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Introduction
It's been almost nine months since the Redmi Note 5 series premiered, and it's already time for an upgrade. The Redmi Note 6 Pro is now official, shaking up the lineup with one of the most recognizable and controversial features on the market - a frame-to-frame display with a notch.
Yes, the Redmi Notes have reached that inevitable moment, where the notched screen would become the default one until something better comes to replace it. Even the cheapest of smartphones have already jumped on the notched bandwagon, so it's no surprising to see the Redmi Note 6 Pro being the forerunner of change for the Notes to come.
Xiaomi has pretty much thrown logic out of the window for the Redmi Note names. The Redmi Note 5 is widely available as Redmi 5 Plus, the Redmi Note 5A had little to do to with the Note series at all, while the Redmi Note 5 Pro got an enhanced version called Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera. So, the Redmi Note 6 Pro is the Note 6 series opener, but please, don't ask what happened with the Redmi Note 6. Nobody knows.
Anyway, the Redmi Note 6 Pro isn't a massive upgrade over the Note 5 Pro, but that's to be expected given the short development cycle. The Note 6 Pro does bring a larger display fitted in the same body, but keeps the same Snapdragon 636 chipset, beefy battery, and plastic/metal design. It borrows the main camera from the Note 5 Pro AI Dual Camera edition, but the selfie photography got a boost with a new dual-camera at the front.
Let's take a peek at the detailed specs.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro specs
- Body: Gorilla Glass front, Plastic + Aluminum back;
- Screen: 6.26-inch, 2280x1080 IPS LCD, 403 PPI
- Rear Camera: 12MP (1.4µm), f/1.9, Samsung S5K2L7, dual pixel PDAF primary, 5MP (1.25µm), f/2.0, Samsung S5K5E8 depth sensor; 1080p video
- Front Camera: 20MP (0.9µm) + 2MP depth sensor, f/2.0; 1080p video
- Chipset: 14nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, Kryo 260 (4x Cortex-A73 @ 1.8GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.6GHz), Adreno 509
- Memory: 3/4/6GB LPDDR4X, 32/64GB eMMC 5.0 + microSD (up to 128GB)
- OS: Android 8.0; MIUI 9
- Battery: 4000mAh;
- Connectivity: Hybrid dual SIM (4G+3G), 4G VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou, Wi-Fi Direct, FM Radio, IR blaster, microUSB, headphone jack
- Misc: Fingerprint sensor
We can't think of anything that's missing on the Redmi Note 6 Pro and it's shaping to be one very thoughtful smartphone with great bang for the buck ratio. And now it's time to pop this thing out of the box.
Unboxing the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
Xiaomi has bundled the Redmi Note 6 Pro with the usual accessories - a 10W charger, a microUSB cable, and a soft silicone case.
Some, or all, Redmi Note 6 Pro units have factory-applied screen protectors. Ours was fitted quite nicely, and if it weren't for our display tests, we would have kept it for sure.
Special thanks to HonorBuy for providing the review unit.
Design
If you've seen a recent Redmi phone, then you've seen them all. Xiaomi is keen on sticking to its signature shapes - we've seen it make changes only when it's necessary and not for the sake of new looks.
That's exactly the case with the Redmi Note 6 Pro. Its exterior is virtually the same as on the most recent Redmi Note 5 (AI Dual Cam). The notched screen is a massive give away, of course, but other than that - it's the Redmi you know.
Upon further inspection we found one thing that Xiaomi has changed since the previous Redmi phones. Remember those plastic strips that cover the top and bottom antennas at the back? Well, those are now conjoined with the Note's frame and the huge metal piece is now completely surrounded by plastic. And you know what, it does look better this way!
The 6.26" tall screen with a cutout is probably the Note's top feature. It's quite the improvement over the Note 5's display - the bezels and the chin have shrunk, the pixel count grew even bigger, and so did the screen-to-body ratio. The notch, like it or not, is the most recognizable thing this year and it's on the Redmi Note 6, too.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
So, the front is mostly screen, yes, and it's protected by a flat piece of a Gorilla Glass. Xiaomi has managed to fit more novelties besides the display, though. There is a new dual selfie camera in the notch - a 20MP snapper with a 2MP depth sensor for better portraits.
