Alongside the Redmi Note 10 and Redmi Note 10 Pro, Xiaomi has also launched the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max which is the top-of-the-line smartphone in its current Redmi Note Series. The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max highlights its amazing 120 Hz Super AMOLED display and 108 MP camera in the mid-tier segment and is currently priced at Rs 18,999. Other features include a Snapdragon 732G, a 33W fast charging tech, and dual stereo speakers. Here’s our Redmi Note 10 Pro Max review.
Redmi Note 10 Pro Max Specifications
- Display: 6.67-inch Super AMOLED display, 120 Hz refresh rate, 1,200 brightness (peak), 4,500,000:1 Contrast Ratio, HDR10, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Software: MIUI 12, Android 11
- CPU: 8 nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G octa-core SoC
- GPU: Adreno 618 Graphics
- Memory: 4 GB OR 6 GB RAM, LPDDR4X
- Storage: 64 GB OR 128 GB storage on-board, UFS 2.2 type, external microSD card support (dedicated)
- Main Camera: Quad Cameras (108 MP f/1.9 0.7μm Samsung HM2 primary + 8 MP ultra-wide-angle 118 degrees + 5 MP tele/macro + 2 MP depth), LED flash
- Selfie Camera: 16 MP f/2.45
- Connectivity: USB Type-C, 3.5 mm port, IR Blaster, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS
- Security: Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- Cellular: Dual 4G network, nano SIMs, microSD card slot (dedicated)
- Battery: 5,020 mAh
- Charging: 33W Fast Charging, 100% in 75 minutes, 59% in 30 minutes
- Colors: Vintage Bronze, Glacial Blue, Dark Night
- Price: ₹18,999 (6 GB RAM + 64 GB Storage), ₹19,999 (6 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage), ₹21,999 (8 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage)
Design, Display, & Build
What’s could be better than getting a flagship-grade display under the mid-range segment? We know high-end Android smartphones, as well as, top-of-the-line iPhones feature a 120 Hz+ OLED screen. Entry-level iPhones till now don’t offer OLEDs with a fast refresh rate, in this case, it’s 120 Hz, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is able to crush them with its stunning 120 Hz Super AMOLED display.
Thankfully, Xiaomi has added a great display on the Redmi Note 10 Pro, with a 6.67-inch Super AMOLED display, a resolution of Full HD+, and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits and 4,500,000:1 contrast ratio, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max surfaces with one of the best quality displays in its class.
Not only that, Xiaomi has slightly upgraded the Redmi Note 10 Pro’s design, the backside has a frosted glass (for Vintage Bronze and Glacial Blue variants), or the glossy finish glass material on the back on the Dark Night variant. The side frames are still plastic and to be honest, Xiaomi should upgrade them to metallic ones since it provides a far better feeling in the hands and gives an overall premium quality.
You get the IP53 certification (just like the Redmi Note 10) which indicates that the phone is resistant to dust and water, it can survive water splashes and light rains, don’t submerge it underwater, it’s not recommended though. The back has a massive 108 MP quad-camera setup and Redmi logo, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is the first smartphone to bring the 108 MP camera in this segment. The rest design is reflective as you can see in the photos we have shared.
The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and uses a punch-hole camera design on the top center equipping a 13 MP selfie camera. The fingerprint scanner is side-mounted on the power button back despite having a Super AMOLED display, the best thing here would be to use an in-display fingerprint scanner instead.
As for the box contents, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max comes with a 33W fast charger, a USB Type-C cable, and a TPU case of good quality. The bottom side has a USB Type-C port, loudspeakers, and a microphone whereas the top side has one more speaker making it dual stereo loudspeakers, a 3.5 mm jack, an IR blaster for controlling infrared devices, and another noise-canceling microphone.
The right side has a power button with a fingerprint scanner embedded on top and volume keys just above it whereas the left side has a triple-slot SIM tray with a dedicated microSD card slot and supports two 4G SIM cards dual standby. The phone uses a Z-axis vibration motor for more intuitive haptic feedback.
Software & User Interface
Moving to the software side, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max offers MIUI 12 based on Android 11, the Note 10 Pro Max comes with Android 11 out-of-the-box with a security patch level dated 2021/02/01. As you can see, the user interface is clean and neat, less likely to have bloatware.
About the MIUI 12, it’s loaded with features, new icons, new wallpapers, and the new Settings page. There are several additions in the UI, the interface feels buttery smooth, a big thanks to the 120 Hz screen, the performance here for the UI is amazing and works flawlessly in our usage.
You do get a few pre-installed apps on the phone and if you don’t like them to be on the phone, simply uninstall them. The apps on the phone are Netflix, Prime Video, Facebook, LinkedIn, Mi Credit, Zili, Mi Pay, and Mi Store, all can be uninstalled.
The interface is optimized for performance and battery, as well as bug fixes, the new MIUI is now smoother as compared to older MIUIs. There are new themes that you can make use of, new wallpapers as well. Other features like Game Turbo and Ultra Battery Saver in addition to the regular features you find on the MIUI software.
