Redmi Note 7 FULL REVIEW and TESTS: Still the best after 6 months?

In 2022, Xiaomi amazed with the density of its announcements - it is already becoming extremely difficult to understand the family of smartphones of this company, which is rapidly developing after some stagnation two years ago. An endless number of modifications, series, subseries, internal competition. Even choosing a flagship is not easy - both Mi MIX 3 and Mi 9 are candidates for this role. Let’s not try to embrace the immensity and talk about all the smartphones from the Redmi series - we need to take one of them, but it’s guaranteed to be a hit (like almost any of them) , symbolic and loudly declaring its claim to the throne of “the best among inexpensive ones.” And now it is Redmi Note 7.

The latest 6.3-inch display with a waterdrop notch, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 platform, which is also equipped with gadgets that are twice as expensive, a dual camera with a 48-megapixel main module, a glass body. This is not what you expect from a smartphone for 15-18 thousand rubles, is it? But Xiaomi, with the usual wave of its discount magic wand, shifts the boundary of the expected - and now everyone will have to reach for the Redmi Note 7. The trick is familiar, but are there any flaws in this magical movement?

Redmi Note 7: Unboxing

In the images above and below you can see the box of the global version of Redmi Note 7. All the inscriptions on the back panel are in English. There is also a sticker on the side that says Global Version.

Opening the box, you will find a smartphone with factory films on the front and back panels. Also inside the box is a silicone protective case, a user manual and warranty card, a 10W power adapter with a European plug and a USB Type-C cable.

Redmi Note 7 comes standard with 2022 Xiaomi smartphones.

By the way, this smartphone is correctly called Redmi Note 7, without Xiaomi. As you can see, the name of the smartphone is written on the box without Xiaomi, as it was before. At the beginning of 2022, the Chinese company created a separate Redmi brand and began producing devices under this name.

However, on the box we can see the MI logo and the inscription “Redmi from Xiaomi” on the back of the smartphone. This suggests that this is a Xiaomi device, but under a separate Redmi brand.

Redmi Note 7: Design

I think you have already seen a lot of reviews and read articles about Redmi Note 7. I don’t want to waste your time, so I won’t dwell on the design. I'll tell you the most important details.

Redmi Note 7 has a waterdrop notch above the large 6.3-inch display. The cutout houses the front camera and speaker. Interestingly, the notification LED is located below the display.

On the back we see a dual camera. The camera sensors protrude from the body, so it's best to use a protective case. In addition, there is a flash and a fingerprint scanner on the back. The back panel is made of glass, and the frame around is made of plastic.

As usual, on the right side there is a power button and a volume rocker, and on the left side there is a hybrid slot for two SIM cards and microSD.

The 3.5mm audio jack and microphone are located on the top. The USB Type-C port, speaker and microphone are located at the bottom.

By the way, the new Redmi Note 7 is the first Redmi series smartphone with a USB Type-C port. However, the mobile device does not have an NFC module. It's a shame because many people use their smartphone for contactless payments.

The smartphone is not very slippery, but fingerprints remain on the back panel. Redmi Note 7 has a very nice design, especially the blue back panel, but I recommend using a protective case. As you know, glass is easier to break than metal or plastic.

Camera specifications

The smartphone has 3 cameras - 2 main and one front. Their characteristics are as follows:

• Main camera - 48 MP, f/1.8, S5KGM1, pixel size 0.8 micron - 1.6 micron (in 12 MP mode);
• The second camera is a 5 MP Samsung S5K5E8 (for measuring depth and creating a blur effect);
• Front camera - 13 MP, f/2.0, OmniVision OV13855.

The main camera sensor (Samsung S5KGM1) uses a Quad Bayer design, in which four pixels are grouped into a square under a filter of the same color, thereby producing 12-megapixel frames with a larger pixel size. In fact, the efficiency is the same as when capturing 12 million large 1.6 micron pixels. But this is all in theory, but what will happen in reality? Look further.

Main camera parameters:

• Maximum ISO in automatic mode - 9600 units;
• Maximum ISO in manual mode - 3200 units;
• The maximum shutter speed in manual mode is 32 seconds;

Video recording modes:

• 720P - 1080P 30/60/120fps with EIS (electronic stabilization)
• 720P - 1080P 30fps on the front camera.

