Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro are once again the best mid-range phones

Nothing beats Xiaomi’s Redmi devices when it comes to affordability and specs, and the company is doing it again by introducing two new Redmi devices in its India launch even today, the Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro introduced as India’s all-rounder and India’s camera beast respectively, while the Redmi Note 5 is technically a rebranded Redmi 5 Plus for India, the Redmi Note 5 Pro is an entirely new device that is exclusively launched in the event today with a resemblance of Cupertino’s smartphone at the back.

Both devices sport 5.99-inch 18:9 displays with a 2160×1080 resolution, they also come with huge 4000mAh batteries with no fast charging and USB-C support. For starters, the Redmi Note 5 is powered by a Snapdragon 625 SOC and comes with storage options of 3GB RAM/32GB Storage or 4GB RAM/64GB Storage, the main camera takes 12-megapixel stills at f/2.2 and the front camera takes 5-megapixel selfies with an LED flash.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro, as the name suggests, has better hardware than the former and it is the first smartphone in the world to utilize the Snapdragon 636 processor, it also comes with up to 6GB RAM/64GB storage, while sporting a dual camera system with a 12-megapixel f/2.2 lens and 5-megapixel f/2.0 depth sensing lens, the front camera gets a significant resolution bump up to 20-megapixel and comes with an LED flash. On top of that, the Redmi Note 5 Pro will also feature Face Unlock, which further explains the use of a high resolution lens on the front.

Both phones will still ship with MIUI 9 based on Android Nougat, but it shouldn’t be long for Xiaomi to rollout an Android Oreo update in the near future given its good track record in software udpates. The Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro will be available in colors of Black, Gold, Rose Gold and Blue. As for pricing and availability, the Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro will have the following converted retail prices with no mention of availability yet:

• Redmi Note 5 – RM611 (3GB/32GB) / RM733 (4GB/64GB)
• Redmi Note 5 Pro – RM855 (4GB/64GB) / RM1038 (6GB/64GB)