Quick Verdict
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G is an inexpensive smartphone with 5G connectivity and it fits well in the hand, is comfortable to hold and looks great. However, the sacrifices that have been made to create a smartphone with 5G for around/under £200 are just a few too many as there's only a 48MP main camera on the rear, no optical zoom and no 4K video (although, some other smartphones in this price range don't offer 4K video either). The display could be better, too, and some basic modes such as panorama mode are missing from the device. If a great price and 5G connectivity are important to you then the Redmi Note 10 5G could be of interest however, we'd recommend you look at the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro which doesn't have 5G but it does have quite a few more pros without breaking the bank.
+ Pros
- Price
- Size & Weight
- Good battery
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- 5G
- Cons
- Image quality is hit and miss (but good when it's good)
- No Panorama mode
- No Pro mode
- Portrait aperture mode sometimes had clipping issues
- Digital Zoom is poor
- The display has a blue tint to it
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G is one of three smartphones to be introduced by Xiaomi back in March and it's the only smartphone in the new Redmi Note 10 range that features 5G. It's also the least expensive handset with prices starting at around £200 which puts it comfortably in the mid-range as well as the 'cheap smartphone categories', of which, we have two: Under £200 and Under £300.
Xiaomi says the Redmi Note 10 series brings innovation at a reasonable price so we're interested to see just how well the Redmi Note 10 5G performs. We've already reviewed the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro should you be interested in seeing how the flagship of the series scores. The Redmi Note 10 Pro is available in the UK priced at £249 (6+64GB) and £269 (6+128GB).
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G Features
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G features a rear 48MP, f/1.8, 26mm with PDAF that's supported by a 2MP, f/2.4 depth sensor and a 2MP, f/2.4 macro lens while on the front is an 8MP f/2.0 selfie lens that's cut out of the 6.5 inches IPS LCD display. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 is found on the front of the smartphone but the rear and frame have a plastic construction.
Video is captured in 1080p at 30fps and features such as digital filters, portrait mode, tilt-shift and AI are built into the camera app. Other features include a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C, 5000mAh battery, 5G connectivity, microSDXC slot and various RAM/ROM options as well as colour variants.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G is available for around £200 and on test we have the 4GB/128GB option in Graphite Gray.
Key Features
- Rear Camera: 48MP, f/1.8, 26mm with PDAF, 2MP, f/2.4 depth sensor and 2MP, f/2.4 macro lens
- Front Camera: 8MP f/2.0
- Zoom: Up to 10x digital
- Video: 1080p @ 30fps
- Display: 6.5" IPS LCD
- Dimensions: 161.81 x 75.34 x 8.92mm
- Weight: 190g
- Battery: 5000mAH (supports wired fast charging)
- RAM/ROM: 4GB/64GB, 4GB/128GB. 6GB/128GB
- Connectivity: 5G
- Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack
- Colour options: silver, grey, blue or green
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G Handling
When you first pick up the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G you'll notice how well it fits in the hand and how comfortable it is to hold. Pop on the supplied clear plastic case and you get even more grip, too. Although, operating it with one hand will be tricky for some and we always recommend holding a smartphone with two hands when capturing photos. The smartphone is also lightweight, weighing 190g, and you can feel the lightness when you hold the smartphone in your hand but the plastic frame/back, which help keep the weight down, also make the Redmi Note 10 5G feel slightly cheaper than some of its competitors. The rounded edges are nice, though, making it comfortable to hold. Talking of edges, the right edge is where you find the power/volume rockers and to the bottom is the USB-C port and speaker. On top is a 3.5mm headphone jack and the left side is home to the MicroSD slot.
Press the power button and the 6.5" LCD DotDisplay pings to life quickly but it is a little on the dark side which makes is hard to view in bright light. It also has a slight blue cast and just doesn't look quite as good as the AMOLED display on the Note 10 Pro.
You can swipe to access the camera app from the bottom right of the screen and at first glance, it looks like any other smartphone camera app but when you start to look closer, you realise some bits are missing. This includes a Pro mode and a Panorama mode but you do get a night mode, 48MP shooting mode, slo-mo, time-lapse and an edit option from the 'More' menu. There are also Macro, Tilt-Shift and Timed-Burst options but these are accessed from the top of the camera app rather than in the 'More' menu so they were a bit of a surprise. Also up top is where you can toggle HDR and the AI function on/off and this is where the many digital filters, which can be applied in-camera, are housed.
