Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro Review | The new budget smartphone killer

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Redmi 6 Pro is another budget lineup smartphone from Xiaomi for 2018. It looks similar to the previous gen smartphone but embraces a notch on the front. There are various features like impressive battery life, great performance, dedicated MicroSD slot, decent camera etc for a typical budget price. Let’s dive in and take a closer look at the Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro.

Design and Build Quality

Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro looks quite identical to almost all the latest Xiaomi devices release in last year. The device uses the same metal unibody design which may not look modern like the glass back devices but provides durability and protection. It has the same camera module and fingerprint scanner placement on the back just like the other Xiaomi devices. Redmi 6 Pro is not the slimmest device at 8.8 mm thickness and weighs 188grams. Although the device is somewhat thick, it also provides a comfortable grip while using the device. The device comes in 5 different color variants which are Blue, Black, Gold, Rose Gold and Red.

On the front, Redmi 6 Pro embraces a notch just like the modern smartphones along with a chin. However, the notch is small which is impressive and holds the front camera, earpiece, proximity sensor, and ambient light sensor. There are no physical or capacitive keys on the upfront. Moving towards the sides, the SIM tray is on the left of the device while the power key and the volume key are on the right. All the buttons are made out of plastic and are a noticeable wobble to them. There is an audio jack on the top of the device along with IR emitter and noise cancellation microphone while at the bottom there is a MicroUSB 2.0 charging port at the bottom along with a speaker and microphone.

“MicroUSB 2.0 in 2018? Come on Xiaomi just give the users the latest Type C port already”        

Redmi 6 Pro comes with a Dual camera setup on the back of the device placed similarly like on Redmi Note 5 Pro or Mi A2. Also, there is a fingerprint scanner placed at an easy to reach the spot. Overall Redmi 6 Pro is a durable device which is not water or dust resistant as there is no IP rating but that's quite common at this price point.

Display

Xiaomi has finally embraced the notch design with the Redmi 6 Pro with a 19:9 display to an immersive multimedia consumption experience. It sports a 5.84 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen which has a resolution of 1080 x 2280 and the pixel density of 432 pixels per inch. Honestly, it is sharp and vibrant display but if you are not a notch person, there is nothing much you can do about it. Although, the notch above the display is small enough to not interfere with the notification icons.

Well, the main issue with the Redmi 6 Pro display is that it doesn’t meet up to the Widevine L1 standard. A similar problem can be seen on the latest Xiaomi device, the Poco F1. Hence, the device cannot stream HD quality content on the services like Netflix, Amazon Prime etc. Also, this issue is not fixable through a software update. It is permanent, however, the services which don’t require Widevine L1 standards like YouTube allows HD video streaming without any issue.

Overall, it is a sharp display with rich and vibrant colors and great viewing angles. The sunlight visibility is also decent and you will really it is one of the best display in the budget segment.

Performance and Software

Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro is being powered by the Snapdragon 625 chipset which is an Octa-Core chip along with Adreno 506 GPU. It is one of the most commonly used chip and can be seen on previous devices like Redmi Note 4, Redmi Note 5 etc. Although it is decently powerful SoC which is more than enough for a budget smartphone, but it’s too old now and there is better budget SoCs available in the market right now like the Snapdragon 636.

Although the chip is old, there is no issue with the performance unless you play heavy titles like PUBG at which point the games run at low graphics setting with minor lag. Apart from that, there is no issue with basic usage and Adreno 506 handles medium level graphics tasks well.

There are three different variants in terms of RAM and Storage

• 4GB/64GB
• 3GB/64GB
• 3GB/32GB

However, the users are not limited to the onboard storage as Redmi 6 Pro comes with a dedicated MicroSD card slot which supports up to 256GB storage expansion. Overall, it is a reliable budget device in terms of performance.