But wait, there is more. We have good news for the fans of the notification LED - it's present on the Redmi Note 6 Pro, right of the earpiece. It's white-only though, which could be a bummer for some.
The plastic frame is quite thin, but grippy thanks to its sharper shape. And the matte material further anchors the phone in your hand and makes handling the Redmi Note 6 Pro a hassle-free job.
The back has another praised feature - the dual AI camera. The Note 6 Pro borrows the setup from the Note 5 Dual AI Camera - it's a 12MP sensor with 1.4µm big pixels and bright f/1.9 lens helped by a 5MP depth-sensing cam and a dual-LED flash. The whole thing is sitting on a small hump that makes the phone wobble on a flat surface.
The audio jack did make it on the Redmi Note 6 Pro, as well as the microSD slot and the IR blaster. Well, you still have to choose between a second SIM and a memory card, but that's still a good middle ground.
The Redmi Note 6 Pro measures 157.9 x 76.4 x 8.2 mm - that's about the same as the Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera, though the Note 6 has a larger screen in the same body.
Well, the Redmi Note 6 Pro is just like the Redmi Note 5 as far as handling and looks is concerned. The bigger and notched screen brought more pixels to use, but the jury is still out on their usability. The plastic frame might improve the display's survival rate though, as it should be better at absorbing the force from those accidental drops on the floor that are bound to happen at some point.
Display
One of the coolest features you'll see on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro is that colorful notched display at the front. While not everybody's cup of tea, this type of screens has made its way to the mass market and is here to stay.
The Redmi Note 6 Pro has a 6.26" IPS LCD unit of 1,080 x 2,280 pixels that is protected by a Gorilla Glass. A pixel density of 403ppi is just perfect for the class.
The Redmi Note 6's display proved to be a very good performer in our display test, pumping out 480 nits of maximum brightness. Combined with the deep blacks the Note's display posted an excellent contrast of 1500:1. The minimum brightness level of 1.3nits is also excellent.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.314 | 481 | 1532 | |
| 0.28 | 530 | 1893 | |
| 0.286 | 411 | 1437 | |
| 0.306 | 537 | 1755 | |
| 0.277 | 420 | 1516 | |
| 0.385 | 488 | 1268 | |
| 0.29 | 526 | 1814 | |
| 0 | 410 | ∞ | |
| 0.314 | 461 | 1468 | |
| 0.548 | 555 | 1013 | |
| 0.414 | 470 | 1135 | |
| 0 | 418 | ∞ | |
The Redmi Note6 Pro did about average for an LCD screen in our sunlight legibility test. In real-world terms, the handset remains usable outdoors. Just don't angle it straight towards the sun as it gets almost illegible in these conditions.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Apple iPhone XS
5.171 - Apple iPhone X
5.013 - OnePlus 5T
4.789 - Samsung Galaxy S8
4.768 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
4.658 - Samsung Galaxy S9
4.63 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S9+
4.537 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
4.531 - Apple iPhone XS Max
4.516 - Sony Xperia XZ3
4.502 - Motorola Moto Z2 Play
4.459 - Oppo R11
4.454 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - OnePlus 6
4.321 - HTC One A9
4.274 - Oppo R15 Pro
4.251 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - Nokia 8
4.239 - Google Pixel 2 XL (pre-update)
4.234 - OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy Note8
4.148 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
4.147 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - vivo V11
4.113 - Huawei Mate 10 Pro (normal)
4.096 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei P20 Pro
4.087 - Xiaomi Mi 8
4.086 - Meizu 15
4.082 - Nokia 6 (2018)
4.052 - Google Pixel 2 (pre-update)
4.023 - LG V30
4.022 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - vivo NEX S
4.012 - Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro
3.998 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - OnePlus X
3.983 - LG G7 ThinQ (outdoor)
3.978 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Apple iPhone 8 (True Tone)
3.957 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Oppo Find X
3.954 - Meizu Pro 6 Plus
3.935 - Lenovo Moto Z
3.931 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - OnePlus 5
3.914 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
3.901 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
3.865 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
3.842 - Microsoft Lumia 950XL
3.837 - Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018)
3.834 - Sony Xperia XZs
3.818 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017)
3.812 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3.804 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Xiaomi Mi 6
3.767 - Sony Xperia XZ1
3.765 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Nokia 8 Sirocco
3.745 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
3.729 - Apple iPhone 8 Plus (True Tone)
3.725 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
3.688 - Huawei P20
3.683 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Huawei Mate 9
3.68 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
3.675 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
3.597 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - Sony Xperia XZ2
3.58 - LG G6
3.556 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - Nokia 7 plus
3.479 - nubia Z11
3.466 - Huawei P10 Plus
3.456 - HTC U Ultra
3.453 - Motorola Moto G6
3.448 - Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra
