Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T review

Familiar 48MP Quad Bayer, with two 2MP helpers

There's no point beating around the bush; Xiaomi clearly downsized the camera setup on the Redmi Note 9T a bit. Especially if we continue to view it as a close variation of its Redmi Note 9 5G sibling over in China. While the latter at least has an ultrawide camera at its disposal, providing a bit of extra versatility, the Redmi Note 9T only has a single "full-fledged" 48MP, f/1.8 snapper on its back.

The camera in question uses Samsung's popular S5KGM1 sensor - a Quad Bayer, ISOCELL unit with a size of 1/2.0" and 0.8µm individual pixels. It has been a prolific smartphone camera for quite some time now and has proven its salt numerous times. At least we can be happy about that. Xiaomi is actively using the S5KGM1, and one of the more recent and popular budget phones we have tested it in that comes to mind is the Poco M3.

In fact, the latter appears to have an identical main camera setup to the Redmi Note 9T we are testing today. One that also includes a pair of 2MP, f/2.4 other snappers - one dedicated to macro shots and the other leveraged for depth information in portrait shots.

The two handsets do differ on the selfies side of things, though, with the Redmi Note 9T rocking a higher resolution, though slightly dimmer 13MP, 29mm, 1/3.1" sensor, with 1.12µm pixels, positioned behind an f/2.3 lens. Another noteworthy difference between the pair and a clear advantage for the Redmi Note 9T is the ability to record 4K@30fps videos, courtesy of the DSP inside the Dimensity 800U chipset.

Camera UI

The camera app that's part of MIUI 12 is straightforward. Most of the important additional settings are found in the so-called hamburger menu accessible from the camera viewfinder. Swiping left and right cycles through the camera modes.

Main camera UI

You can also re-arrange the camera modes from there because the Night mode, for example, is hidden in the More tab. There is actually a ton of customization that can be done to the camera UI beyond that. You can choose between a More tab or More panel for additional modes, change the color accents inside the app and adjust the shutter sound. Neat!

Camera app customization

Despite all of this, some aspects of the camera UI make little sense to us and are far from great. Macro mode is not positioned alongside all of the other modes where you would expect it. Instead, it resides inside the hamburger menu as a toggle.

Our particular review unit had issues remembering some of its camera settings. We are sure that this is a minor glitch that will get fixed, but we definitely turned off the photo watermarks to only discover they were present on some of our samples.

Photo quality

The Redmi Note 9T offers a surprisingly competent camera experience, especially for its class. By default, it captures stills at 12MP. It is worth noting that the weather and especially lighting conditions in these shots were very challenging.

Resolved detail is plenty, and so is contrast. Dynamic range, while not superb, is also perfectly adequate. Colors are on the warmer side but look pleasant on the phone's screen and aren't too far off from reality.

Redmi Note 9T main 12MP camera samples

The entire set of samples above was captured with AI-enabled and HDR set to Auto. Sharpness is also pleasant, with no real signs of artificial over-sharpening. The noise reduction is gentle, and that's one reason for the high level of detail - the processing leaves some noise and detail in areas of uniform colors such as walls or windows on residential buildings. There is slight banding noticeable in the sky.

There is a 48MP mode available, which is not how you are supposed to use a Quad Bayer camera in the first place. Looking at the photos side by side, we don't see too much of a difference in detail. While we can't say for sure that the 48MP shots are simply upscaled from 12MP, that is what we see in practical terms in the results. Hence, you can probably just forget the 48MP resolution mode and save yourself some storage space.

Redmi Note 9T main 48MP camera samples

There is a 2MP depth sensor on the back of the Redmi Note 9T, which is used only when shooting portraits. And it seems to be utilized properly as the Redmi Note 9T is a capable portrait shooter with proficient subject separation and natural-looking blur. The portrait shots are as detailed as the regular ones, and we think everyone will be happy with its portrait mode.