On a pleasant note: when recording video, both H.264 and H.265 codecs are available. The latter, let me remind you, allows you to make high quality video with stronger compression than H.264. Until now, Xiaomi has only used it in flagships like Xiaomi Black Shark or Xiaomi Mi 8, but now it is also available in budget devices.

Redmi Note 7: Display

The Xiaomi smartphone has a 6.3-inch display with Full HD+ resolution. This is the same IPS LCD panel as many other budget and mid-budget Xiaomi smartphones.

The display has very good brightness. You can use your smartphone in direct sunlight even with 50% screen brightness. This is very good.

In the settings menu you can change the contrast and colors. The smartphone does not have a night mode, but a reading mode is available.

Large, bright, clear and contrasty

The smartphone boasts a really good display with a diagonal of 6.3 inches and a matrix resolution of FHD+ 2340 × 1080. The screen has a decent brightness reserve - up to 450 nits and a very high contrast ratio of 1500: 1, which allows it to perform on par with OLED matrices. Screen tests in bright sunlight showed good picture readability.

Redmi Note 7: Performance

Redmi Note 7 is a budget smartphone, but it has very good hardware: Snapdragon 660 processor, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory.

A cheaper version of the smartphone with 3 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory or a more expensive model with 4 GB and 128 GB of memory is also available. I think you don't need more than 64GB of storage because the smartphone supports microSD cards.

Even though the Snapdragon 660 was released in 2022, this processor still offers very good performance. The 2022 Qualcomm processor is even better than most of the 2022 MediaTek chipsets.

Where can I buy

For several years now I have been ordering Xiaomi devices from Hong Kong Goldway. This time was no exception. I’m sure most of the readers know everything about this store without me. Here is the current price list for XRN 7 from this seller:

• 3 + 32 GB of memory costs $174
• 4 + 64 gigs (top!) will cost $206.99
• 6 + 64 GB (if you need reserve) – $236.99

Personally, I had an intermediate version with 4 gigs of RAM. For my taste, the best option to buy. And the filling is decent and there are savings. By the way, with cashback you can bring the price down to a mere 200 bucks.

Redmi Note 7: Performance test

Now let's look at the benchmark test results of Redmi Note 7. As usual, I want to start with AnTuTu. The smartphone scores 145,000 points, which is a very good result. By the way, below you can see the characteristics of the mobile device, such as processor, memory, camera, etc.

The next test is GeekBench 4. The smartphone scores 1637 points in the single-core test and 5796 points in the multi-core test.

3D Mark suggests running the Sling Shot Extreme Test. OpenGL ES 3.1 has an overall score of 1354 and Vulkan an overall score of 1299.

I also tested Wi-Fi speed, internal memory speed, and GPS accuracy. Everything works well on the budget Redmi smartphone.

Redmi Note 7: Games

I know many of you play games on mobile devices. Redmi Note 7 is a great smartphone for this. You can play any games on this device such as PUBG Mobile, Asphalt 9, Shadowgun Legends, Minecraft and many more.

Yes, in heavy games such as Shadowgun Legends or PUBG Mobile on high graphics there may be some lag or FPS drops. However, this does not happen very often and you may not even notice these problems.

Video recording

The smartphone can shoot video in 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second. In this case, stabilization works very well.

As soon as you switch to 1080p and 60 fps, the picture quality drops (“thanks” to the interlaced recording of information from the matrix) and stabilization is disabled. I would not recommend shooting in this mode. Although the sound here and there is recorded quite well.

There is no support for 4K and, apparently, there will not be. Although hardware (QS660) would handle such content without any problems.

Redmi Note 7: Software

The new smartphone runs on Android 9.0 Pie with MIUI 10 user interface. When I turned on this smartphone for the first time, I received the software update - MIUI 10.3.5.0. I am sure that Redmi Note 7 will receive updates very often and for a long time, because it is one of the most popular Xiaomi smartphones.

Overall, the user interface of the smartphone is the same as other Xiaomi devices running MIUI 10. Some of the most interesting apps include Security with its useful features like Clean, Security Scan, Deep Clean, etc.

