Redmi Note 7S sports the same hardware like the Redmi Note 7 but gets an upgraded camera module. But is it the one to buy? We review to find out.
Redmi has been Xiaomi’s budget series for a long time now. It is also one of the most popular smartphone series in the country. In order to stay ahead of the competition, Xiaomi has consistently been launching new smartphones in the Redmi series.
The Redmi Note 7 (Review) and the Redmi Note 7 Pro (Review) which were launched a couple of months ago managed to shake up the sub-Rs.10,000 and sub-Rs. 15,000 markets respectively. Both these smartphones offer very good value for money and have pretty much cemented their spots in the market.
Now, the Chinese smartphone maker has introduced yet another smartphone in this series, dubbed the Redmi Note 7S. Looking at the specifications, this model is a bridge between the Redmi Note 7 and the Redmi Note 7 Pro. The new Redmi Note 7S has the same processor and RAM options as the Redmi Note 7, but has a 48-megapixel camera like the Redmi Note 7 Pro. Does it offer the best of both worlds, or should you consider some other smartphone? We review it to find out.
The Redmi Note 7S looks exactly the same as the Redmi Note 7 as well as the Redmi Note 7 Pro. Like its siblings, the Redmi Note 7S has a glass sandwich design with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 at the front and the back. This helps give the phone a premium look and feel which isn’t very common at this price point. While the glossy back looks premium, it is a fingerprint magnet and picks up grease very easily. Xiaomi provides a case in the box that fits well and should help keep fingerprints off the device.
From the front, the Redmi Note 7, Redmi Note 7S, and Redmi Note 7 Pro look identical making it hard to distinguish between the three phones. All three models sport big displays with tiny notches, and Xiaomi’s name for this is “Dot Notch”. The frame is still made out of plastic and the button placement is identical. We found the power button easy to reach, while the volume buttons were a bit too high in comparison. All buttons have good tactile feedback.
The Redmi Note 7S is comfortable to hold in the hand thanks to its rounded frame. It has a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top along with an IR emitter and secondary microphone. The IR emitter is a nifty feature and lets you control appliances using the Mi Remote app that comes preinstalled. At the bottom, this phone has a USB Type-C port along with two grilles on either side, of which only the right one houses a loudspeaker.
On the left, the Redmi Note 7S has a hybrid dual-SIM tray, so you’ll either be able to use two Nano-SIMs or one SIM along with a microSD card. A hybrid dual-SIM slot is a little disappointing, considering that a dedicated microSD card slot is standard in some competing devices.
Redmi Note 7S has a hybrid dual-SIM slot instead of a dedicated microSD card slot
At the back, the Redmi Note 7S has a dual camera setup similar to that of the Redmi Note 7 Pro. The camera module protrudes quite a bit causing the device to rock when placed on a flat surface. The dual-LED flash is positioned below the camera module. We found the fingerprint scanner to be well positioned and we could reach it easily. The fingerprint scanner has a matte finish compared to the glossy rear panel.
Xiaomi ships the Redmi Note 7S in three colours, Onyx Black, Sapphire Blue, and Ruby Red. We had the Onyx Black variant in for review, and we found it to be is understated compared to the other flashy options. Xiaomi bundles a 10W charger in the box with the Redmi Note 7S.
The borders around the 6.3-inch display are noticeable, especially at the bottom and around the camera notch. The display itself sports a full-HD+ (1080×2340 pixels) resolution and has a maximum brightness of 450nits which is good enough when using this phone outdoors.
