Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro design
In terms of size and design, the Note 6 Pro is almost similar to its predecessor when kept side by side face down. On a closer observation, you will find a few minute changes in details – the Note 6 Pro in spite of a bigger display is slightly shorter by a fraction. The metal backplate merges with the plastic frame around the phone slightly differently in both the phones. While the back plate has straight cut on top and bottom in the Note 5 Pro, it has curved smooth edges on the Note 6 Pro. Otherwise, the camera module, fingerprint sensor all find similar positioning. The camera module slightly protrudes out in both the phones.
The front has some refreshing update to the Note 6 Pro – it has a bigger display with a notch at the top. The notch is prominent and wider. This is the first Xiaomi phone with a notch in India. The bezels are thinner too compared to its predecessor which helps in larger display real estate.
The power and volume buttons are on the right. Both are easy to reach even for small palms I have. The top has 3.5mm headphone jack, a secondary mic and IR blaster to act as a remote to control other compatible devices.
The bottom has micro-USB port flanked by grilles, though only the right houses a loudspeaker.
The left side has the hybrid dual-SIM which means there is no dedicated microSD card slot.
Weighing 182 grams, the phone offers good ergonomics and the metal back gives a solid build quality feel when holding the phone.
Redmi Note 6 Pro Display
Like it or not, 2018 has accepted notched display and Redmi Note 6 Pro embraces it with wider arms literally. The notch is wider and it also houses the dual front camera. It also has notification light which some of the notched displays skips. The full-screen display settings offer an option to hide the notch. The Note 6 Pro has a 6.26″ IPS LCD FHD+ display of 1,080 x 2,280 pixels. While the display is backed by Corning Gorilla Glass, the company was shy of mentioning the version and I suspect it to be Gorilla 3. The display packs 403ppi which is good.
The display is a strong point of the Redmi note 6 pro and can be safely put as the best in the segment. It pans out 480 nits of brightness. The blacks are deep thanks to 1500:1 contrast ratio. It has a maximum brightness level of 1.3nits. The sunlight legibility was decent.
Colours are punch, the images are vivid. The display setting has an adaptive brightness (which I disabled since it tends to mess with while playing PUBG when there are darker areas), contrasts and colours setting let you choose between default, warm and cool colours. There is also automatic contrast, increased contrast and standard contrast setting to choose from. The display setting also has a reading mode which is Xiaomi’s take on eye comfort mode. Double tap to wake option is also there.
Redmi Note 6 Pro Software Features
The MIUI of Mi phones has many backers since it offers a lot of features. The Redmi Note 6 Pro runs on MIUI 10 based on Android 8.1 Oreo. There are pre-installed apps like Mi Drop, Mi Store, Mi Remote, Amazon app, Facebook, NewsPoint, Dailyhunt and UC browser and few others along with Google’s suite of apps. I quickly uninstalled Dailyhunt which was spamming with notifications, any case I don’t use that app either. A swipe to the right from the main home screen gives you a page a search bar, app shortcuts section which can be edited to include your favourite apps, you can also quickly check train PNR status from a bar there and the page also has app recommendations, stock ticker and a notes tab. The MIUI offers full-screen gesture navigation. It can be enabled in the full-screen display settings. There is a new Enterprise mode which I assume would allow creating a separate enterprise profile as of now it is not activated. The usual MIUI features that include button and gesture shortcuts, one-handed mode, quick ball, dual apps, second space are all included. These are some of the features many of the end consumers like about MIUI.Performance of Redmi Note 6 Pro
The internals of the Redmi note 6 pro shares the same Snapdragon 636 processor from its predecessor. The phone comes with 4GB/6GB RAM options. While the processor is a workhorse for daily tasks and also offers good battery optimizations, it shows signs of age in terms of gaming. It is still capable of running most apps and games. PUBG is played on low graphics settings by default, while the game is extremely well playable, the graphics show weakness especially when you compare it with Smartphones like Mi A2 that runs on Snapdragon 660. I didn’t have any issue with multitasking. Call quality is good.Battery life of Redmi Note 6 Pro
The strong forte of the Redmi Note series has always been the battery life. Like the earlier generations, the Note 6 Pro also packs in a 4000mAh battery. It has QuickCharge 3.0 support but the box comes with only 10 watts charger. You could buy a QC 3.0 charger if you want to speed up the charging time which is around 2 hours 15 minutes now with the box charger. Even for a heavy user, the phone should last a day and last longer to the next day on normal use.Camera Performance of Redmi Note 6 Pro
Xiaomi has stuck to the same dual-camera setup of the Redmi Note 5 Pro, so you have the 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel at the rear. The later for depth sensing when taking portrait shots. The sensor though has been updated to 1.4-micron pixel size and dual autofocus. It has a f/1.9 aperture which theoretically translates to better low light compared to the f/2.2 on the Redmi Note 5 Pro. The selfie camera sees a dual camera this time with a 20-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel for depth sensing. AI has been the key talking point of the camera in 2018 and Xiaomi has covered it on Note 6 Pro as well. There is AI scene recognition that Xiaomi claims is adept at recognizing 32 scenes. The selfie camera too can see through 12 scenes using AI. Both the front and back have an AI toggle. The Redmi Note 6 Pro improves upon its predecessor which already had an impressive camera. Day light pictures offer decent details and the right amount of exposure levels. There is an auto HDR mode to balances out for evenly good-looking pictures. AI also was capable of screen recognition to get the right levels for what the camera sees. Edge detection was good in portraits. There is an option to adjust the level of blur, add light trails, and adjust studio lighting. [gallery link="file" columns="5" ids="14388,14389,14390,14391,14392"] Selfies come out good, the portrait mode also works well for the front camera. There is also auto HDR here. Redmi Note 6 Pro can take videos up to 1080p. EIS option is available.
Here is a sample with and without portrait mode on the selfie camera.
