Redmi Note 9 Unboxing and First Impressions

Xiaomi Philippines has finally brought the Redmi Note 9 series in the Philippines. In this article, we unbox the Redmi Note 9.

Redmi Note 9 in Midnight Grey

Back in April, Xiaomi's sub-brand Redmi announced the Note 9 and Note 9 Pro. Today, Xiaomi Philippines has announced the arrival of the Redmi Note 9 series to the Philippines.

In this article, we will be sharing our unboxing experience and first impressions of the Redmi Note 9 which features a large 6.53-inch FHD+ LCD display.

Inside it is a 12nm MediaTek G85 octa-core processor, Mali-G52 GPU, 3GB/4GB LPDDR4X RAM, 64GB eMMC 5.1/128GB UFS 2.1 storage and a 5,020mAh battery with 18W fast charging. It is running on Android 10 based MIUI 11.

On paper, it is the phone with the highest overall specs for the price. Having said that, it could be the new budget phone to beat.

Let's dive in!

Unboxing/Accessories

Redmi Note 9 unboxing

The handset comes with a familiar white box with the image render of the phone and the model name.

Inside the box are the smartphone, black silicone case, 5V/3A (22.5W) power plug, SIM ejector tool, USB Type-A to Type-C cable, and documentation.

Note: The phone has a maximum power input of 18W. Xiaomi just included a 22.5W charger that is backward compatible with Redmi Note 9's 18W port.

There are no included wired earphones. You will have to purchase wired or wireless earphones like the Mi Air Dots.

Build Quality/Design

Redmi Note 9 backplate

Redmi Note 9's glasstic back is eye-catching with the unique symmetrical square-camera module. At the bottom part is the Redmi Logo and regulatory information printed.

This is one of the most affordable phones with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 back and front. So, expect it to withstand accidental drops and avoid hairline scratches. It has a P2i water splash resistance rating as well.

One of the most affordable with Gorilla Glass 5 back and front

The Midnight Grey colorway has a dark blue to the light blue gradient that offers beautiful reflections depending on how the light hits the material. It is also available in Forest Green and Polar White colors.

At the top middle part is the square module with the quad-camera set-up and the LED flash. Below is the fingerprint scanner. 

Display with punch hole

In front is the large 6.53-inch display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection. On the top left corner of the display is the 13MP front-facing camera.

Redmi Note 9 front-facing camera 

The top and side bezels are super slim while the bottom bezel is noticeably thicker. For people who are perfectionists, they may notice that the curve on the four corners of the display does not curve the same way as the curve of the surrounding bezels.

Top and bottom side

On top of the device are the IR blaster and the microphone port while at the bottom are the speaker grill, USB Type-C, microphone port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Left and right side

On the left side of the device is the triple slot (2 nano, 1 microSD) SIM tray while on the right side are the volume rocker and the power button.

Inside the 162.38 x 77.2 x 8.95 mm chassis is the massive 5,020mAh battery charges via USB Type-C with an 18W fast charger. It even has a 9V reverse charging tech.

The premium polycarbonate frame with a glossy finish with the glass front and glasstic back make the Redmi Note 9 very easy to hold even with the large display. It is a fingerprint magnet but it is surprisingly not as slippery as other phones.

Overall, it has a beautiful design with decent build materials. It weighs just at 199 grams.

Redmi Note 9 Specs

Display: 6.53-inch 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 5 protected LCD (LTPS) screen w/ FHD+ 2400 x 1080 resolution at 395 ppi
CPU: 2.0GHz 12nm MediaTek Helio G85 octa-core processor
GPU: Mali-G52 2EEMC2
RAM: 3GB/4GB LPDDR4X
ROM: 64GB/128GB eMMC 5.1 expandable via microSD card slot up to 512GB (dedicated)
Back Camera: 48MP f/1.79 Samsung ISOCELL GM1 w/ PDAF, EIS + 8MP 118-degree ultra-wide-angle + 2MP f/2.4 2cm macro + 2MP f/2.4 depth + dual-tone LED flash
Selfie Camera: 13MP f/2.25
Battery: 5,020mAh w/ 18W fast charging
OS: Android 10 w/ MIUI 11
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, FM Radio, NFC, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, dual SIM
Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic, pressure
Others: Fingerprint sensor, face unlock, IR Blaster, P2i water splash resistance, dual-mic, vibration motor, USB-C, Colors: Midnight Grey, Forest Green, Polar White
Dimensions: 162.38 x 77.2 x 8.95 mm
Weight: 199 g
Price: PHP 7,990 (3GB/64GB), PHP 9,990 (4GB/128GB)

As of the moment

Redmi Note 9 AnTuTu score

Redmi Note 9 will come in 3GB/64GB and 4GB/128GB variants with the price starting at PHP 7,990.

We were impressed by the beautiful design and the amount of value the new Redmi Note 9 offers with its inclusion of an IR blaster, USB Type-C, and the MediaTek Helio G85.

Out of the box, we are excited about the latest smartphone from Redmi. We will have to do more tests to see how it performs in more situations.

Stay tuned for our full review.