Redmi Note 10 series buying guide
As promised, Xiaomi has launched theRedmi Note 10 seriesof mid-range smartphones globally with no less than four models to choose from. Here’s everything you need to know about the new phones to choose the right one.
The firm has dubbed the devices, ‘The AMOLED Explorer’, ‘The 108MP Voyager’, ‘The 64MP Adventurer’ and ‘The 5G Pioneer’ and aims to provide a lot of phone for affordable prices.
The firm has already sold 200 million Redmi Note devices so far so let’s see what’s next following theRedmi Note 9.
What Redmi Note 10 phones are there?
Xiaomi held alaunch eventfor the Redmi Note 10 series on 4 March 2021 revealing these four models:
There were rumours of a Redmi Note 10 Ultra being announced at the series’ Chinese launch but it turned out to be the 10 Pro. China also gets the 10 5G. We discussed the Pro model inepisode 57 of Fast Charge– you can watch it below.
How much do Redmi Note 10 phones cost?
These are touted as mid-range but many fit into ourbudget category, which has a limit of £250, even the 10 Pro starts at just £249 or US$279 so you’re getting great value for money.
Here are the prices that we have for each Redmi Note 10 phone in pounds and US dollars:
Redmi Note 10 prices
Note that while this model isn’t officially launched in the UK, Amazon has a number of listings for it at £179/199. One appears to be aSpanish model ‘without branding‘ and two other listing – one forwhiteand one forgreen– say ‘UK Version’.
However, these are sold by CENGDA which has a Honk Kong address. The ‘UK versions’ might come with a UK plug then but we’re not sure if Xiaomi would provide any support should something go wrong so be careful.
Redmi Note 10 Pro prices
Redmi Note 10S prices
Remi Note 10 5G prices
See where to buy the Redmi Note 10 phones in the UK here.
Which Redmi Note 10 phone should you buy?
With four models, there are a lot of specs to go over and get your head round. Then there’s the complication that slightly different models have launched in India with mixed up names – the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max in India is almost exactly the same as the global Pro.
Redmi Note 10 Pro
The focus from Xiaomi, it seems, is on the Redmi Note 10 Pro model which features things like a 120Hz refresh rate screen, a quad camera setup headlined by a 108Mp sensor and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G processor.
It’s similar in some ways to theXiaomi Mi 11and the firm says it has similar 9-into-1 pixel binning technology as theSamsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Buy the Redmi Note 10 Pro for:
In a word, yes. We’ve given the phone a score of 9/10 in our review along with a Tech Advisor Recommended award. There wasn’t much our reviews editor Chris didn’t like calling it “A truly stunning mid-range phone offering so much more than you would expect by simply looking at the price tag.”
“The Redmi Note 10 Pro is one of the best phones you can buy at this price point with Xiaomi delivering exceptional value for money,” he added.
There’s little to complain about beyond the lack of 5G apart from the big camera bump, no OIS on any cameras and MIUI not being for everyone. The latter, of course, applies to all the Note 10 series.
Find out more in our fullXiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro review.
Redmi Note 10S
The Redmi Note 10S has a less impressive 64Mp camera – although still part of a quad rear array – and a MediaTek Helio G95. However, it still supports 33W fast charging like the Pro and Xiaomi includes the charger in the box.
Buy the Redmi Note 10S for:
Redmi Note 10 5G
Apart from the obvious 5G connectivity the Redmi Note 10 5G has a 90Hz display, a 48Mp main camera and a MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor. The charging drops to 18W and has a maximum of 6GB RAM.
Buy the Redmi Note 10 5G for:
Yes, and it’s your only option here if you must have 5G connectivity. It does have various downgrades compared to the others though, as mentioned above and also including no waterproofing.
In our review we gave it a solid score of 8/10 with editor Jim saying “if you must have 5G as the top priority in a phone and you don’t want to increase your budget, the Redmi Note 10 5G is certainly a compelling option.”
But the compromises are worth taking into account: “if you won’t be happy with a screen that has mediocre colours and viewing angles, or decidedly average cameras, then it may not be the best choice for you,” he added.
Find out more in our fullXiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G review.
Redmi Note 10
The regular Redmi Note 10 is a sort of blend of the others with the 33W charging and a quad rear camera array, but a regular AMOLED display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 678. As a reminder, this model isn’t officially launching in the UK.
Buy the Redmi Note 10 for:
If you still need to check out more details for each phone, here are the specs for each Redmi Note 10 phone:
Redmi Note 10 specs
Redmi Note 10 Pro specs (Pro Max in India)
Redmi Note 10S specs
Redmi Note 10 5G specs
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Author: Chris Martin, Reviews Editor, Tech Advisor
Chris got his break as a reporter at infamous site The Inquirer and has been at Tech Advisor for more than 12 years. With a BA degree in Music Technology, audio is his specialism, but over the years he has reviewed all kinds of gadgets, from smartwatches to mesh Wi-Fi to coffee machines.
