Xiaomi Redmi 9 (Prime) review

MIUI 11 on top of Android 10, MIUI 12 is in the works

Xiaomi Redmi 9 runs on MIUI 11 that's based on the latest Android 10 OS. Xiaomi is already adding finishing touches to the MIUI 12 so the update should begin popping on Redmi 9 phones around the globe in August 2020.

You can unlock the screen via the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The reader is easy to set up and works fast. The accuracy is superb, too, and overall, it is excellent for your daily unlocking.

The Redmi 9 supports Dark mode - it will switch all system colors from white to black. With MIUI 11 most of the apps support Dark mode, and the icons and their colors have altearnative designs to suit it better.

Dark mode

An app drawer is not enabled by default in MIUI, you can opt for it from the Homescreen settings, though.

App drawer and options

Here are the default home screens on Redmi 9. There's a weather widget in the upper right corner across from a large clock widget. There is a Google pane, the leftmost one.

MIUI 11 has refined looks with less clutter, and you easily spot the Xiaomi efforts towards minimalistic design in the new Settings app.

Lockscreen • Homescreen • Homescreen • Tools • Google Discover

The task switcher has not changed much. It shows all of your recent apps in two columns. Tap and hold on a card for the split-screen shortcut, or just swipe it left or right to close it.

Notifications • Toggles • Recents • Split Screen

Themes are supported on the Redmi 9 and if that's your thing there's no shortage of options.

Themes

MIUI also offers a Security app. It can scan your phone for malware, manage your blacklist, monitor or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the permissions of your installed apps and allows you to define the battery behavior of selected apps and applies restrictions only to the apps you choose.

MIUI also offers proprietary Gallery, Music, and Video player. In some regions, the music and video apps come complete paid streaming options.

An FM radio app is available as well. The Redmi 9 has an integrated radio antenna and does not require headphones to act as one. The radio signal is rather poor with the internal antenna though, so when possible, you'd better enhance it with a pair of headphones.

MIUI 11 has a proprietary document viewing app, which supports all popular formats and makes easier viewing docs on your phone. There is also a dedicated Notes app with support for Tasks.

Security app • Security app • Gallery • File Manager • Mi Remote • FM radio

In some markets, the pre-installed applications by Xiaomi will show ads, which is how Xiaomi is compensating for the relatively lower prices of its devices. We are reviewing the global version of the Redmi 9, and the only places we noticed ads were the File Manager and the Security apps. Those, while pre-installed MIUI apps, are not essential and there are ways to get rid of them.

Sadly, not all is great with MIUI on the Redmi 9. The experience was not exactly "smooth," and we had a couple of choppy animations and delays here and there. It was not the prevalent behavior, but we felt it's important to share. It appears that the software needs better optimization as the Helio G80 chipset should have enough in it to drive the UI smoothly.

Performance and benchmarks

Redmi 9 employs the MediaTek Helio G80 SoC. This is pretty much the same chip as the Helio G85 within the Redmi Note 9 and the only difference is the GPU clock.

So, the Helio G80 has an octa-core processor with 2x Cortex-A75@2.0GHz cores and 6x Cortex-A55@1.8GHz units.

The G80 chip has dual-core Mali-G52 GPU clocked at 950MHz. The Redmi Note 9's G85 has its GPU ticking at 1000MHz.

The Redmi 9 can be purchased in three different configurations - 3GB RAM + 32GB storage, 4GB RAM + 64GB storage (our review unit), and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage.

The G80 processor is perfectly fine for this budget class and does not disappoint in benchmark performance.

GeekBench 5.1 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
  1785
• Sony Xperia 10 II
  1413
• Realme 6i
  1349
• Xiaomi Redmi 9
  1325
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9
  1292
• Samsung Galaxy A31
  1216

GeekBench 5.1 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
  570
• Realme 6i
  388
• Xiaomi Redmi 9
  362
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9
  361
• Samsung Galaxy A31
  352
• Sony Xperia 10 II
  315

Unfortunately, the GFXBenchmark and 3D Mark couldn't run on the Redmi 9, just as they refused to run on the Redmi Note 9. If you are curious about the raw performance of the dual-core Mali-G52, the Realme 6i has the same Helio G80 chip and we can safely guess the Redmi 9 will be in the same ballpark.

GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
  18
• Realme 6i
  9.4
• Samsung Galaxy A31
  8
• Sony Xperia 10 II
  7.1
• Samsung Galaxy A30
  4.5
• Xiaomi Redmi 8A
  3.5

The AnTuTu 8 test returned an excellent score for this class and the Redmi 9 is bested only by the more expensive (and powerful) Redmi Note 9S.

AnTuTu 8

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
  254000
• Realme 6i
  202275
• Xiaomi Redmi 9
  201829
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9
  200414
• Sony Xperia 10 II
  196545
• Samsung Galaxy A31
  151815
• Xiaomi Redmi 8A
  89901

Long story short, the Redmi 9 is capable enough phone, but it will not offer perfectly smooth UI experience, while its 1080p screen might be too much for the GPU to handle. It will run lighter games and you can even go for popular action titles by lowering the screen resolution, but it will not be peachy, nor particularly sharp.

Let's not forget that the Redmi 9 is one cheap budget phone, so nobody expected it to be a gaming champion. It does well with the OS and popular social and office apps, and its camera has more than acceptable processing speeds. That's enough for just over a hundred bucks, we think.