3.445 - Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
3.445 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
3.419 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)
3.397 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
3.393 - LG G7 ThinQ
3.39 - Huawei P10
3.379 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
3.378 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Honor Play
3.349 - Honor 8 Pro
3.341 - Oppo F7
3.333 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Lenovo P2
3.316 - Archos Diamond Omega
3.305 - Honor 9
3.289 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Nokia 5
3.261 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
3.244 - Xiaomi Mi 5
3.24 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
3.238 - Oppo Realme 2 Pro
3.235 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Oppo F3 Plus
3.218 - BlackBerry KEY2
3.212 - Huawei Mate 9 Pro
3.206 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
3.19 - ZTE Nubia Z17
3.159 - Oppo R11s
3.153 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - HTC U11 Life
3.108 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - HTC U11
3.089 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite
3.087 - HTC U12+
3.085 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
3.077 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Oppo F9
3.069 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Xiaomi Mi Max 3
3.061 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
3.059 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
3.051 - Apple iPhone 6 Plus
3.023 - Asus Zenfone 4 ZE554KL
3.019 - Sony Xperia XA1
3.012 - Motorola Moto X4
3.012 - Oppo Realme 2
3.006 - Sony Xperia L1
2.994 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - LG Q6
2.987 - Huawei P10 Lite
2.974 - Samsung Galaxy Note
2.97 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
2.966 - Huawei P20 Lite
2.952 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
2.951 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Sony Xperia XA2
2.938 - Oppo Realme 1
2.932 - Xiaomi Redmi 4
2.92 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
2.913 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - Huawei Honor View 10
2.896 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
2.877 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium (sRGB)
2.877 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Nokia 3
2.871 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
2.867 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Nokia 3.1
2.837 - Lenovo Moto M
2.813 - Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Honor 10 (Vivid)
2.757 - Nokia 2
2.752 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Huawei Mate 10 (normal)
2.742 - Motorola Moto G5S Plus
2.737 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Huawei Honor 7X
2.734 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
2.714 - Meizu M5
2.71 - Xiaomi Mi A2
2.696 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Xiaomi Mi A1
2.689 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - vivo V7+
2.671 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Huawei Mate 10 Lite
2.654 - Oppo F5
2.653 - Doogee Mix
2.642 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Xiaomi Redmi 4a
2.635 - Sony Xperia Z3
2.618 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Standard)
2.616 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.582 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
2.582 - Meizu M5s
2.58 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Huawei P Smart
2.563 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Xiaomi Mi Max 2
2.561 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A (Y1)
2.556 - HTC U11+
2.556 - Motorola Moto G 4G
2.546 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.544 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c
2.506 - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503 - BlackBerry Motion
2.494 - Oppo F1s
2.481 - Motorola Moto G
2.477 - Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473 - Huawei G8
2.471 - Huawei nova
2.467 - Sony Xperia Z
2.462 - Lenovo Vibe K5
2.459 - Meizu m3 max
2.447 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Auto)
2.417 - HTC 10 evo
2.407 - Huawei Honor 7
2.406 - Vivo V7
2.404 - Sony Xperia E5
2.386 - ZUK Z1 by Lenovo
2.382 - HTC 10
2.378 - Oppo F3
2.376 - vivo V5 Plus
2.371 - Meizu m1 note
2.362 - Huawei nova plus
2.329 - Razer Phone
2.328 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Sony Xperia L2
2.266 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - HTC U11+ (EU)
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Xiaomi Mi Note
2.234 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - LG Nexus 5
2.228 - Huawei P8
2.196 - Meizu M5 Note
2.189 - Huawei Honor 6
2.169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158 - LG Aka
2.145 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20)
2.145 - Archos 50 Diamond
2.134 - Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119 - Xiaomi Mi 4S
2.095 - Acer Liquid X2
2.084 - Huawei P8lite
2.078 - vivo V5
2.059 - Moto G 3rd gen max manual
2.026 - Xiaomi Mi 3
2.001 - Xiaomi Mi Max
1.996
Color reproduction can also be very accurate if that's your thing. Going for the 'Standard contrast' mode you'd be getting an average DeltaE of 2.5 (when compared against the sRGB color space) and the most accurate whites of all modes. Out of the box, the Redmi Note 6 is in 'Automatic contrast' mode with Default selected in the Default/Warm/Cool setting. That gives an average DeltaE of 5.1 - decent - but with an added punch in all blue hues.