The Game Accelerator application is also available. You can select games in this space and they will launch and run faster.

As I said, there is a fingerprint scanner on the back of the smartphone, but you can also use the face unlock feature.

Redmi Note 7: Camera

Perhaps the main reason why so many people want to buy or have already bought the Redmi Note 7 is the camera. Perhaps the new Xiaomi smartphone has no competitors in this price category, because the camera is simply excellent!

By the way, software optimization plays a very important role because UMIDIGI F1 Play has the same camera as Redmi Note 7, but the UMIDIGI smartphone takes much worse pictures.

Redmi Note 7 has a dual camera setup on the back: a 48MP Samsung GM1 primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor for bokeh photos. It's a shame that the smartphone doesn't have a wide-angle lens.

The front camera has a 13 MP sensor.

⇡#Display and sound

Xiaomi splashed out on a lot when creating the Redmi Note 7, but not on the OLED display. For gadgets in this price category, this still remains a rarity, available, perhaps, only to Samsung (and often Korean “state employees” simply have no other advantages). Here is a completely ordinary IPS display with a diagonal of 6.3 inches, a 19.5:9 format and a resolution of 2340 × 1080 pixels (Full HD+). The pixel density is 409 ppi. There are no questions about detailing - everything is quite adequate to the positioning of the smartphone.

Redmi Note7 even has one advantage over the twice as expensive Mi 9 - a much higher quality oleophobic coating. It is much easier to wipe off fingerprints from the screen of this smartphone; it does not look smudged all the time. With the back panel, everything is not so simple; this is an eternal problem with “mirror” gadgets, and it can only be solved by using a case. The touch coating, by the way, is also not hypersensitive - the smartphone does not try to call someone from your pocket and at the same time responds to 10 simultaneous touches, they did not skimp on this.

The maximum measured brightness of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 display was 514 cd/m2 – there is a slight increase compared to the already good Redmi Note 5 in this regard. Moreover, on a sunny day, the screen turns on a high-brightness mode (regardless of whether you use auto-adjustment for external lighting or not): colors are distorted, black completely disappears, but problems with readability are absolutely excluded. HDR10 support has not been announced, so Nokia 7.1 remains somewhat unique in this segment.

The contrast is not bad for an IPS matrix, but nothing more – 1347:1.

In the settings, you can adjust the color tone (from cold to warm), but only when you activate the automatic “contrast” setting - no one explains why this parameter is called that way. As in the case of Mi 9, you can adjust the color tone only with adaptive color rendering (here – “automatic contrast adjustment”). If you select “high” or “standard contrast”, you will lose this feature, and the color gamut will be expanded and closer to sRGB. I measured color rendering in adaptive and standard modes. The measurement was carried out in a room with incandescent lamps turned on.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, gamma in automatic mode. Yellow line – Redmi Note 7 indicators, dotted line – reference gamma

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, color temperature in automatic mode. Blue line – Redmi Note 7 indicators, dotted line – reference temperature

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, color gamut in automatic mode. Gray triangle – sRGB coverage, white triangle – Redmi Note 7 coverage

In automatic mode, under incandescent light, the gamma is 2.26, the curve lines behave as expected. The color temperature is very high, in the range from 8,000 to 10,000 K with a median around 9,500 K - colors are much cooler than they should be. The color space has been expanded, but, of course, we cannot talk about approaching the DCI-P3 standard. The average DeltaE deviation on the Color Checker scale, which includes both a wide range of colors and shades of gray, was 6.45, with a standard of 3.00 - a mediocre level.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, gamma in “standard” mode. Yellow line – Redmi Note 7 indicators, dotted line – reference gamma

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, color temperature in “standard” mode. Blue line – Redmi Note 7 indicators, dotted line – reference temperature

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, color gamut in “standard” mode. Gray triangle – sRGB coverage, white triangle – Redmi Note 7 coverage

When “standard contrast” is activated, the gamma is already 2.20, the curves behave differently, but also not ideal. The colors become much warmer - the color temperature remains at 7,000 K, which is already very close to normal (6,500 K). The average deviation DeltaE on the Color Checker scale is within the normal range and approaches the standard, amounting to 2.81. The color space does not correspond to the sRGB standard, but only tends to it, representing a triangle of approximately the same perimeter, but with distortions. In general, the display of Redmi Note 7 is set up well - the level may not be flagship, but unexpectedly high for a smartphone in this price category.