As there's just a 48MP, f/1.8, 26mm with PDAF camera on the rear that's supported by a 2MP, f/2.4 depth sensor and 2MP, f/2.4 macro lens, there's no optical zoom but you do have access to digital zoom which reaches 10X. As there is no digital zoom, there are no options on the screen to switch the zoom so, instead, you have to pinch-zoom and the smartphone tells you on screen how far you have zoomed in. In portrait mode, you can adjust the aperture by using using the sliding scale which goes from f/1.0 to f/16. You can also apply filters when in portrait mode if you want to and make use of the smartphones AI which is designed to help improve your shots. When capturing landscapes, there's an option to switch on HDR, too, for improved dynamic range.
It's a shame that you're restricted to just one main camera on the rear of the Redmi Note 10 5G as optical zoom is really useful, more useful than a macro lens in our opinion and not having some camera modes that are staples on many others is a bit annoying but you can work around it.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G Cameras At A Glance:
- Rear Camera: 48MP, f/1.8, 26mm with PDAF, 2MP, f/2.4 depth sensor and 2MP, f/2.4 macro lens
- Front Camera: 8MP f/2.0
- Zoom: Up to 10x digital
Battery life - The battery is rated at 5000mAh which gives you plenty of power for a day of taking photos and capturing video. 18W fast charging is also supported.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G Performance
The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G Sample Photos
Sample Photos - When light levels are even, the Redmi Note 10 5G can produce good-looking images that are well exposed with accurate colours but through in a slightly tricky lighting situation and it struggles. When the sun came out, areas of images became overexposed while other areas were well underexposed and greens looked quite toxic then at the other end of the scale when the sun went in, detail became smudgy.
AI did a great job at recognising scenes but had a habit of over-cooking them and HDR made blues/greens unnatural. Although, more detail was captured when using HDR mode even if it was a little on the sharp side. Night Mode also oversharpens and introduces noise but images are brighter and have more detail. We did like the black and white filter, though.
Portrait mode adds bokeh to backgrounds and if you get the f-number just right, results are excellent but clipping was an issue on some images with the effect not appearing where it should. You can also opt to shoot 48MP images but we actually like the look and quality of the images shot in the standard photo mode.
Overall, when conditions are good, so are the images you can capture on the Redmi Note 10 5G but difficult lighting can produce less than pleasing results.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G Lens test images
Lens Performance - We've made it pretty clear previously on how we feel about digital zoom so we'll keep this section brief and just recommend that you stick with just using the wide-angle camera without zooming in as detail starts to drop off straight away.
ISO Noise & White Balance Performance - There are no manual options built in to change the ISO or WB but you can download apps that will allow you to do this if you so wish. However, AWB performed well but noise is introduced if light levels aren't quite right.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G Digital filters
Digital Filters - Plenty of digital filters are available which can be applied in-camera as well as during post-production. We particularly like the B&W filters but those who are a fan of Instagram filters will enjoy the fact that they have plenty of options to choose from.
Panorama mode - There is no panorama mode built-in.
Video - Video is captured in 1080p at 30fps and quality is excellent with no shake, smooth panning and good levels of detail throughout. 4K would have been nice to see but as the Redmi Note 10 5G is so inexpensive, it's no surprise it's not built in.
You can view more sample videos on our YouTube channel.
Value For Money
The Redmi Note 10 5G is priced at around £200 (4GB+128GB - £209 and 4GB+64GB - £199)which makes it a very inexpensive smartphone. Others in a similar price range you might want to consider are the Samsung Galaxy A21a, OPPO A72, Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 or the Huawei P smart 2021. There are also plenty of recommendations in our 'Best Smartphones Priced At Under £300' top list as well as in our 'Top 10 Best Mid-Range Smartphones For Photography 2020' round-up. Alternatively, we have more smartphone options in our 'Top 10 Best Premium Smartphones for Photography' list but they are priced a lot higher.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G Verdict
The Redmi Note 10 5G is an incredibly inexpensive smartphone and when you remember that it offers 5G, something which not many other smartphones currently do in this price range, it might grab your attention a little bit more. However, a less expensive smartphone comes with compromises and with the Redmi Note 10 5G that's the display, rear camera and camera modes. Instead of an AMOLED screen, you get an LCD display that isn't very bright so you struggle to view things outdoors and there's also a slight blue tint to it, too. There's only a 48MP main camera on the rear, no optical zoom and no 4K video (although, some other smartphones in this price range don't offer 4K video either). The reliability of good image quality could be better and it's a shame there's no panorama mode and that portrait mode struggles with clipping when introducing bokeh to the shot. There's no Pro mode either but again, not all smartphones £200 and under offer this.
It's not all negatives, however, as the Redmi Note 10 5G is lightweight and fits well in the hand (partly down to its plastic construction), the battery is decent, there's a headphone jack and the price can't be grumbled at. However, if you want to purchase an inexpensive smartphone that has a decent camera from Xiaomi, we'd recommend you look at the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro. It doesn't have 5G connectivity but it does perform better in all other areas and we can't see how sacrificing so many other positives is worth it just for 5G.