Redmi Note 5 Pro first impressions: At Rs 13,999 this is Xiaomi’s new ‘All-Rounder’

Xiaomi Redmi Note series is back with the Redmi Note 5 being unveiled in the Indian market for a starting price of Rs 9,999. However, Redmi Note 5 is not the only device that the company is introducing; a new Redmi Note 5 Pro smartphone and the Mi LED TV 4 in 55-inches size with the company’s own PatchWall OS are also launching in India.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro is the first smartphone launching with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor. The original Redmi Note 5 series continues with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, which we also saw on the Redmi Note 4 from last year. The Pro variant sports a bigger 18:9 display which is 5.99-inches in size, a dual camera at the back, which is aligned horizontally and might remind some of the IPhone X. The front camera is 20MP on the Redmi Note 5 Pro and also has a selfie LED flash. There’s also a 6GB RAM variant as in the Pro series.

It would be fair to call the Redmi Note 5 Pro as the more beefed up variant of the Redmi Note 5 with a higher pricing as well. Redmi Note 5 Pro will cost Rs 13,999 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB variant, while the 6GB RAM and 64GB variant is priced at Rs 16,999. Redmi Note 5 Pro will go on sale on Flipkart from February 22. We’ve had the chance to use the Redmi Note 5 Pro for a few days ahead of the launch and here’s our detailed first impression so far.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Design, Display

Redmi Note 5 Pro sticks with metal unibody design that has become common on Xiaomi phones, but this time there is a big change. The display is 5.99-inches, but with an 18:9 aspect ratio and the buttons are now in-screen and not on the bottom bezel as was the case with the previous phones. This is not entirely a bezel-less display and you can see them on the sides, though they are very thin. On the top, there’s also the 20MP selfie camera with a flash along with IR blaster.

The fingerprint sensor remains at the back and this one still has a hybrid dual-SIM slot. Xiaomi has not gone for a dedicated dual SIM and microSD slot like we saw in the Redmi Y1 series. The dual rear camera is tucked away on one corner of the phone and it juts out quite prominently. The rear camera specification is 12MP+5MP for the Redmi Note 5 Pro.

This might be the Pro variant, but Xiaomi still sticking with the older micro-USB port. There’s also no fasting charging on this phone, though it has a 4000 mAh battery. The headphone jack and a single speaker are also placed at the bottom of the phone. Overall, the build quality of the Redmi Note 5 Pro feels premium and using this with one hand is not a problem. But, this is a bulky phone and not light given that it sports a 4000 mAh battery on board.