Hardware, Performance, & Gaming
On the performance side, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max packs the new 8nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G octa-core CPU clocked at 2.3 GHz. The CPU is further laced with either 6 GB RAM or 8 GB RAM, LPDDR4X type, and comes in two different UFS 2.2 storage variants, 64 GB or 128 GB. There’s Adreno 618 GPU for gaming and graphics applications.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max arrives in three different RAM and Storage variants – 6 GB RAM and 64 GB storage priced at Rs 15,999 and it’s the entry-level variant, the 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage is priced at Rs 16,999, and 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage priced at Rs 18,999.
About the Snapdragon 732 SoC, it consists of two high-performance Kryo 470 Gold cores clocked at 2.2 GHz and six power-saving Kryo 470 Silver cores clocked at 1.7 GHz. The Kryo 470 Gold cores are equivalent to the ARM Cortex-A76 and the Kryo 470 Silver cores are equivalent to the ARM Cortex-A55.
The app performance might be similar to the Snapdragon 730G, however, the increase in the GPU clock may give you better performance in gaming. The performance is a marginally upgrade when compared to the Snapdragon 730G, the GPU is now more powerful in speed, the rest seem to the very identical. The benchmarks indicate that the performance of the phone could be among the best in its class.
In our CPU & GPU benchmark tests, the Geekbench 5 benchmark scored at 555 points in a single CPU and 1,773 points in multiple CPUs. The GPU benchmark on the other hand scored 1,284 points in the Geekbench 5 Compute, pretty decent for a midrange gamer.
Cameras
With a massive 108 MP sensor, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max brings the highest camera megapixels in the midrange segment in under the ₹20,000 budget followed by the realme 8 Pro. The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max and realme 8 Pro shares the same Samsung HM2 sensor in their cameras and are the primary competitors when it comes to the cameras.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max has a quad-camera setup on the back with the primary sensor of 108 MP f/1.9 Samsung HM2. The camera has been heavily upgraded compared to its predecessor, the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. The other three cameras include an 8 MP wide-angle camera, 5 MP telephoto/macro combo camera, and 2 MP depth camera. The front has a 16 MP f/2.45 selfie camera for video calling and selfies.
The new MIUI 12 has the updated camera interface and it looks tempting, it’s similar to the MIUI 11, however, far better than the ones we used to see in the older MIUIs (10 or below). The camera interface is heavily loaded with features, this is for those who want to tweak the cameras.
Aside from the main 108 MP camera mode, you get Super Macro, Night 2.0, Dual Video, Long Exposure, Clone, and VLOG mode while all the usual perks in the cameras that you get by default. It supports 4K videos in 30 fps and slow-motion videos in 960 fps.
The photo quality is impressive, the daylight photos are surprising, the 108 MP camera does its job well, the camera is highly good for this price, the Macro shots are also good, uses the autofocus well. It also doubles as a telephoto lens that offers optical zoom capabilities. The wide-angle camera and the depth cameras are just fair, nothing great about it.
Take a look at the images we took from the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max cameras.
Redmi Note 10 Pro Max Camera Samples
Battery Life & Charging
The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max packs a 5,020 mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging. The 5,000 mAh battery does offer a decent battery life, the MIUI 12 is optimized to offer power-saving traits giving up to 2 days of battery life on a single charge. And as per the usage, you can get anywhere between 1.5 to 2 days or even more, the overall battery performance is reliable here.
You get a 33W fast charger that charges the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max from 0% to 59% in just 30 minutes and from 0% to 100% in 75 minutes. It’s good to hear that the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is fast at charging, however, it’s still behind in terms of charging competition from the realme’s, the realme 8 Pro charges in 34 minutes fully with its 65W SuperDart fast charging.
Verdict
For a midrange user, there’s nothing better than having a smartphone with a 120 Hz Super AMOLED display, 108 MP camera, dual stereo speakers, and Android 11 out-of-the-box, the Redmi Note 10 is a real stunner in its segment. Turns out, if you aren’t looking for a 5G phone, this is one of the best recommendations under the ₹20K budget.
In the rivalry, when it comes to the display’s refresh rate, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is indeed better than its primary competitor, realme 8 Pro carrying the same huge 108 MP sensor. On the other hand, fast charging is where the realme 8 Pro shines out and competes with the Redmi Note 10 Pro while you have the stereo speakers, IP53 rating, a slightly better Snapdragon 732G in contrast to the SuperDart fast charging, the choice is yours.
Strength
- Super AMOLED Display, 120 Hz Refresh Rate
- 108 MP Camera | Amazing Daylight Photography
- 33W Fast Charging Support
- Glass Design | Frosted Glass Back (For Vintage Bronze, Glacial Blue)
- IP53 Dust & Water Resistant
- Android 11 Out-Of-The-Box
- Dual Stereo Speakers
- Dependable Performance
- Reliable Battery Life
- Dedicated microSD Card Slot
- 3.5mm Jack
- IR Blaster
Weakness
- No 5G Support
