Xiaomi unveils the first 5G smartphone...

[sanjay kumar]

Available from January 15, the Redmi Note 9T 5G is the first entry-level smartphone compatible with 5G. French operators are betting a lot on this device, well on its way to making a splash.

To start 2021 in style, Xiaomi is renewing its flagship Redmi Note range. After having already lowered the price of 5G with its Mi 10 Lite and Mi 10T Litemid-range last year (299 and 379 euros), the Chinese manufacturer today announced the Redmi Note 9T 5G 5G, its first entry-level smartphone compatible with new generation networks.

This device will be marketed at prices of 249 euros (64 GB of storage) and 269 euros (128 GB) from January 15. The first two days, it will even be possible to get it for 229 euros.

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5G at a knockdown price

Under the bowels of the Redmi Note 9T 5G, there is no Qualcomm processor. Hard to be surprised, the new Snapdragon 480entry-level was not ready when Xiaomi presented this product in China, which forced the manufacturer to switch suppliers. Instead, it's MediaTek's Dimensity 800U chip that powers the Redmi Note 9T 5G.

Engraved in 7 nanometers and equipped with an integrated 5G modem, the latter should, we hope, deliver better performance than the previous MediaTek chips that we had often criticized.

We were able to try out the smartphone a few hours before writing this article and, at first glance, it seemed smooth to us despite some unusual slowness during the setup phase. We will come back to this question during our full test of the device.

With its Redmi Note 9T, Xiaomi admits to having mainly thought about 5G. The brand acknowledges having made some concessions to lower prices (plastic back, absence of ultra wide-angle) in order to offer the cheapest 5G smartphone on the market.

The Redmi Note 9T 5G is also “dual 5G”, a feature still rare on the market. This means that the two Nano SIM ports of this smartphone can connect to a 5G antenna. Most mobiles today are content with 5G + 4G or 4G + 4G connectivity when two SIMs are present.

The future entry-level benchmark

With its 6.53-inch LCD screen (Full HD +), the Redmi Note 9T 5G is a fairly large smartphone. In hand, it gives in any case this impression.

It must be said that its thickness of 9.1 mm and its mass of 199 grams contribute to this problem of bulk even if the plastic prevents it from exceeding 200 grams. Unfortunately, with a very high capacity 5000 mAh battery, it's

hard to keep it light. Hopefully now that its autonomy is there. A 22.5W charger comes in the box while the smartphone supports 18W fast charging.

Equipped with stereo speakers, a jack, an infrared port and NFC compatible, the Redmi Note 9T 5G is, on paper, a very complete smartphone. Too bad the photo part spoils the whole thing a bit, its triple camera module lacking a lot of versatility.

As said earlier, the Redmi Note 9T 5G is one of the few smartphones on the market without an ultra-wide-angle camera. The smartphone is satisfied with a main sensor of 48 Mpix (module opening at f / 1.79) and two extremely dispensable sensors (macro and depth). In short, remember from this device that it only has one real camera. Hopefully its quality is there.

According to Xiaomi, operators are very interested in the Redmi Note 9T. It's not much of a surprise, they have to go out of their way to sell you 5G packages. This device, which they will be able to subsidize at low cost in the event of a commitment, should help 5G sales take off. In France, there are already 3.7 million Xiaomi smartphones active today.

A Redmi 9T without 5G at less than 200 euros

Along with this new smartphone, Xiaomi has announced the Redmi 9T, an entry-level smartphone marketed for less than 200 euros (169 euros for 64 GB, 199 euros for 128 GB).

Available at the end of February, this device is content with 4G, embeds the Snapdragon 662 processor, has a large 6.53-inch Full HD + screen and, above all, offers an ultra high capacity 6000 mAh battery.

This smartphone sports a quadruple camera module with, this time, an ultra-wide angle in addition to sensors similar to those of the Redmi Note 9T.

With this smartphone, Xiaomi is clearly aiming for the best value for money for a 4G smartphone. It will be available at the end of February.

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