On multiple occasions, I’ve indicated just how buying a new smartphone is now more of a personal taste rather than the brand or what it says it does. The little-known Xiaomi Redmi 9 surprisingly has a better screen than much pricier alternatives – something I personally have become accustomed to than any other feature on a smartphone. I’d buy a phone with a decent number of pixels if given an option in a blink than any other feature on it. For a device that costs less than or around Ksh.15,000 depending on the amount of RAM you opt for, but packs a 6.53inch FHD+ (1080×2340 pixels) panel, its obviously one among few that offers a bang for buck if you ask me.
Now, I know most of you are probably still reeling from Xiaomi’s 10th anniversary unveiling that saw the company stretch limits way beyond with the Mi 10 ultra, it goes without saying, we might miss out if we focused more on what’s best the company has to offer than what we actually need, and in my case I really need this Xiaomi Redmi 9! My reasons are clear, although its not an AMOLED panel, I’ll still choose it over RAM, battery, Storage and processor for that matter.
Price in Kenya
Before we continue further, let’s first have a look at the current pricing of this device here in Kenya. For a combination of 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage, you’ll pay Ksh.14,500 while a 4GB RAM and 64GB internal model goes for Ksh.15,800 which in my opinion it’s a minor difference that makes less sense to go for the cheaper model – but you can if you want to.
Xiaomi Redmi 9 specifications
While we’re yet to physically test this model, I’ve got enough acquaintance with the Redmi series to personally recommend it. They’ve generally fared well and we’d be wrong to not seriously consider this model for those with a sub-15,000 budget.
Like I’ve indicated from the start, my main interest in this phone is based on a 6.53-inch screen with a 2340×1080 resolution that I honestly find to be quite a deal. Of course, there’s lots of affordable alternatives within the same price range but as I’ve said, none offers this kind of screen resolution.
When it comes to system RAM, our baseline usually staggers somewhere above 4GB for android devices. It’s good we have that option for just a few hundreds more which is not like a game changer to me.
Under the hood, we also get a competent Mediatek Helio G80 processor that’ll fare on just well on normal applications and even play some games without a stutter. There’s also a fairly impressive battery at 5,020mAh. You’ll get a quad-camera setup that consists of a 13MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, 5MP macro and 2MP depth-sensing camera while on the front panel you’ll have an 8MP selfie camera. And if it makes any difference, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack and USB-C port.