The sound quality of Redmi Note 7 is ordinary. There is a mini-jack, there is also Bluetooth 5.0 with support for the aptX profile, which allows you to transfer high-resolution data. The sound - both when using the wired method and without wires - is of stable quality, but in both cases there is a serious lack of power. Even the maximum volume in public transport (especially the metro) is not enough; I really want to take headphones with active noise reduction. The external speaker is monophonic, located on the bottom edge and is not blocked by your finger if you hold the gadget in a horizontal position. Here it is just loud enough, even if it does not demonstrate an interesting sound. The earpiece and microphone are normal - you can communicate using Redmi Note 7 calmly.

Redmi Note 7: Camera app

We should talk about the camera app because there are a lot of options and different shooting modes available. At the bottom of the screen, the modes available are Short Video, Video, Photo, Portrait, Night, Square, Panorama and Pro.

By the way, the smartphone takes photos in 12-megapixel resolution by default. If you want to take a 48MP photo, you'll need to go to Pro mode and tap the 48MP button at the top.

Additionally, you can see flash, HDR, AI and filters features at the top of the screen.

The selfie camera has a beauty mode. You can apply various effects such as skin tone correction, bigger eyes, etc.

Redmi Note 7 has slow motion modes. If you want to use this mode, you need to select the Video mode and then click on the settings button in the top right corner.

Speaking of the settings menu, in the photo settings the options available are as in the screenshot above. You can choose the image quality and additional parameters such as contrast, saturation, sharpness, etc.

The video settings menu allows you to select the video quality, video encoder, and even enable image stabilization.

Juicy screen

The display is edged with a fairly thin frame. Let me remind you that we are talking about an inexpensive phone, and there is no point in comparing it with the same top-end “thin-frame” Xiaomi Mi 8.

There are no special complaints about image quality. The display is bright, the picture is colorful, but now it’s basically difficult to find a phone with a bad display among Chinese smartphones of the same class.

Redmi Note 7: Sample photos

I took photos in 12MP, 48MP, AI, portrait and selfie modes. You can also see images both during the day and at night.

If you want my opinion, I really like the quality of photos taken on the Redmi Note 7. I especially like the night mode, perhaps even more than the 48MP mode. I recommend always using Night mode all the time when you are taking photos indoors or at night.

Software

A phone with Chinese firmware arrived to us. This means that the smartphone does not have Google services, and there is no Russian language in the menu. But Google services appear after installing the Google Installer, and the lack of Russian is a common problem for all phones from China with local firmware. Therefore, I don’t advise you to rush into a purchase: it’s better to wait for phones with global firmware to appear. At the same time, you will receive support for LTE Band 20, which is so necessary in Russian latitudes.

Redmi Note 7: Battery

The Redmi Note 7 smartphone has a very good battery. Firstly, the battery has a capacity of 4000 mAh, and secondly, there is a USB Type-C port. As I already said, this is the first Redmi smartphone with a USB Type-C port.

The included power adapter has a power of only 10 W, but you can purchase an 18 W charger and use fast charging.

Battery

The RN7 battery with a capacity of 4000 mAh provides 32 hours of talk time. This autonomy is not only due to the battery: there are components installed here that can save charge. Even the Bluetooth transmitter has a special power saving mode.

The smartphone supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 4 fast charging technology at a power of 18 Watts. Thanks to this, it is able to fully charge in 110 minutes. However, a power supply with the appropriate power will have to be purchased separately.

If you use the phone in standard mode, it can work on a single charge for a couple of days.

Redmi Note 7: Price

Redmi Note 7 is already on sale on Aliexpress, GearBest, Banggood and other popular online stores. It is most likely available at the nearest electronics store in your city. Redmi Note 7 is a very popular smartphone, so you can find it anywhere.

Conclusion

Redmi Note 7 is the best smartphone of 2022 in terms of price/quality ratio. It has a very attractive price, nice design and amazing features and functions.

The smartphone offers everything you need for comfortable use, from high performance for games to a 48-megapixel camera for professional photography.