Redmi Note 6 Pro launched in India but look close to not confuse it with the last one

Xiaomi is now the number one smartphone brand in India, the company’s biggest market outside of China, and much of its success and positive mindshare has been because of its bestselling Note series.

Ten months ago, Xiaomi launched the upgraded Redmi Note 5 but also introduced Redmi Note 5 Pro with better internals and camera to appeal to the power users on a budget.

In a press conference in New Delhi today, the company launched the next generation of the same – Redmi Note 6 Pro – in India.

Successor to the Redmi Note 5 Pro

The Redmi Note 6 Pro looks very similar to the last one with a few subtle changes that improve the ergonomics of the device. The display gets an upgrade though from 18:9 aspect ratio to a 19:9 aspect ratio which makes for a larger 6.26-inch Full HD+ display in a similar form factor.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro was made for those who need a little extra on the spec sheet and marked the global debut of the Snapdragon 636 processor at the time — Qualcomm’s latest 600-series chipset. It also featured the newest Kryo technology, which is typically only seen in 800-series chips.

The Redmi Note 6 Pro packs in the same internals and comes in two memory variants – 4 GB + 64 GB and 6 GB + 64 GB. It also retains the 4000mAh battery that we saw on the last generation device but Xiaomi claims that due to the latest MIUI optimizations, the battery life has been further improved.

Specifications

Xiaomi’s first smartphone with four cameras

The Redmi Note 5 Pro was the first Redmi phone to pack in dual cameras earlier this year and now Redmi Note 6 Pro is the first Xiaomi smartphone to sport dual cameras both on the front and back.

The rear camera on Redmi Note 5 Pro was regarded as arguably one of the best shooters in budget and mid-range segment, and the Note 6 Pro aims to carry that legacy. It’s been further improved this time around with a combination of 12MP sensor with f/1.9 aperture and a large 1.4 μm pixel size and a 5MP sensor used for the depth-of-field effect while shooting portraits.

There are also AI smarts like scene detection and adjustable bokeh with interesting features like studio lighting et al. Most of these have been executed quite well.

On the front, there’s a 20MP primary sensor with a 2MP secondary depth sensor.

No Pie for you

The Redmi Note 6 Pro is the company’s first smartphone to ship with MIUI 10, the latest iteration of the company’s proprietary UI layer, out of the box.

But MIUI 10 is based on Android 8.1 Oreo, and it is disappointing for a smartphone launching in the last quarter of 2018 with neither Android Pie out of the box nor a definite timeline for the upgrade.

Pricing and Availability

The Redmi Note 6 Pro is available in four color variants – Black, Rose Gold, Blue, and Red – and two memory variants – 4GB + 64Gb and 6GB + 64GB. The 4GB variant is priced at ₹13,999 ($197) while the 6GB variant will set you back by ₹15,999 ($225).

The smartphone will go on sale on November 23 at 12 noon, exclusively on Flipkart, Mi.com, and Mi Home stores with a flat ₹1000 off on both variants on the day.

The Redmi Note 6 Pro is only a progressive update to the Redmi Note 5 Pro but if you’re looking for an affordable smartphone with a good set of cameras and powerful innards, the Redmi Note 6 Pro will be one of the top options on the table. Here’s my first impressions of the same.

What are your thoughts on the new Redmi Note 6 Pro, and its pricing? Would you be picking one up? Let us know in the comments!