Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro review: Well-rounded budget smartphone

Xiaomi launched the new generation Redmi 6 series—a low-end Redmi 6A, generic Redmi 6 and the Redmi 6 Pro—in India earlier in the month. They come with huge upgrades both in terms of the design and internal hardware over the Redmi 5 series.

I have been using the Redmi 6 Pro for more than two weeks and have to say, I loved almost all aspects of the device-be its design, build quality, battery life and the camera is top-notch.

Here's what I feel about the new Xiaomi phone.

Build quality, design and display:

The Redmi 6 Pro comes with a pretty solid package. Don't be fooled by the price, the device's shell is made of high-grade metal. We can feel it when held in hand and pretty confident it can sustain accidental drops. It can be noted that the company also provides silicone back cover with the package, so there's double protection for the phone. You can flaunt the device in full glory without the cover, but please be advised, if you drop from small heights such as pant pocket height, it may suffer dents, but it will definitely protect the internal hardware. But, if you drop it with the display facing the ground, it might get cracked so be sure to have screen guard preferably the tempered glass.

The Redmi 6 Pro sports a very recognisable iPhone X-like design, it has the similar uni-brow notch on top of the display and also the vertically aligned dual-camera on the top left corner. I like the 2.5D glass cover on top of the screen, as it cascades to the edges forming unibody design.

I appreciate the paint job, as the polycarbonate-based caps on the top and bottom base of the rear-side blends well with the metal shell in the middle.

As far as the display is concerned, it's bright and vibrant. My eyes never felt stressed while viewing content in the direct sunlight. Thanks to 19:9 aspect ratio, you can enjoy cinematic viewing experience. If you don't like the notch, you can hide it by going to the Settings >> Full-screen display>>Hide screen notch.

Performance:

Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro comes with time-tested Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core. Yes, Xiaomi has used the same chipset in many Redmi series phones, but truth to be told, the processor is best in its class and also it's very powerful for the price the device commands. There are phones in the Indian market with Snapdragon 425 costing more than Rs 16,000.  For this reason, I rate the Redmi 6 Pro as the best in its class.

It comes in two configurations-- 3GB RAM + 32GB storage and 4GB RAM+64GB storage. Both the models come with the expandable option and what I like about this that, the company is offering a dedicated microSD card slot in addition to two SIMs slots, which other companies rarely offer.

During the testing period, Redmi 6 Pro showed no sign of lag-ness during the opening of apps, loading of the camera and while playing games. It worked perfectly well and also it never got overheated beyond my comfort level the entire time I used it.

As for as the user-interface interface is concerned, it's very subjective, as people have different tastes. Compared to other global regions, consumers in India don't mind customisation of the Android OS. Very people like me love pure Android and tech critics who review multiple phones, have to constantly relearn to navigate through the settings to enable/disable a function.

Having said, I love the MIUI best among the custom Android interface. It offers the option to have a virtual button (recents, home and back) experience and also the full-view screen with gestures. Though it slow to release the new update, it is the only brand to offer software support for several years. For instance, MIUI 10, which is also slated to be released to the Redmi 6 series, is also being prepared for three-year-old Redmi Note 3 series. So, if you are planning to buy a phone for long-term use, Redmi 6 Pro is a smart buy.

Also, I really loved the Face Unlock feature in the Redmi 6 Pro. It worked most of the times and have to say, it had the lowest False Rejection Rate (FRR) compared to other rival phone brands I have tested in recent times. The fingerprint was also reliable during the testing period and it responded fast to the touch of the finger.

Camera:

Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro comes with a 12MP+5MP dual camera with Artificial Intelligence (AI) Portrait and AI scene detection feature. With this, the Xiaomi phone will be capable of detecting different possible scenarios such as pets, flowers, human face, landscape, snowy conditions, night, food and more.

On the front, it features a 5MP sensor with AI Portrait mode, wherein despite having just one lens, it can take selfies with Bokeh blur effect. Thanks to the advancement in camera software, users can adjust the focus on the background and foreground.

As far as the picture quality is concerned, the Redmi 6 Pro is notch above the competition in the sub-Rs 14,000 category. It took some stunning images in the bright light conditions, as it was able to retain the near-accurate natural colour of the subject and I think, it's probably to due to Artificial Intelligence (AI)-camera app. It is said to detect the type of the subject, be it a flower, a person and also background such as the beach, highlands and be able to optimise the camera settings to get the best possible image.

Even in the night too, the Redmi 6 Pro was able to snap pretty pictures, decent enough for the price it commands.

As for as the front camera is concerned, I am impressed with the Portrait mode, as it was able to accurately segregate the contours of the subject and blur the background. The Beauty mode too is really good, consumers can adjust the complexity and the skin tone; it's like the virtual make up kit; this feature will definitely attract among social media savvy youth.

Battery:

The Redmi 6 Pro comes with a 4,000mAh battery. Thanks to well-optimised MIUI 9.6 software, the device delivered a one and a half day of battery life consistently with mixed usage. I watched a lot of trailers on YouTube via Wi-Fi, played half an hour of video games and browsed through Google News and performed other day-to-day tasks. If used conservatively Redmi 6 Pro will last two days easily.

Final thoughts:

Xiaomi's Redmi series has been setting the benchmark in the budget segment for long in India and now, Redmi 6 Pro scales new heights with the camera and build quality. If you are looking for a budget phone and doesn't want to spend a bomb on it, Redmi 6 Pro is a best value-for-money phone in the market.

Pros:

• Remarkable camera hardware
• Excellent build quality
• Long lasting battery life
• Face Unlock feature lives up to the hype

Cons:

• There's none

I did not find any serious issue to complain other than the low availability of the stocks in the market. But, now the company has made really big progress in bridging the supply-demand gap of the Redmi 6 Pro, as it is now available in brick-and-mortar stores, as well.

Key specifications of Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro:

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