Redmi Note 9 vs Realme Narzo 10: Quick Specs Comparison

After months of constant delay, the day finally came. Realme finally unveiled the Narzo 10 in India today. It’s the Chinese giant’s latest budget smartphone that sits under the Realme 6 series. Narzo 10 is India’s first Helio G80-powered phone and also includes a 48MP quad-camera setup, a huge battery, and fast-charging.

Currently, the closest competitor to the Narzo 10 will have to the Redmi Note 9. This device was unveiled in Europe a couple of weeks ago and is yet to find its way to India. However, if you are planning to buy a new budget smartphone in the sub-Rs. 12,000 price range, then the Redmi Note 9 and Realme Narzo 10 will be your best bets. So to make the whole process easy for you in the coming weeks, here’s a quick comparison between the Redmi Note 9 and Realme Narzo 10:

Redmi Note 9 vs Realme Narzo 10

• Design

Redmi Note 9 and Narzo 10 both feature a polycarbonate build instead of glass builds. The former adopts a minimal design in comparison to the shiny gradient back panel of the latter. You can like either, it depends on your preference.

Redmi Note 9 boasts the same design we recently saw on the Note 9 Pro and Pro Max. This includes a square camera bump, along with a physical fingerprint sensor on the rear. Narzo 10, on the other hand, sports the same design as any other Realme phone launched in the past 6-odd months. There’s a vertical camera setup and a fingerprint sensor on the rear here.

• Display

Redmi Note 9 features a 6.53-inch Full-HD+ IPS LCD display and by now, we all know Xiaomi’s LCD panels are pretty good. They have decent color accuracy and brightness. The Narzo 10 pales in comparison to the Note 9 because it includes only a 6.5-inch HD IPS LCD display. This is a major disappointment from Realme in the Rs. 12,000 segment.

None of the two displays support high refresh rates, which is expected at this price point. However, if you are looking for a more modern design, Redmi Note 9 hosts a punch-hole cutout whereas Narzo 10 has a mini-drop notch on the front.

• Internals

Both the Redmi Note 9 and Realme Narzo 10 are powered by MediaTek’s gaming-centric Helio G80 series chipsets. The former was launched with the new Helio G85 chipset in tow while the latter houses the standard Helio G80 chipset.

We recently compared these chipsets and came to the conclusion that the CPU cores aboard both the Helio G80 and Helio G85 are identical. It’s only the GPU, which is slightly overclocked on the Helio G85 to offer a boost in gaming performance. You can check out our Helio G80 vs Helio G85 comparison.

Narzo 10 is the first Helio G80-powered to land in India. Redmi Note 9 should make its debut in the country within the next few weeks. Both the Helio G80 and Helio G85 should be equally matched on the performance front, in my opinion.

• Software

This is the one category where your pick boils down to your preference. Redmi Note 9 runs MIUI 11 based on Android 10 whereas Narzo 10 runs Realme UI (mildly skinned version of ColorOS 7) out-of-the-box. Though Realme UI was a huge step in the right direction, Xiaomi recently took the wraps off MIUI 12 (which should roll out in India soon) and it looks and feels amazing. Which team are you on? MIUI or Realme UI?

• Camera

Apart from the internals, it’s the cameras array that is essentially the same on both the Redmi Note 9 and Realme Narzo 10. Let’s look at the specs one at a time.

Redmi Note 9 includes a quad-camera array with a 48MP (f/1.8) primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. Realme Narzo 10, on the other hand, also features a 48MP (f/1.8) primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP mono lens.

As you can see, the primary sensor is the exact same on both phones. You also get an ultra-wide and macro lens on the rear, with the mono lens and depth sensor being the differentiating factor. We’ll have to test out both camera setups to deliver a judgment on which is better.

On the selfie front, Redmi Note 9 houses a 13MP (f/2.3) sensor in the punch-hole at the top left whereas Narzo 10 includes a 16MP (f/2.0) sensor in the waterdrop notch. The latter is known to have better selfie performance over Redmi phones, if we go by past experiences.

• Battery

Both of these budget phones are on equal footing in terms of battery and charging. The Redmi Note 9 comes equipped with a 5,020mAh battery whereas the Narzo 10 packs a 5,000mAh battery. They both support 18W fast-charging via the USB Type-C port at the bottom.

• Specs Sheet

Though we have already taken a look at the key features of both the Redmi Note 9 and Realme Narzo 10, here’s a quick recap of the complete specs:

Redmi Note 9 vs Realme Narzo 10: Which One Would You Pick?

The latest budget offerings from Redmi and Realme stack up quite well against each other. Both the Redmi Note 9 and Narzo 10 share some similarities on the internals, camera setups, battery and charging front but the one factor that may make or break your decision is the display.

Around the Rs. 12,000 price point, Narzo 10 seems to have made a blunder by offering an inferior HD display in comparison to the Redmi Note 9’s Full-HD panel. Samsung is even offering AMOLED displays in the same price bracket, so Realme Narzo 10 sits at a huge disadvantage with its HD panel.

Otherwise, both the Redmi Note 9 and Realme Narzo 10 are performance powerhouses and should be great for gaming on the go. The former is yet to make its India debut, so will you wait for it or pick up the Narzo 10 when the lockdown restrictions are eased? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.