[REVIEW] What is the cheapest smartphone from the Redmi brand? We tested the basic Redmi 10 model

The lowest model from Xiaomi’s sub-brand is the new Redmi 10. As tradition goes, it’s the cheapest smartphone in the Redmi series and is aimed at users who don’t demand too much. We tested it thoroughly in the editorial office and now we’re bringing you our review.

Where to buy Redmi 10?

The Redmi 10 smartphone is currently available from the official seller of the Xiaomi brand, Gaboo. You’ll appreciate its availability in the Spanish warehouse, which means express delivery will be fast and hassle-free. You’ll also avoid any unwanted extra fees.

A huge advantage is the official 2-year warranty on the smartphone and the option to return the goods within 14 days. There’s also a new discount coupon worth a solid €25.

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Redmi 10 Global Version

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Buying on Goboo for the first time? See the guide!

Updated 29. 9. 2021 at 07:05

TIPExpress delivery from a Spanish warehouse without customs duties or VAT.

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Buying on Goboo for the first time?

1. First, register or log in on the Goboo website.
2. In the product page, click the "Buy Now" button. You’ll be redirected to the shopping cart, where you first need to enter your address.
3. Next, you can apply a coupon in the right part of the cart, where the price summary is. Click the "Coupon or promo code" text and paste your coupon into the "Seller Promo Code" field. Then: Confirm the coupon by clicking "Apply".
4. You’ll confirm the order by clicking "Place Order", where you’ll be prompted to pay.

Basic parameters at a glance

Package contents and build quality

Redmi 10 comes in the traditional packaging that we all know well. The white box with the Xiaomi logo and a picture of the smartphone measures 17.6 x 9 x 6 cm. Inside you’ll find a flat paper box with a transparent, silicone case, the smartphone, and also a charger with a USB-C cable for charging.

At this price level, the smartphone is obviously made of plastic—something you can feel right away from its weight, which is just 181 g. Despite being the cheapest Redmi smartphone, the build quality is good and we have no complaints about it.

Design and arrangement of the elements

In terms of design, the Redmi 10 doesn’t really stray from the standard, so you won’t find anything unusual here. We had the smartphone available in Carbon Gray (gray, matte). Besides this color, you can also get Pebble White (white, matte) and Sea Blue (blue, glossy).

On the left side of the smartphone, there’s a slot for SIM cards. It can hold up to 2 SIM cards, and at the same time also a memory card with a maximum capacity of 512 GB. The right edge features the traditional dual-button setup for volume control, plus a power button with an integrated fingerprint reader.

The bottom side is home to the charging USB-C port, a microphone, and a speaker. On the opposite, top side, you’ll find a light sensor, a second microphone, and also a second speaker. There’s also a 3.5 mm headphone jack. On the back, you’ll find the camera module with an LED flash.

We appreciate that even the base model from the Redmi brand comes with stereo speakers and still includes a 3.5 mm jack. For today’s standards, the smartphone has fairly compact dimensions—an 8.92 mm thickness—so it feels very comfortable in your hand. The included silicone case is slightly thicker than we would like, but the smartphone is protected well.

Displej s vysokou obnovovacou frekvenciou

The Redmi 10 features a 6.5″ FHD+ display with a cutout for the front camera. It’s fairly large and sits in the center of the top part of the screen. The display resolution is 2400 x 1080 px with a density of 405 ppi. It’s protected with Gorilla Glass 3 and, of course, it’s an IPS display—not AMOLED.

However, it has a higher refresh rate than typical IPS displays. In this case, it’s 90 Hz, and it also includes the AdaptiveSync feature, which most often is found only in more expensive smartphones. It helps save power by switching between frequencies of 45, 60, and 90 Hz based on current needs.

Thanks to the higher refresh rate, the display feels smooth—but don’t expect miracles. Visually, it’s more of an average IPS panel. The colors lean colder, slightly bluish, and aren’t very saturated. Brightness is still good, and visibility in direct sunlight is adequate.

A MediaTek processor

This time, performance is handled by a MediaTek processor: Helio G88. It’s an octa-core chip with two Arm Cortex-A75 cores clocked at 2 GHz and six Arm Cortex-A55 cores at 1.8 GHz. It’s manufactured using a 12 nm process, and the Arm Mali-G52 GPU takes care of graphics.

Our tested unit came with 4 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128 GB of storage. There’s also a stronger version with 6 GB RAM, or a cheaper one with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage.

We installed the popular AnTuTu benchmark on the smartphone, where we achieved a score of just 217,873 points. For comparison, POCO X3—which is sold for a very similar price—scored 348,220 in AnTuTu.

Even so, the smartphone’s system is smooth for its price category, and we didn’t notice a single instance of stuttering or freezing. The truth is that apps open with a slight delay, but that’s normal for this class of smartphones.

Stereo speakers

We’re really happy with the current trend, because even budget smartphones already come with stereo speakers, just like the tested Redmi 10. The sound pleasantly surprises. The speakers are loud enough and deliver clean audio. The treble stands out the most, but stronger bass is missing.

