We review the Redmi Note 5!

After a week of teasing, Xiaomi will finally be releasing the Redmi Note 5 later today. And while we still don’t know how much it’ll be, it likely won’t matter: Xiaomi’s phones have always had a near fanatical following because of their commitment in selling phones that punch well above their weight price-wise. The Redmi Note 5 is no exception: expected to retail under 15K, the new phone has all the hallmarks of a best seller: efficient processor, good cameras and more importantly, aggressive pricing.

So to not to confuse yourself, the Redmi Note 5 that we’re reviewing is the global version of the phone known as the Redmi Note 5 Pro in India, which has upgraded cameras and Android Oreo out of the box.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 specs

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 octa-core processor
• 4GB RAM
• 5.99-inch Full HD+ IPS display
• 64GB expandable storage, via microSD (up to 128GB)
• 12-megapixel f/1.9 and 5-megapixel f/2.0 rear cameras with PDAF, LED Flash, and EIS
• 13-megapixel front camera with LED Flash
• Dual-SIM
• 4G LTE
• WiFi, Bluetooth
• GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS, Fingerprint scanner
• Android Nougat with MIUI 9. 5
• 4000mAh battery

Aluminum body bucks the all-glass trend, but we don’t mind

While most newer mid-range phones nowadays sport glass backs, the Redmi Note 5 bucks the trend by using an aluminum unibody. While some think that aluminum bodies is so 2017, we actually prefer them over glass since they’re tougher, harder to scratch and can go without having to use a silicone case (though one is provided in the package).

Despite bucking one trend, the Redmi Note 5 succumbs to another one: vertically stacked camera modules that protrude a few mm off of the body. This makes the phone not lie flat on the ground, and exposes the glass on the dual camera modules to unnecessary scratches if placed on an iffy surface.

The back of the phone also hosts the fingerprint scanner as well. The buttons are all on the right side, with the hybrid SIM card tray on the left side. On top is the IR blaster, with the USB port (sorry, no USB Type-C here!) 3.5mm jack and speaker grille all on the bottom.

Overall the phone feels extremely well built, and feels like it’ll take a couple of drops without any problems.