Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro vs. Redmi Note 5 Pro: Should You Upgrade?

Xiaomi’s Redmi Note is one of the popular smartphone series in India and the company’s Redmi Note 5 Pro has become a runaway hit in 2018 for the brand in India. Now the Xiaomi is betting on the Redmi Note 5 Pro to drive sales in the budget segment. This successor of Redmi Note 5 offers similar specs but comes with a notch and there will be a dual camera setup on the front, instead of single. Xiaomi is going compete against other smartphones in this segment including RealMe 2 Pro, Honor 8X and upcoming Asus Max Pro M2. The Redmi Note 5 Pro offered unmatched value for money, and now Xiaomi was always going to have a difficult time coming up with a successor that outdid its best-selling phone of 2018. To that effect, Xiaomi didn’t change a lot with the Redmi Note 6 Pro in terms of the specs, instead making improvements in other areas. As such, the notable changes on the Redmi Note 5 Pro include a better camera and notched display.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro vs. Redmi Note 5 Pro: Should You Upgrade?

Display

The new Redmi Note 6 Pro features a 6.26-inch Full HD+ IPS display making it slightly bigger than the Redmi Note 5 Pro. The 2.5D curved glass offers a QHD+ resolution and has a 19:9 aspect ratio. The increase in screen size has further enhanced the importance of displays and it ensures ease of operability. Whereas the predecessor Redmi Note 5 Pro comes with a layer of 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass on the top with rounded display corners. The device sports a 5.99-inch screen with an FHD+ resolution of 2160×1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18:9.

Processor

Even though the Redmi Note 6 Pro comes with same Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor like its predecessor, it gives higher performance. Moreover, the SD 636 is considered one of the most powerful chipsets in Qualcomm’s 600-series. That makes Redmi Note 6 Pro a powerful beast. While the Redmi Note 5 Pro is powered by the 1.8GHz octa-core Snapdragon 635 processor.

Camera

In terms of optics, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 holds a dual camera setup on the rear, includes a 12-megapixel primary camera with f/1.9 aperture, 1.4μm pixel size, dual pixel technology, EIS and a secondary 5-megapixel camera. Up front, there will be a 20-megapixel primary camera with Sony IMX376 sensor, f/2.0 aperture, and a secondary 2-megapixel camera. So, this will the Xiaomi’s first Redmi series smartphone to feature quad cameras. Even the Redmi Note 5 Pro features a combination of 16-megapixel and 5-megapixel cameras at the back. The primary 12MP camera has a 1.25µm sensor and a f/2.2, while the secondary camera has 1.12µm sensor and f/2.0. Up front, there is a 20-megapixel selfie camera, which is equipped with Beautify 4.0 AI algorithm and a dedicated selfie-light to take beautiful selfies in any condition.

Battery

Under the hood, the device is backed up by a massive 4000mAh battery. The predecessor Redmi Note 5 Pro also backed by 4,000mAh battery. The 4000mAh battery capacity is still enough for heavy usage and it will easily last for a day.

AI-powered features

The Redmi Note 6 Pro comes with an AI-powered Smart Beauty editing tools, which enables users to adjust facial tones or erase scars and also add filters like funny masks. The AI-powered features include AI face unlock, AI dynamic bokeh mode, AI portrait selfie mode, and lot more.