So these speakers can easily hold their own even against significantly more expensive models.

Cameras

For its class, the Redmi 10 has truly a rich camera setup. The rear module includes four cameras:

• 50 MPx main camera with an f/1.8 aperture
• 8 MPx ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 120° field of view
• 2 MPx makro s clonou f/2.4
• 2 MPx depth-of-field sensor with an f/2.4 aperture

While we don’t have a very high megapixel count here, the overall package for the base model is pretty decent. Photos from the main camera are, however, only average—which you could expect given the price. The colors look cooler and muted, and the overall photo quality is best mainly in ideal lighting conditions.

It’s worse in low light, especially indoors. You’ll notice a lot of underexposed areas, and in darker spots there’s visible noise. The ultra-wide camera is weaker compared to the main one. It has a limited dynamic range, and you often see overexposed or underexposed areas—but on the bright side, it renders colors more naturally.

There’s also a 2x optical zoom available. These photos have slightly warmer colors, and the quality is only very average.

Macro shots look pretty good at first glance on the smartphone’s display, but they lack higher resolution and higher contrast with more saturated colors. So overall, the impression from these photos isn’t the best—especially if you open them on a larger monitor.

There’s also a night mode. It does a very good job reducing strong glare from various banners and other light sources, but the photos aren’t very sharp. As an example, we’re showing a few shots with night mode, and also without it.

The front selfie camera offers 8 MPx with an f/2.0 aperture. The output is average as well, but it’s perfectly enough for everyday video calls. However, selfie photos aren’t very high quality.

Connectivity

When it comes to connectivity—whether we’re talking about wireless or wired—the setup is truly very comprehensive. You get the 3.5 mm headphone jack, which many manufacturers have been criticized for removing, plus support for two SIM cards, along with a dedicated slot for a MicroSD card. In many smartphones today, MicroSD card support is no longer available, and if it is, it often comes at the expense of one SIM card.

For wireless connectivity, you get Bluetooth 5.1, an IR Blaster, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), and also FM radio. There are also GPS positioning systems: L1, Galileo: E1 | GLONASS | Beidou.

The Redmi 10 also supports NFC, so you can pay in stores with your smartphone without any trouble.

Unlocking options

We have 4 ways to unlock the smartphone:

• with the standard screen lock (PIN, pattern, or password)
• with a fingerprint
• using face recognition
• via Bluetooth device

The fingerprint reader is located on the right edge of the smartphone and it’s fairly accurate. In 99% of cases, we managed to unlock the smartphone with a fingerprint on the first try. A slight delay between touching the sensor and unlocking is noticeable, but nothing unusual.

Face unlock works very well too, but with some delay. We also tested unlocking via a Bluetooth device—specifically an Amazfit GTR watch. To unlock with the watch, it just needs to be within Bluetooth range. Then the smartphone unlocks by simply turning on the display and swiping your finger on the locked screen, which will unlock when the watch is nearby.

Runtime and charging

Redmi 10 promises long battery life thanks to its 5000 mAh battery and an IPS display with adaptive refresh rate. The manufacturer claims up to 30 hours of calls, 14 hours of video playback, or 158 hours of music listening.

In reality, the battery life is indeed very good and the battery percentage drops slowly. So dual-day battery life on a single charge is totally realistic. You definitely won’t need to charge the smartphone every day.

As for charging, you get support for 18 W charging, which the manufacturer labels as fast, though by today’s standards it definitely isn’t. The interesting part is support for reverse 9 W wired charging, too. That way, you can use the smartphone as a power bank for another smartphone or any battery-powered device.

Charging from 19% to 100% works like this:

• 19 – 50% – 39 minutes
• 75% – 1 hour 6 minutes
• 90% – 1 hour 33 minutes
• 100% –  2 hours 19 minutes

MIUI a Android

Even the cheapest smartphone comes with Android 11 and the MIUI 12.5.1 interface. The system runs smoothly, with plenty of options for customization and animations. Since it’s a global version, all Google services are preinstalled and the Slovak language is included.

Besides Google services, we also had 5 simple games preinstalled on the smartphone, along with a link to download PUBG Mobile. There’s also the popular dark mode, reading mode, and dual apps.

Redmi 10: Final assessment

Redmi 10 is the cheapest model from Xiaomi’s sister brand. However, it offers rich connectivity and interesting specs for a low purchase price. It will please you with a 5000 mAh battery, good battery life, NFC support, or the presence of a 3.5 mm jack, plus a MicroSD card slot.

You get an IPS display with a high refresh rate of 90 Hz and AdaptiveSync, which can adjust the refresh rate to the current needs. You’ll also like the quad-camera setup with a main 50 MP sensor, although the output is rather average.

The only downside is occasional slower responses, but that’s natural for the basic model category. The smartphone is designed for a casual user who gets exactly what they’re looking for – a low price and a feature-rich package.