Alongside the Redmi 5, Xiaomi released the curtains on the bigger variant of the Redmi 5 series: The Redmi Note 5. Being the larger handset, the Redmi Note 5 is priced at Rs. 18,000, slightly more than the Redmi 5.

Build

The Redmi Note 5 is following the footsteps of its previous iteration the Redmi Note 4, sporting a unibody metal design. However, the similarities between the two end at the material choice. Instead of a single camera sensor, the back of the Redmi Note 5 is home to a dual camera setup and a fingerprint scanner. Unfortunately, the battery capacity takes a hit as it is a bit smaller than last year. Still, being a 4000mAh cell, you can easily go through 2 days without worrying about charging your phone again.

On the front is the 5.5-inch FHD+ screen with a bezel-less 18:9 aspect ratio. For a budget phone, the Redmi Note 5 is definitely good looking.

Display

The front of the Redmi Note 5 has a 5.5-inch 2160*1080 pixels IPS LCD capacitive touch screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The pixel density of this phone is a beautifully crisp 439ppi, more generous than a number of branded phones at this price range. The screen has support for multi-touch and is protected by a layer of Gorilla Glass 4.

Because the screen is an IPS LCD one, viewing angles and outdoor visibility are both well above average, so you can watch your movies, play your games and read your news on your commute without any worry of subpar quality.

Cameras

The Redmi Note 5 is yet another smartphone that jumps in on the dual camera bandwagon. The camera sensors are 16MP + 5MP ones, one of them being monochrome while the other your standard RGB sensor. Standard features such as phase detection auto-focus, geo-tagging, touch-to-focus, face/smile detection, HDR and panorama modes are all present on this rather premium budget phone.

Video recording capabilities max out at 1080p video at 30 frames per second speeds. However, we’re being treated to a nifty little feature that is 720p recording at 120 frames per second! Now you can record slow motion videos for all those times you pull a prank on your friends. The front facing camera is a 5MP one and also can record 1080p videos: in case your selfies don’t cut it and you want to step it up a notch.

Hardware

The Redmi Note 5 is coming in two variants, each powered by a different chipset. The cheaper one with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage is packing the Helio P25 octa core processor whereas the more premium 4GB/64GB variant is powered by the Snapdragon 630 processor, which is an 8 core chipset with each core running up to 2.2GHz. With such large amounts of memory, you can be assured that the phone will run swiftly on the Android 7.1.1 which is pre-loaded on the phone.

Redmi Note 5 Pros

• The phone is priced pretty cheap
• The 16MP + 5MP camera is a welcoming feature at the price
• The large battery will last you 2 days which is suited to the needs of many customers
• The metal body gives off a premium feel

Redmi Note 5 Cons

• The relatively older processor might not appeal to the budget tech savvy customers
• Low resolution front camera can be a turn off for some as many phone have 8MP cameras on the front nowadays.