Battery life
The Redmi Note 6 pro, just like the Notes to come before it, is powered by a large 4,000 mAh battery. It supports regular 5V/2A charging, which restores about 28% of the battery in 30 minutes. Not exactly fast, but as fast as you can expect in this price segment.
The new Note 6 posted the same 92h endurance rating as the Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera. It's lost about two hours on each of our screen-on-tests, which was to be expected as the Note 6 has a larger screen. It did a little bit better on standby though and that's the reason why it kept the same endurance score.
Our endurance rating denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Speaker
The Redmi Note 6 Pro has a single bottom-firing speaker at its disposal, but it's a very decent one. Not only is it loud scoring an Excellent mark, but it also keeps distortion at bay.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 66.1 | 68.4 | 82.1 | Good | |
| 67.8 | 70.0 | 84.2 | Very Good | |
| 68.4 | 71.6 | 84.8 | Very Good | |
| 70.7 | 73.8 | 80.7 | Very Good | |
| 69.1 | 74.8 | 81.4 | Very |
Audio quality
The Xiaomi Redmi 6 Note Pro had average loudness with an active external amplifier and just below average when we hooked up our standard testing headset.
The clarity of its output was great in the first testing case, although the headphnones did cause some intermodulation distortion to appear and introduced a fair amount of stereo crosstalk. All in all a good showing, although not quite great - about par for the course for the price range, we'd say.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.04, -0.04 | -92.7 | 93.8 | 0.0014 | 0.0073 | -93.6 | |
| +0.22, -0.19 | -92.4 | 93.5 | 0.0076 | 0.313 | -55.6 | |
| +0.05, -0.03 | -93.3 | 93.1 | 0.0019 | 0.0073 | -92.7 | |
| +0.33, -0.33 | -92.9 | 92.5 | 0.010 | 0.370 | -51.7 | |
| +0.05, -0.07 | -92.8 | 92.8 | 0.0016 | 0.0073 | -92.1 | |
| +0.19, -0.50 | -92.0 | 91.8 | 0.0090 | 0.380 | -51.9 | |
| +0.02, -0.06 | -91.6 | 91.6 | 0.0018 | 0.014 | -95.3 | |
| +0.08, -0.12 | -92.6 | 92.6 | 0.0028 | 0.120 | -69.0 |
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Android Oreo and MIUI 9
Xiaomi's Android skin has seen a lot of popularity over the years, particularly in European and Chinese markets. MIUI is one of the more heavily modified OEM skins, and that's why it's enjoying more polarized opinions.
The Note 6 Pro features a fingerprint scanner on the back - it's always-on, very fast and accurate. You can also set up face unlock in addition to it - it's equally fast as the Note 6 wakes up the moment you pick it up. You can also set up face unlock in addition to it - it's equally fast as the Note 6 wakes up the moment you pick it up. Note that the face unlock option isn't available in all regions.
There is no app drawer in MIUI, and there's never really been one except for a few custom themes that offer the shortcut. Of course, you can always install a third-party launcher if you really miss the app drawer.
Here are the default home screens on the Redmi Note 6 Pro. There's a weather widget in the upper right corner across from a large clock widget. There is a Quick Card pane, the leftmost one. It's quite similar to Today's page in iOS. It contains different cards with relevant information - recent apps, step counter, notes, calendar events, the weather, and favorites, among others. You can configure what shows up here, or you can disable this altogether.