Talking about software, the Redmi 6 Pro runs on the Android Oreo with MiUI 9.6 skin on top. It’s a typical Xiaomi skin with colorful icons, no app drawer, pre-installed bloatware, and customization option. There are some useful features too like App scan or memory cleaner but it is far from stock and may not be suitable for hardcore stock Android fans. Xiaomi has claimed that there are some optimizations done to make the UI feel smoother and faster. Honestly, it does feel a bit fast but not anywhere near the like of OxygenOS or stock Android. Xiaomi also promised to upgrade the software to MiUi 10 based on Android Pie but “when” is still the question.

Camera

The Redmi 6 Pro sports a Dual Camera setup at the back of the device. Out of the two sensors, one is the primary 12 Megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture while the second one is a 5 Megapixel f/2.2 aperture depth sensor for portrait shots. There are all the basic camera features like PDAF, HDR, Panorama etc but there is no manual mode. The camera app on the device in the typical Xiaomi’s camera app. 

The camera performs well during the daytime and captures some good images with vibrant and saturated colors. Focus locks fast and there is no shutter lag either. During the night, the quality suffers significantly as the images captures are noisy and blurry since there is no OIS. The portrait shots look decent for a budget smartphone but they are not as better as seen on Mi A1. It can record videos in 1080p resolution @ 30fps and uses EIS for video stabilization.

Redmi 6 Pro comes with a 5 Megapixel f/2.0 selfie camera which captures decent selfies during daytime but the quality downgrades considerably during the night. The front camera can also record videos in FullHD @30fps but there is no stabilization.

Battery Life

One of the great things about Redmi 6 Pro is the massive 4000 mAh battery inside which can easily last more than a day. During our test period, with moderate to heavy usage like using Social media apps, frequent phone calls, listening to music or watching YouTube, there was around 20ttery left at the end of the day. Although, longer gaming sessions will drain the battery much faster and you will have to recharge the device around the end of the day. It was able to last around 5 hours of Screen-on-time without any issues.

One shortcoming of a big battery is the charging time and there is no Quick charge support to take care of it. Using the normal charger is gonna take around more than 2 hours to completely charge from null to full. Hence, you will have to plug it in long before you go out for work. Xiaomi is still using the MicroUSB charging port in the era where everyone is moving towards Type-C. Also, there is no wireless charging but none of the budget phones has it so that’s OKAY.

Other Features

Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro comes with features like Dual SIM and Dual Standby. It supports LTE services on both the SIM slots. Also, there is a dedicated MicroSD card slot which supports up to 256GB storage expansion. Other connectivity features on the device include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.2 and A-GPS.

Redmi 6 Pro comes with a couple of sensors like the fingerprint scanner, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, and compass. However, there is no NFC support which seems OKAY for the price. It comes with an IR emitter which allows the device to be used as a remote control for electronic devices like TV, AC etc.

It comes with a  fingerprint scanner which works really well and unlocks the device instantly. The placement of the scanner is just right to be reached comfortably. Also, it is a reliable sensor as it detects the finger almost 9/10 times. Redmi 6 Pro also comes with a Face Unlock feature allowing the user to unlock the device by scanning the face using the front camera.

Talking about the speaker, it is a single down firing speaker which does a decent job but can be easily muffled with one hand. Redmi 6 Pro also houses an audio jack which is impressive as companies are ditching the audio jack in 2018. The audio quality is the headphone is great with nice bass and punch which makes listening to songs and movies much more enjoyable.

Conclusion

The Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro is an amazing smartphone for the starting price of around $150. It comes with a powerful processor which can easily handle basic requirements and heavy games too at medium graphics settings. It also comes with a decent camera module which captures impressive images in good lighting conditions. The display is also big enough and has pleasant colors except for the Widevine L1 issue. The battery life is also great and it can easily last more than a day.

Redmi 6 Pro uses the same old typical Xiaomi design but apart from that it is a great device for anyone looking for a powerful and durable smartphone in the budget segment.

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