Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S / 9 Pro review

MIUI 11 and Android 10

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S boots the latest version of MIUI 11 out of the box and it runs on top of the latest Android 10 OS.

You can unlock the screen via the side-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 Note 9S supports Dark mode - it will switch all system colors from white to black. With MIUI 11 it has been improved, and now more apps support Dark mode, and the icons and their colors have been redesigned to suit it better.

Dark mode

MIUI 11 supports nature alarm and notifications, which sound different depending on the time of the day. Nature sounds have been tailored for alarms and notifications and are far less stressful through the day.

Nature-inspired notifications

There is no app drawer in MIUI, so all your apps are just sitting there on your homescreen, but you can still add them to folders. Some versions of MIUI do include an option to add such drawer, but our global ROM did not have one.

Here are the default home screens on Redmi Note 9S. 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 • Settings

The task switcher has not changed. 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 Note 9S if that's your thing.

Themes

MIUI also offers a Security app. It can scan your phone for malware, manage your blacklist, manage 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 include paid streaming options. FM radio app is available, too.

MIUI 11 has a new document viewing app, which supports all popular formats and makes easier viewing docs on your phone.

There is also a new Notes app that now supports Tasks.

Security app • Security app • Gallery • Music • File Manager • Mi Remote

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're reviewing the global version of the Redmi Note 9S, and the only places we noticed ads were the File Manager and the Security apps. Those, while pre-installed MIUI apps, are not essential though and there are ways to get rid of them.

Performance and benchmarks

The Redmi Note 9S employs the Snapdragon 720G chipset, and it is the second phone we meet with this hardware, the first was the Realme 6 Pro. We guess the rivalry is still going strong with these two brands.

The SoC uses an octa-core CPU in a 2+6 configuration - 2x2.3GHz Kryo 465 Gold (Cortex-A76 derivative) cores and 6x1.8GHz Kryo 465 Silver (Cortex-A55 derivative) cores. The GPU in this chip is Adreno 618 - the same one found in the Snapdragon 730.

The Redmi Note 9S is available in two RAM and storage configurations - 4GB/64GB and 6GB/128GB versions.

Finally, the 720G is built on an 8nm manufacturing process - currently one of the most efficient processes available.

We ran a couple of benchmarks, and the CPU is shaping as an excellent performer. The Kirin 810 processor is a bit more powerful, but it's available only in very limited Google-less phones for now.

GeekBench 5.1 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Huawei P40 Lite
  1862
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
  1785
• Realme 6
  1726
• Xiaomi Redmi K30
  1692
• Realme 6 Pro
  1666
• Redmi Note 8 Pro
  1622
• Realme 6i
  1349
• Samsung Galaxy A51
  1294

GeekBench 5.1 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Huawei P40 Lite
  591
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
  570
• Realme 6 Pro
  565
• Realme 6
  548
• Xiaomi Redmi K30
  548
• Redmi Note 8 Pro
  493
• Realme 6i
  388
• Samsung Galaxy A51
  347

In terms of GPU performance, the Redmi Note 9S returns strong numbers for the class, close to its Realme 6 rivals.

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Realme 6i
  31
• Huawei P40 Lite
  30
• Realme 6 Pro
  27
• Realme 6
  27
• Xiaomi Redmi K30
  27
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
  26
• Redmi Note 8 Pro
  24
• Huawei P30 Lite (perf. mode)
  13
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T
  11
• Samsung Galaxy A51
  8.9

GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Huawei P40 Lite
  18
• Realme 6i
  17
• Realme 6 Pro
  16
• Realme 6
  16
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
  15
• Xiaomi Redmi K30
  15
• Redmi Note 8 Pro
  14
• Huawei P30 Lite (perf. mode)
  6.9
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T
  5.9
• Samsung Galaxy A51
  5.6

Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Realme 6 Pro
  11
• Realme 6
  10
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
  9.9
• Redmi Note 8 Pro
  9.4
• Realme 6i
  9.3
• Huawei P40 Lite
  8.6
• Samsung Galaxy A51
  5.6
• Huawei P30 Lite (perf. mode)
  3.4

Throwing all the components into the mix in Antutu, the Redmi Note 9S is somewhat behind the Realme 6, but close to the Snapdragon 720G-powered Realme 6 Pro. Once again, Huawei's Kirin 810 proves superior too.

AnTuTu 8

Higher is better

• Huawei P40 Lite
  325777
• Realme 6
  288931
• Redmi Note 8 Pro
  279355
• Xiaomi Redmi K30
  272229
• Realme 6 Pro
  268785
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
  254000
• Realme 6i
  202275
• Samsung Galaxy A51
  175363
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T
  167395

It's obvious the Redmi Note 9S is properly equipped for the class and is consistently scoring great on the tests, no matter their purpose. The heaviest of tasks - gaming - is not only possible on the Note 9S, but a breezy experience.