The Redmi Note 9 is indeed the biggest competitor for Realme Narzo 10 in India. While Narzo has already launched and will go on sale starting May 18, the former is yet to pave its way in the country. Nonetheless, given that the phone has already launched in European markets, we now have complete specifications of the device. Here’s our detailed Realme Narzo 10 vs Redmi Note 9 comparison for you to decide which one’s worth waiting for!
Also, read: Realme Narzo 10 Launched in India: Reasons to Buy and Not to Buy
Realme Narzo 10 vs Redmi Note 9: Comparison
Design & Build: Polycarbonate Back
The Realme Narzo 10 and Redmi Note 9 come with a polycarbonate body. The Narzo 10 looks similar to Realme 6 with a vertical camera module but gets a new gradient pattern at the rear. The latter’s minimal design is inspired by the Redmi Note 9 Pro, counting in the square camera module.
Note that Redmi Note 9 gets a punch-hole display upfront, whereas, Realme is using traditional water-drop notch design. The Narzo 10 measures 164.4 x 75.x 9.0mm and weighs 195g, similar to Note 9’s 162.38 x 77.2 × 8.95mm, 199g chassis.
Display: Dot-Notch, HD+ vs Punch-Hole, Full-HD+
Realme Narzo 10 comes with a 6.5-inch LCD with an HD+ resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels. It sports a dot-notch, like most other phones in the segment, and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3+ protection.
In comparison, the Redmi Note 9 sports a 6.53-inch LCD with a Full HD+ resolution of 2340 × 1080 pixels. It comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection and features a modern punch-hole, offering a more immersive experience.
Performance: Helio G80 vs G85
Powering the Narzo 10 at its core is the 12nm-based MediaTek Helio G80 SoC with two 2GHz Cortex-A75 cores and six 1.8GHz Cortex-A55 CPUs. The Mali-G52 GPU handles graphics duties.
The Redmi Note 9, on the other side, gets powered by MediaTek Helio G85 processor. This 12nm-based chipset gets the same CPU as Helio G80 with two Cortex-A75 cores running at 2GHz and six Cortex-A55 units at 1.8GHz. Furthermore, it gets the same Mali-G52 GPU.
The only difference between both the processors is the overclocked GPU- the one on Helio G85 gets a max frequency of 1000MHz, compared to the former’s 950MHz. The difference isn’t very huge, and both phones should perform equally well in real-world use.
As for memory configurations, the two devices offer up to 4GB LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB of storage. That said, Redmi has used UFS 2.1 standard, which is faster than the eMMC 5.1 storage used on Realme.
Software: RealmeUI vs MIUI
The Realme Narzo 10 runs the new RealmeUI on top of Android 10. Whereas, Redmi Note 9 is using the MIUI 11. RealmeUI offers a cleaner, close-to-stock Android experience while the MIUI is heavily skinned and feels intrusive.
Cameras: 48MP Quad Array
Both the smartphones feature 48MP quad cameras at the rear. Narzo 10 employs a 48-megapixel primary camera with f/1.8 aperture, PDAF, accompanied by an 8-megapixel 119° ultra-wide-angle shooter, a 2-megapixel 4cm macro unit, and a 2-megapixel monochrome depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture. Upfront, there’s a 16-megapixel shooter with f/2.0 aperture.
Redmi Note 9, on the other hand, gets a 48-megapixel Samsung GM1 sensor with f/1.79 aperture, PDAF, EIS, 0.8μm pixel size, and an 8-megapixel 118° ultra-wide-angle lens. Further, there’s a 2-megapixel macro camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. For selfies, you get a 13-megapixel unit with f/2.25 aperture.
Battery & Charging: Similar
The Narzo 10 is equipped with a 5000mAh battery while the Note 9 gets a 5,020mAh cell. With battery capacities being almost similar, both devices also support 18W fast charging through given USB Type-C ports.
Price & Variants
The Narzo 10 has been priced at Rs. 11,999 for the sole 4GB/128GB variant. In contrast, the Redmi Note 9 costs $199 (roughly Rs. 14,900) for 3GB/64GB and $249 (roughly Rs. 18,600) for 4GB/128GB model. However, it’s Indian pricing is expected to be around Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 12,000.
Realme Narzo 10 vs Redmi Note 9: Final Words
Both smartphones share a lot of similarities, including performance, battery, charging as well as cameras. That said, there are significant differences concerning the display and design. The HD+ screen on Narzo 10, with the older dot-notch design, may push a lot of people towards the Redmi Note. But then again, you get a better software experience with the RealmeUI. In the end, it’s all on your preferences. Anyway, what phone are you waiting for- Narzo 10 or the Redmi Note 9? Do let us know in the comments below.
Also, read- Narzo 10 vs Realme 6: A huge Upgrade for Rs 2,000