Lockscreen • Home • notification • toggles • quick card
MIUI relies on virtual keys, but you can opt for gesture-based navigation instead. When enabled the bottom bar disappears completely. Swiping up from the bottom one acts like a home button but if you stop the gestures mid-way - you'll summon the task switcher (like on the iPhones). Swiping from the left or right sides of the screen acts as Back. Oh, and you can opt out of the notch, if you want.
The app switcher feels like it came out of iOS - apps are represented by appropriate thumbnails in the same manner, but there is an additional key for the Split Screen mode. MIUI 9 has native support for multi-tasking via the new Split Screen feature. It allows you to launch two apps side-by-side. All native apps support it and, luckily, all third-party apps with support for any kind of split screen mode work flawlessly on MIUI 9 side-by-side view.
App switch • multi-window • multi-window
Themes are supported on the Note 6, but just like with the face unlock, the app appears only when the phone is set to a supported region, say India.
Themes
MIUI also offers a Security app. It can scan your phone for malware, manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the permissions of your installed apps and allows you to define the battery behavior of selected apps and applies restrictions only to the apps you choose.
Security app • Cleaner • Battery management • Managing a single app • Battery Saver
MIUI also offers proprietary Gallery, Music, and Video player. FM radio app is available as well. Mi Remote is onboard to turn your Redmi Note 6 into a universal remote, too.
Multimedia
Performance and benchmarks
The Redmi Note 6 Pro, just like the Redmi Note 5 Pro and Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera, employs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset coupled with 3GB, 4GB, or 6GB of RAM. Our review unit has 4 gigs of RAM and 64GB storage.
The processor in charge of the Snapdragon 636 is an octa-core Kryo 260 CPU clocked at 1.8GHz, while there is an Adreno 509 to handle graphics.
Starting with some pure CPU tests, a.k.a. GeekBench, we see the Snapdragon 636 show plenty of raw power, as expected. It can pretty-much chew through any every-day task you throw at it. Still, the Helio P60 (Realme 1) in still in a league of its own, in this price range.
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Realme 1
5741 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
5574 - Realme 2 Pro
5531 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
4933 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
4918 - Xiaomi Mi Max 3
4907 - Xiaomi Mi A2
4625 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
4388 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
4313 - Xiaomi Mi A1
4292 - Realme 2
3881 - Huawei P20 Lite
3756
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi A2
1617 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
1595 - Realme 1
1511 - Realme 2 Pro
1462 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
1342 - Xiaomi Mi Max 3
1331 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
1329 - Huawei P20 Lite
938 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
881 - Xiaomi Mi A1
877 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
848 - Realme 2
790
Graphics on the Snapdragon 636 and consequently, the Redmi Note 6 Pro, are handled by an Adreno 509 GPU. It is designed to fluently manage FullHD+ resolutions, meaning it should feel right at home driving the 1080 x 2280 px panel.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi A2
15 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
14 - Realme 2 Pro
14 - Realme 1
12 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
10 - Xiaomi Mi Max 3
10 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
10 - Nokia 5.1 Plus
9.6 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
6.5 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
6.4 - Xiaomi Mi A1
6.4 - Realme 2
6.1 - Huawei P20 Lite
5.1
Of course, phones with 720p screens or similar have an advantage when it comes to real-life performance. Still, the Adreno 509 inside the Redmi Note 6 Pro is powerful enough to drive most popular Android games, without hiccups, anyway.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Nokia 5.1 Plus
20 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
14 - Xiaomi Mi A2
14 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
13 - Realme 2
12 - Realme 1
12 - Realme 2 Pro
12 - Xiaomi Mi Max 3
9.8 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
9.7 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
9.7 - Xiaomi Mi A1
6.3 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
6.1 - Huawei P20 Lite
4.9
Moving on to more compound loads and AnTuTu - it's a story with a happy end. We just love it when a chip performs as it is intended by market segmentation and delivers a great score on benchmarks.
