Is the Redmi Note 7 worth buying in 2024?

The long-awaited launch of Xiaomi, the Redmi Note 7 happened in the year 2019. You are surely wondering, is this mobile device still good after 5 years?

Xiaomi has smartly positioned its Redmi brand to take on the slew of mid-range mobile devices from rival brands such as Oppo and Realme, which launch a wide range of smartphones at a competitive price every year.

In this article, we'll take a look at what's good about the Redmi Note 7 since it was first launched in early 2019 and see if it's still worth buying in 2024.

Design and construction

Despite the competitive price and the years it has been on the market, the Redmi note 7 still looks like a modern device. Everyone I showed the Redmi note 7 to didn't guess that it was a device released 5 years ago. The striking blue gradient on the back of the phone contributes greatly to this impression and will allow owners to proudly display their Redmi note 7 in public.

As for the camera, the Redmi note 7 has a built-in dual camera on the back and a selfie camera on the front that is located in a notch located right at the top of the screen, and is protected by reinforced Gorilla glass. Glass 5.

Talking about the display: This smartphone features the following specifications. It has a 6.3-inch LCD panel with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels and offers enough brightness to use our mobile device during sunny days. In terms of color reproduction, the Redmi note 7 shows us striking colors and the details look relatively sharp.

As with most mobile devices, we have the power/lock button and the volume keys on the right of the phone. While on the left is the hybrid SIM tray for nano-sized SIM cards and a microSD card.

On the back of the Redmi note 7 you will find the dual rear cameras, LED flash, and the fingerprint scanner in the center.

Redmi Note 7 Display

The Redmi Note 7 features a 6.3-inch IPS display with a Full HD+ (2340 x 1080) resolution. It is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and overall presents a good screen with intense colors, excellent viewing angles and vibrant enough for outdoor use.

Audio-wise, the Redmi Note 7 doesn't really offer anything innovative and sounds like a typical smartphone speaker. The redeeming thing is that the sound is clear and strong, but it has no bass. Still good enough for hands-free voice calls.

Camera

The Redmi Note 7 features a 48MP + 5MP depth rear main camera setup. This device features a variety of features such as Portrait, Night, Panorama, HDR, Beauty and Pro modes. It also has an AI mode that enhances images depending on where you take the photos.

By default, the Redmi Note 7 captures photos at 12MP resolution, but if you want to use the maximum 48MP, you'll need to use the Pro mode feature. The 13MP camera captures clean snapshots and they have great color and decent sharpness, always and when you're taking your selfie in an area with plenty of lighting.

The beauty effect does a good job of enhancing the user's appearance while still highlighting essential features. As for video recording, the Redmi Note 7 maxes out at 1080p at 60fps. It also features a high frame rate mode that records 1080p clips at 120fps.

The video quality is acceptable, but it is not as clear and colorful as we would like. The stabilization function works regularly, but shakes are still visible due to the high frame rate, so we recommend recording at less than 30 fps.

Operating system and user interface

The operating system is based on Android 9 Pie and runs MIUI 12. However, the unit we acquired was purchased from a Chinese website and runs a custom ROM for that market. That means you get plenty of features and apps developed for Chinese consumers.

However, this doesn't look as bad as it seems since most of these Chinese apps can be uninstalled. As expected, it doesn't have the Google Play Store, but you can download it using Xiaomi's built-in app store.

When it comes to features, the Redmi Note 7 features plenty. The first is Mi Ai, which is a voice assistant that only responds to Chinese dialects. It also has MIUI Lab to test beta features, gesture navigation, Phone cleaner, app lock and first aid to check if the phone has any fault.

The unit we purchased has 64 GB of storage with a usable space of 50.01 GB. With the possibility of expanding with a microSD card of up to 256 GB capacity.

Performance

The Redmi Note 7 has a built-in octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 AIE chipset , Adreno 512 GPU and 4 GB of RAM capacity. Performance is optimal, which is not a surprise for a phone with these specifications, and it had no problems running games like Asphalt 9, Mobile Legends, PUGB Mobile.

With the function to boost the speed of the game and optimize the performance and stability of the network connection. The top near the camera can get a little warm, but not enough to be a cause for concern.

Battery duration

Battery life is one of the highlights of the Redmi Note 7 thanks to the 4000 mAh battery and it can last for a whole day using it intensively. This mobile device is strengthened with the addition of fast charging.

The Redmi Note 7 has numerous communication options available including 4G with VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Mobile Hotspot, Bluetooth, GPS, USB Type-C and others.

New updates

When Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 7, Android 9.0 Pie came installed by default. At that time, the device was running MIUI 10 as its interface, which has since been updated to MIUI 12, while the Android operating system is updated to its tenth version.

Recently, it became known that Android 11 can be installed. It remains to be seen if the Redmi Note 7 will benefit from the new versions of the mobile operating system. Therefore, you should check before making a purchasing decision whether the device will stay up to date.

How much does the Redmi Note 7 cost in 2024?

Xiaomi's Redmi Note 7 has similar features to the Samsung Galaxy A50 . At its market launch, Samsung's mid-range smartphone had a retail price of around $400. On the contrary, the Redmi Note 7 at its launch in 2019 had a price well below $350.

If you want to buy a Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 in 2024 from an online store, you will find offers starting from around $150.

So is it worth buying a Redmi Note 7 in 2024?

This will really depend on what you want for your next smartphone. In terms of battery life, display and its features , the Redmi Note 7 still offers good value for money.

However, if you are one of the people who does not always charge your device at night, but rather when necessary, you should invest in a fast charger. Obviously this will generate additional costs if you do not already have a fast charger in your home.

If you are one of the people who prefers a better photography experience, we recommend opting for the Redmi Note 8 or the Redmi Note 8T. Basically they are very similar to the Redmi Note 7, but offer the user a quad-camera setup. Furthermore, these two smartphones hit the market a few months after the Note 7.