The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G is one of the cheapest 5G smartphones to date and also stands out with other specifications. Is the budget smartphone worth buying? You can read it in this extensive Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G review.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G
Recommended retail price € 229,-
Colors Black, Blue, Green and Silver
OS Android 11 (MIUI)
Screen 6.5″ LCD (2400 x 1080, 90Hz)
Processor 2.2GHz octa-core (MediaTek Dimensity 700)
RAM 4GB
Storage 64 or 128 GB (expandable)
Battery 5,000 mAh
Camera 48, 2 and 2 megapixels (rear), 8 megapixels (front)
Connectivity 5G, 4G (LTE), Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC
Format 16.2 x 7.5 x 0.89 cm
Weight 190 grams
Other Fingerprint scanner in the power button, infrared sensor
Website www.mi.com/nl 8.5 Score 85 
- Pros
- Battery life
- Cameras
- Complete specifications
- Negatives
- Heavy MIUI shell
- Screen difficult to read in the sun
The Redmi Note 10 5G is part of the Redmi Note 10 series, of which I recently tested the Redmi Note 10 Pro. It has the lack of 5G support as one of the few downsides. The Redmi Note 10 5G is suitable for 5G and is tens of euros cheaper, but therefore compromises on specifications. Xiaomi will offer the smartphone from June 3 for 229 euros (with 64 GB storage memory) and 249 euros (with 128 GB storage memory). In this Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G review you can read whether the device is recommended.
Design
The design of the Redmi Note 10 5G is not exciting, but it is functional. The smartphone is made of plastic, feels sturdy enough and is available in different colors. I tested the gray variant. It has a somewhat matte back where fingerprints (fortunately) are less noticeable. The smartphone is comfortable to hold and has a reliable fingerprint scanner in the power button. That button is located below the volume buttons on the right side.
The device is equipped with a USB-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack and infrared sensor. You can control your television with this – the necessary app is pre-installed. At the top of the screen is a small hole for the – fine – selfie camera. On the back is a module with three camera lenses, a flash and ambient light sensor. The latter helps to adjust the screen brightness more accurately.
Screen could have been brighter
The screen of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G is quite large at 6.5 inches and difficult to operate with one hand. That’s a disadvantage, but the advantage is that the large screen is ideal for multimedia purposes and typing with two hands. As you would expect from a smartphone in this price range, the Redmi Note 10 5G has an LCD screen with sharp full HD resolution. The color reproduction is good, but the maximum brightness could have been higher. I find the screen difficult to read in the sunny outdoors. The 90 Hz refresh rate is nice, so that the screen can refresh itself up to ninety times per second. A standard screen does this sixty times per second. A higher refresh rate provides a smoother image that looks away calmer and makes the phone feel faster.
Some competing Samsung smartphones also have an OLED screen that is nicer than an LCD display, but perform less well in other technical areas.
Hardware
Such devices often lack 5G support, for example. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G is suitable for 5G internet, which is already available in the Netherlands but will only become really fast in the autumn of 2022. Until then, the speed is equal to 4G. Of course, the Xiaomi smartphone also supports 4G.
The smartphone is fast enough thanks to the MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor with 4 GB of RAM. In this price segment, the performance is more than adequate; apps launch smoothly, switching between recently used apps is smooth and you can play popular games on medium graphics settings. It is nice that the Redmi Note 10 5G has a built-in NFC chip and can therefore make contactless pins in stores.
The storage memory is 64 GB or 128 GB and can be expanded with a micro SD card. Because Xiaomi asks a reasonable twenty euros extra for the 128 GB model, I recommend it to most people. With more storage memory you can go longer, also because software updates take up space and apps and games keep getting bigger.
Battery life and charging
With normal use, the Redmi Note 10 5G will last a long day without any worries. This is thanks to the large 5000 mAh battery. If you take it easy, you can use the device for one and a half to two days. Charging is fairly smooth thanks to the 18 Watt charger. Xiaomi provides the necessary charger in the box. Charging for half an hour lifts the battery from 0 to 30 percent and a full charge takes just over two hours.
Cameras
As mentioned, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G has three cameras on the back. For example, with the 2 megapixel macro camera you can take pictures up close (4 centimeters away), but those pictures are moved relatively often and the resolution is very low. You therefore do not want to enlarge them on your monitor or print them in a photo book. The 2 megapixel depth sensor blurs the background when you take a portrait photo and does this well. The 48 megapixel main camera shoots 12 megapixel photos as standard and impresses with the quality. I’ve been using more expensive smartphones in recent months that take less realistic photos. So a compliment to the Redmi Note 10 5G, which also holds its own in the dark.
Software and Update Policy
Xiaomi delivers the Redmi Note 10 5G with Android 11 and promises two years of updates. So you can count on two years of regular security updates and – if the manufacturer means it that way – updates to Android 12 and 13. That would be common and neat in this price segment.
Until then, use Android 11 with Xiaomi’s MIUI 12 software shell. I am not a big fan of MIUI. The shell is visually very drastic, contains many pre-installed apps and games and occasionally shows advertisements. You can live with it, but I’d rather have a tidy software shell from Motorola, Nokia or OnePlus, for example. Xiaomi promises a MIUI 12.5 update that will let you remove pre-installed apps, among other things. There will also be a manual that explains how to disable advertisements. Fine, although I haven’t been able to try them out because the update is still in the works.
Conclusion: Buy Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G?
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G is an affordable (229 euros) smartphone that leaves a solid impression. It’s built solidly, has a mostly good screen and complete specs, and gets two years of updates. Strong points are the long battery life, the 5G support and the camera performance. I think the major MIUI shell and the lower screen brightness are points of attention, but it is fine to live with this. Bottom line, the Redmi Note 10 5G does what Xiaomi has become great with: the smartphone offers a competitive price-quality ratio. The device is therefore recommended if your new phone may cost a maximum of 250 euros, even if 5G support is not a requirement.
Interesting alternatives are Xiaomi’s own Redmi Note 10 Pro with a nicer screen, the significantly faster Poco X3 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A32 4G with a nicer screen and four years of updates.
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