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- Realme 1
138524 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
136583 - Realme 2 Pro
132958 - Xiaomi Mi A2
130927 - Nokia 5.1 Plus
119428 - Xiaomi Mi Max 3
119229 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
115605 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
115195 - Huawei P20 Lite
87431 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
77964 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
77488 - Realme 2
75434
The Snapdragon 636 performs admirably in the budget class. Its processor has more than enough oomph, while the balanced Adreno 509 does fine under 1080p screens. Other benefits are the 14nm manufacturing process, which makes the silicon quite power-efficient and it keeps it cool under peak load.
So, as far as the Redmi Note 6 performance is concerned - it's just brilliant and enough punch to be both productive and competitive.
One very familiar dual-camera with big pixels and bright lens
After we pretty much spoiled the whole thing in the title, let's run it once again but in detail. The main 12MP, plus 5MP module is lifted from the Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera - same sensors, same f/1.9 lens, same dual-LED flash. Dual-pixel autofocus is available, too.
The main 12MP sensor has 1.4µm big pixels and f/1.9 lens. It is backed up by a simple 5MP unit, simply intended for depth sensing. In terms of advanced features, you do get dual pixel PDAF, which we found to be really snappy and accurate. Also, a gyro-based EIS system. Last and probably least, the flash actually consists of two separate LEDs. However, both are the exact same size and color.
The camera has the modes arranged side by side for you to change by swiping left and right. Sadly, swiping up/down doesn't switch between front and rear camera - there's a button for that. There are toggles for flash mode, HDR, and a set of filters and a hamburger shortcut to the settings.
The AI toggle is now on the main interface, an improvement over previous Xiaomi devices. It does recognize the scenes mostly accurate - it shows a leaf for grass and trees, a building icon - for buildings, a moon - for night scenes, you get the idea. The thing is - we didn't notice any difference between the AI shots and the regular Auto photos.
Camera app • The AI icon changes • Settings • More settings • Video options • Manual mode
A manual mode is at your disposal too, and in here you can adjust white balance (presets and light temperature), pick a shutter speed (1/1000s to 1/8s) and ISO (100-1600). You can also set your own focus (in 1-100 'units' between close-up and infinity).
Image Quality
The photos we snapped in broad daylight are very good. There is more than enough detail, realistic colors, very good contrast and little noise. The dynamic range is about the average you'd expect with a camera that doesn't do frame stacking on the go. The images came a bit softer than we'd like them - edge to edge sharpness isn't great - but is about what you can expect from an entry-level device. Have we seen better - yes, but we still liked what we got with the Note 6 camera.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro 12MP camera samples
The HDR algorithm, if you opt for Auto or Always-on HDR, is well balanced and doesn't over-process. It helps to counter the limited dynamic range to some extent and pops more detail in various areas, including some highlights. It does outs sharper images and we'd suggest leaving it on Auto. See for yourself in the samples below.
HDR off • HDR • HDR off • HDR
The low-light photos are reasonably good. The larger sensor pixels and the bright aperture counter the lack of optical stabilization and blurred images are a rare occasion, if they happen at all. There is enough detail and there is some noise in areas of uniform colors. Impressive can't be used for the Redmi Note 6 night photos, but they are well above what you'd expect to get from a budget device and they can do for presentations beyond the social networks.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro 12MP low-light samples
And here you can see how the Redmi Note 6 Pro compares against other devices in our extensive pixel-peeking database.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro vs. Mi A2 vs. Realme 2 Pro in our Photo compare tool
Portraits
Portrait mode works reasonably well on the Redmi Note 6 Pro. The edge detection has been improved since the Note 5 AI and the algorithm doesn't cut body parts for most of the time. The blur on the other hand is not exactly what we'd call bokeh-like - it's far too aggressive, unrealistic if you will. Still, you have the portrait mode, it works very well and for the class - it's more than enough.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro 12MP portrait shots
Video recording
Officially, the Redmi Note 6 Pro, just like other recent Redmi phones, can capture video at up to 1080p@30fps. Digital video stabilization is available, turned on by default, but you can opt out of it from the settings.
By default, clips get saved in a pretty standard MP4 wrapper, with an AVC video stream, holding quite steady at 16 Mb/s bitrate. The audio is captured mono with 96 kb/s - quite disappointing.
