started. If you visit the South Korean brand’s website and sort the phones by price, there will be a lavish spread of phones from below 10K to the astronomically-priced Fold. If X looks expensive, let’s give you Y, which is priced 10,000 paise less!
Jokes apart, Redmi Note 10S may just have enough features that you want. You may not be looking for wireless reverse charging or 120Hz display or optical zoom. The question is how well does Xiaomi bundle the features?
Despite the budget tag, Redmi has thrown in some design gems. The one I particularly like are the placement of the speakers. Yes, it’s stereo but the placing is diagonal on the frame, making it impossible to mask both speakers while playing a game or watching a film. The output of the speakers is better than on most budget models. Heck what, it’s a stereo set up, which is enough.
There is zero shutter lag while taking pictures on Redmi Note 10S The Telegraph
The camera too offers enough mileage at night while daytime shots are as good as on most phones . The 64MP main camera is snazzy enough while the ultra-wide 8MP camera is also decent. Little can be said about the two 2MP snappers (macro and depth). In fact, the exercise of offering these two should end. The ultra-wide is a good offering over Realme 8 5G, which draws a blank in this category. Video performance also scores over Realme because of its 4K@30fps capabilities.
Getting the show on the road is MediaTek Helio G95 chip, which keeps things tight. The chip is powerful enough to keep problems at bay in the camera department as well as handling most games at decent graphics settings. Yet, one can’t overlook the fact that Note 10 Pro comes at a slightly higher price but also with a more powerful processor — Snapdragon 732.
In way of display, the 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen is a good choice, offering punchy colours and contrasts. Keeping the phone alive is a 5,000mAh battery, which is powerful considering the chip running the show; it easily lasts a day.
So where does the phone fail? If you have another Rs 1,000 to spare, then Note 10 Pro could well be the one in your shopping basket. But Xiaomi has always managed to read the market well. There are many people who like to restrict spending on a phone to Rs 15K.
With the economy trying to surf waves riding a fishing boat, it obviously makes sense to save money. Instead of trying to be the brawniest, Redmi Note 10S offers just about enough horsepower to tackle most of our needs.
More about the phone
The phone scores high on design The Telegraph
Device: Redmi Note 10S
Price: Rs 14,999 for 6GB+64GB and Rs 15,999 for 6GB+128GB
High notes
• Sturdy phone
• Good camera
• Decent battery life
• Stereo speakers are capable enough
Muffled note
• Pricing is too close to other powerful Redmi devices