Redmi Note 9T main 12MP camera portrait samples

The 2MP macro cam sounds good on paper, but it's a nightmare to use. It has a fixed focus at around 4cm, and it usually takes 6-7 tries to get one sharp photo. When there is enough light, the macro photos present enough detail and low noise, but the contrast isn't great. Unfortunately, when the light isn't ideal, the noise levels spike, and the shots become unusable.

Redmi Note 9T 2MP macro camera samples

For comparison, here are some close-up shots taken with the primary camera of the Redmi Note 9T.

Redmi Note 9T main 12MP close-up camera samples

In low-light conditions, the Redmi Note 9T remains a competent shooter, especially considering its budget nature. The detail is adequate, and while noise obviously present, it is not too bad in our book. It's important to note that this first set was captured with HDR set to Auto and AI-enabled.

Redmi Note 9T 12MP main camera low-light samples

There is a Night mode on the main camera of the Redmi Note 9T. We recommend using it dusk. It brightens the whole scene and restores the blown highlights. It has a stronger noise reduction than the regular photos, and it completely wipes out fine detail, but we still prefer those photos. They look great on the phone's screen and in low resolution on social media.

Redmi Note 9T 12MP main camera - Night mode samples

Finally, here's how the camera on the Redmi Note 9T stacks-up against the competition in our extensive camera comparison database. 48MP mode samples are there as well for your pixel-peeping pleasure.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 and the Realme 7 5G in our Photo compare tool

48MP: Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T vs Xiaomi Poco M3 and the Realme 7 5G in our Photo compare tool

Selfies

The Redmi Note 9T has a 13MP, 1/3.1", 1.12µm selfie camera, behind an f/2.3 lens. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the shots it produces. The resolved detail is plenty, and shots look sharp. The focus depth is fairly liberal on what is otherwise a fixed-focus snapper.

Redmi Note 9T 13MP selfie camera samples

You can even see some nice natural depth of field on some of the shots. Not bad at all. If you want an even more-intense blur effect, there is a Portrait mode for selfies, as well. It looks very competent, with nice subject separation and natural-looking bokeh.

Redmi Note 9T 13MP selfie portrait samples

The selfie camera stands its ground in lower lighting conditions, as well. Of course, noise starts to creep-in fast, but the results still look good.

Redmi Note 9T 13MP selfie low-light samples

Unfortunately, there is no Night mode for the selfie camera to improve shots further.

Video quality

The Dimensity 800U and its DSP bring a lot to the table in terms of video capture. Unlike the Xiaomi Poco M3, which has an identical main camera setup, the Redmi Note 9T can actually record 4K@30fps. It can also do 1080p@30 and 60 fps. You get a choice between h.264 and h.265 in terms of codecs.

The 4K clips ended up with a solid and stable frame rate and a bitrate of just over 50 Mbps. The audio track is stereo at 48 kHz and 256 kb/s.

Video quality at 4K is decent, especially for this class of phone. The colors look subdued but not dull. The detail is high, though far from perfect. Noise is noticeable but not really a big concern. The biggest issue we see, honestly, is with dynamic range, which is somewhat limited. Shadows look a bit crushed. Again, not terrible, just limited.

EIS is available on the main camera at 1080p. Like we already noted, the toggle for the feature is a bit confusing. Regardless, the stabilization itself looks good and works great, even if it takes away quite a bit of the frame.

4K video capture remains very competent in low-light. Though, it should be noted that we experienced some odd frame rate stutters occasionally during testing. Nothing too severe and likely just a software glitch, though, but one that seems to only be present in low-light conditions.

Here is a selfie video sample. It is capped at 1080p@30fps. Just like with stills, videos from the selfie cam look surprisingly-good. Sharp with plenty of detail. The only unfortunate thing about it is the very tight framing. You have to hold the Redmi Note 9T uncomfortably far away from your face to actually get it in the frame.

Finally, we added screenshots from 4K Redmi Note 9T videos in our extensive video comparison database.

4K: Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T vs Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC and the Realme 7 5G in our Video compare tool