The video quality is great - there is plenty of detail, the image is sharp, the dynamic range - above average, and the colors are true to life. We've seen many flagships capture worse 1080p videos, so we'd say the Redmi Note 6 Pro does great job here.
And the audio, even though it's mono, sounds quite nice.
The gyro-based digital stabilization does an excellent job in stabilizing the footage.
As usual, we've provided a sample straight out of the camera for you to download - 1080p@30fps (10s, 19MB).
Finally, you can use our Video Compare Tool to see how the Redmi Note 6 Pro stacks against the Mi A2 Lite and Realme 2 when it comes to video capture.
1080p: Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro against the Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite and the Realme 2 in our Video compare tool
And just like on other powerful-enough Xiaomi phones, you can enable 4K video recording on the Redmi Note 6 Pro, too. The Snapdragon 636 and its DSP are more than up to the task. The only thing standing in their way is market segmentation. Well, this trick is definitely not universal, but it turns our Xiaomi is using standard camera APIs. So, you just need to download the Open Camera app from the Play Store and bingo! 4K@30fps.
Selfie camera
There is another dual-camera on the Redmi Note 6 Pro and it's for them selfies. The main snapper is a 20MP one with f/2.0 aperture, accompanied by a 2MP camera for depth sensing.
The 20MP resolution might sound impressive, but the actual resolved detail is hardly great. The colors and contrast, on the other hand, are very good. And whatever the shortcomings, those pictures would look perfect once downsampled to any other size thanks to the 20MP resolution.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro 20MP selfie samples
The 2MP depth sensor does help for better subject separation in those portrait shots. It's not as good as on the main camera, but still good enough, especially considering the price tag.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro 20MP portrait selfie samples
The Competition
The Redmi Note 6 Pro ticks all the right boxes for a best-seller in its class and price segment. But it's not the only one. There are plenty of smartphones with notched big screens, Snapdragon 636 chips, dual-cams, and large batteries.
The first market to officially get the Redmi Note 6 Pro is Thailand, but the Indian premiere should be just around the corner, too. And there are quite a few phones to consider before making a decision.
Oppo Realme 2 Pro • Xiaomi Mi A2 (Mi 6X) • Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) ZB601KL • Motorola One Power (P30 Note)
The Realme 2 Pro is the first device worth mentioning. It's cheaper, more powerful (S660), and it has a much better take on how a notch should look like. The Realme 2 Pro also does 4K video recording out of the box, and its base model has more storage and RAM. Oh, and the SIM slot is not a hybrid one!
If you aren't a notch person, then the Xiaomi Mi A2 might suit you better. All-metal design, more powerful chipset, better dual-camera, and Android One enrolment for a clean OS with regular updates. Worth the extra bucks, if you can live without an audio jack and a microSD slot.
The Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) ZB601KL is very cheap, doesn't have a notch, but has the same Snapdragon 636 chip, and a good enough dual-camera on the back. It boasts a massive 5,000 mAh battery underneath the 6" screen, which combined with the low price may tip the odds in its favor.
The Motorola One Power is a very good match for the Redmi Note 6 Pro. It packs identical screen and chipset, similar main camera, but is powered by an impressive 5,000 mAh battery. Android One is in charge of One Power, which means Android Pie is coming very soon. The Motorola is more expensive though and can't beat the Note 6's bang for the buck ratio.
The Verdict
It's the new Redmi Note and for the fans this is enough of a reason for an upgrade even though the novelties aren't that many since the Redmi 5 Pro. But the Redmis, and the Notes particularly, are becoming more attractive by the hour for users that are either disappointed from the mastodons in the industry, or just tired of the sky-high prices plaguing the budget and mid-range classes already.
The Redmi Note 6 Pro has it all - great display, snappy performance, no-nonsense performance, excellent battery life, and very good and hassle-free camera experience. And all this bang is available for scandalously low buck. Nobody can argue with that, but it's not the only one to brag with that.
Pros
- Big screen with superb contrast and tiny bezels. And a notch.
- Great battery life.
- The Snapdragon 636 is excellent for the class.
- Very good all-round camera experience.
Cons
- 4K video recording requires a third-party app.
- Outdated microUSB port.
- Lacks fast charging.
Special thanks to HonorBuy for providing the review unit.
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