Redmi Note 9 v Realme Narzo 10: Budget phone comparison

Over the past year, Redmi v Realme has been one of the biggest smartphone rivalries in India, especially in the budget segment. The fierce competition between Xiaomi (Redmi) and Realme has resulted in hardware being sold at prices that would have been unbelievable just a few years ago.

The Redmi Note 9 and Realme Narzo 10 are the latest budget phones to hit the market at just ₹11,999. Both phones are of great value and buying neither of them is a mistake.

Both phones come with 4GB lpddr4 ram and 128GB emmc 5.1 storage, and both have a Dual SIM and SD card slot. The Realme has gorilla glass 3 on the front as opposed to the Note 9's gorilla glass 5; so the Redmi device will fare better against any damage. They both use a polycarbonate material for the back panel. The Realme's back panel, designed by Naoko Fukasawa has an atypical design with a matte surface so it can be gripped or held onto better.

For connectivity, both phones have Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and NFC. Only the Note 9 uses an IR blaster. Although a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack is slowly disappearing from phones in recent years, both phones have it.

When it comes to performance, the note 9 sports the MediaTek Helio g85 while the Narzo 10 uses the Helio g80. You may think that the note 9 must perform better as it has a processor with a bigger number on it. However, that is not correct as both Soc’s have the same configuration except 50MHz extra GPU frequency in Helio G85. This does not create a significant performance boost.

The display on the Narzo 10 might be a deal-breaker for you. With an IPS LCD as large as 6.5 inches and a resolution of 720 x 1600, the pixel density on this phone is only 270ppi. This makes the content viewed on the Narzo 10 look unsharpened. However, Redmi's Note 9 is here to save the day. This is where the Redmi Note 9 beats the Realme Narzo 10. It comes with a 6.53 inch IPS LCD with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 giving you a sharp 395ppi. Colors are also significantly better on the Note 9's display.

They have nearly the same battery sizes of 5000 mAH on the Narzo 10 and 5020 mAH on the Note 9. You can expect both phones to last you 2 days with one charge, which is terrific at this price point. The battery life on the Redmi is expected to be a little shorter due to its more power-consuming 1080p display.

Probably the most important part of a phone is the camera setup. Both phones come with a 48MP main shooter, 8MP ultra-wide camera, 2MP depth sensor, and 2MP macro camera for close-up shots. Camera performance on both phones is remarkable at this price but the Narzo 10 suffers in low light owing to its less advanced sensor. The Narzo 10 uses a 16MP selfie shooter and the Note 9 uses a 13MP selfie camera. Performance on both selfie shooters is very similar giving you average to good picture quality. Do keep in mind that pictures have warmer tones on the Redmi and cooler tones on the Realme. Overall, the cameras on these phones are pretty neat.

Software and UI can make or break a phone. The user must have a pleasant experience, which means clean UI and no adverts in the OS. We will be comparing Realme UI against MIUI. These phones being of Chinese descent, you can't expect an ad-free experience out of the box, but the ads can be turned off. The OS experience on both are great but Realme UI has much cleaner icons and animations. Do keep in mind that with recent launches of Realme phones using MediaTek chips, users have been experiencing minor inconveniences & bugs. However, it is a software issue so it can be easily fixed by the manufacturer with updates for bug fixes.

In conclusion, both the phones are great and well worth your hard-earned money but the Redmi Note 9 is marginally better than the Realme Narzo 10. Please remember that significantly better-performing variants: Realme 6, Redmi Note 9 Pro, are available for only ₹2000 more. Either way, you won't be disappointed with your purchase.