Xiaomi has unveiled its Redmi Note 9 series in India, where surprisingly, the Redmi Note 9 Pro variant debuted as an entry-level device. And, while we may see a vanilla Redmi Note 9 sometime in the future, for now, the Redmi Note 9 Pro is the lower-end variant.
The 9 Pro is one of the best smartphones under Rs 15,000, but not a value buy. Xiaomi's biggest competitors have launched a smartphone in this price segment only a week back. So, how does the Realme 6, which arrived as a successor to the Realme 5 Pro holds up against the Redmi Note 9 Pro?
Realme 6 vs Redmi Note 9 Pro
| Specs | Realme 6 | Redmi Note 9 Pro |
| Chipset | MediaTek G90T | Snapdragon 720G |
| Display | 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED (1080*2400 pixels), 90Hz | 6.67-inch FHD+ IPS LCD (1080*2400 pixels), HDR, 60Hz |
| RAM | 4GB/6GB/8GB | 4GB/6GB |
| Storage | 64GB/128GB | 64GB/128GB |
| Rear Camera | 64 MP, f/1.8 + 8MP, f/2.3 (Ultrawide) + 2MP (Macro) + 2MP (Depth) | 48 MP, f/1.79 + 8MP, f/2.2 (Ultrawide) + 5MP (Macro) + 2MP (Depth) |
| Front Camera | 16-megapixel | 16-megapixel |
| Software | Android 10; Realme UI | Android 10; MIUI 11 |
| Battery & Charging | 4,300 mAh battery, 30W Flash Charging | 5020 mAh, 18W Fast Charging |
| Price (Rs) | 12,999 / 14,999 / 15,999 | 12,999 / 15,999 |
The Redmi Note 9 Pro and Realme 6 both sport an FHD+ LCD panel. Both displays are pretty similar with Xiaomi favouring the hole punch notch in the middle and Realme opting for side punch hole notch. However, the big advantage in Realme’s favour is its 90Hz refresh rate.
In terms of performance, Realme's MediaTek G90T certainly has the upper hand. However, the Snapdragon 720G offers better artificial intelligence (AI) performance and has an enhanced image signal processor (ISP).
Both the Realme 6 and Redmi Note 9 Pro feature a quad-camera setup, but the former has a 64MP primary sensor, whereas the latter packs a 48MP primary sensor. We will have to give this one to Realme, considering Xiaomi has opted for a 64MP primary sensor on the Note 9 Pro Max.
While the Redmi Note 9 Pro has the greater battery capacity, it will take a significantly longer time to charge than the Realme 6. But Redmi Note 9 Pro wins this round as size is not the only thing it has going its way. The 8nm Snapdragon 720G is also more power-efficient than the 12nm MediaTek G90T.
When it comes to software, this round will have to go to the smartphone with the cleaner OS, and that honour belongs to Realme UI, which comes closer to stock than the MIUI 11.
While both smartphones are similarly priced, we believe Realme is the better option in this case. The entry-level Realme 6 and Redmi Note 9 Pro only offer 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which in our view is not enough in 2020. This makes the 6GB+128GB configuration the best choice and in that aspect, the Realme 6 costs about Rs 1,000 less than its competitor.
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