Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 4GB+128GB, 6.53" DotDisplay, MTK Helio G85, 5020Mah Large Battery, Midnight Grey, Official UK Version

I've had the ageing Huawei P20 pro for about 2 years and was reluctant to commit to another 18 month contract at over £50 a month. The P20 was superb so these were some big shoes to fill for its replacement....And so the research began.Deciding to steer clear of the current crop of excellently priced Huawei lites because of the Google factor, I finally, nervously went for the Redmi...Surely there's no way a £130 phone can even compete with the flagship big boys.A few reviews had mentioned inbuilt adware and bloatware being an issue and dropping from 6gb to 4gb of memory concerned me.Well much to my surprise, the complaints of adware were hugely exaggerated. Yes, when you run the security app to optimise performance, after it's completed, and pops up asking you if you'd like to install extra software. Just click 'no'. It's not really a problem. I mean people are starving and living on the streets, so I can live with that! Anyway, I immediately removed any software I didn't want, such as the built in games, opera browser, etc and began installing my apps from play store.Using Bluetooth, I moved contacts and notepad files from my old phone (The NFC didn't seem to respond well but Bluetooth did the job).I was up and running remarkably quickly.So, I'm currently temping for Royal Mail as a delivery driver and constantly have Waze and Circuit running to plan and navigate my deliveries.After 6 hours, this pulled the battery down to about 45%, which is not as great as some of the reviews claim but is good enough. So Good but not great on battery.Back home the cycle of social media, messaging and eBay began. At first I did notice the performance not quite as sharp and quick as the Huawei. Very slightly slower to load webpages and apps but absolutely negligible to be honest, so performance very very good.I'm not a happy snapper but the camera was good. Not as bright and detailed as it's predecessor but again, very good.It has a mini headphone input, something missing from the old Huawei, so although no earbuds are included, it will work with any headphones or buds you have lying around.No point reviewing the sound quality. It has a mono speaker and it does the job!One thing I have noticed is that the screen isn't as sharp as my old Huawei but I actually prefer it's more muted tones, as it's easier on my eyes, particularly at night.It comes with a screen protector and a gel protective case, which annoyingly is black, therefore hiding the rather sleak and sexy blue colour of the phone. And yes, it does look great. Not as sexy as a phone that costs 4 times the price, obviously but classy enough to stand out.Also it isn't as light as it's more expensive competition but again, negligible if you consider the price.So would I recommend it? Definitely. For £130 it will do nearly everything a £400 phone will do with the exception that its not 5g.Don't be afraid. Give it a go....

For what most people would call a budget phone this is excellent. Although I bought mine five months ago for £139 I would say it still represents very good value at the current price (£199)This display is, to my eyes, crystal clear and plenty bright enough outside. Plenty of built in memory which can be easily and cheaply increased. Others have remarked that the camera quality is very good with a nice sharp picture. Battery life I would also rate as very good although I don't live on my phone day and night.Part from calls, I mostly use mine to run Waze navigation app and a Garmin fitness app plus browsing the internet. The operating system hasn't presented me with any problems, it just works. It pairs faultlessly with a Garmin fitness watch via bluetooth.Downsides? So far not much at all. Sure its quite large but I knew that before I bought it and it still fits in a jeans pocket - the upside is a decent screen size. Battery life is more than adequate but like many modern phones the battery itself cannot be removed and replaced at will.Overall I am very pleased with it. It has exceeded my expectations and even at the current price if I lost it or damaged it beyond repair it wouldn't be a financial disaster. It has a two year guarantee but I cannot comment on how good Redmi will be at honouring it. That said, you hear tales of premium brands quibbling over the warranty small print.Would I still buy the same 'phone again today? Almost certainly, yes. It has been reliable and does everything I would expect of a phone at a very good price relative to the premium brands. If like me you are not bothered about the latest mobile phone fad and regard a phone as a tool, pair this up with a decent SIM only plan and you won't go far wrong.

For the price this phone is excellentI am coming from an iPhone 11 that had to go in for repair. I've not used android for a while and was gritting my teeth but needed a cheap backup to tide me over. Android has come on leaps and bounds and this phone exceeded my expectations. It's fairly intuitive and has fingerprint scanner and face Id. The latter works well in anything but low light and the scanner is great.The screen is a good size with a tiny hole for the camera on it . There are so many good things I like about the device it's literally got everything I ever need on it. Battery can last up to two days, built in radio, headphone jack, reasonable camera that is well placed, dual SIM plus micro SD expansion to 512gb, free case inside, ir blaster for remote control of telly, I could go on.Coming from apples walked garden is breathtaking. I can load what I like and I've got films and books galore. The only drawback is a lesser quality screen compared to my iPhone and the single speaker is a bit underwhelming but it's a fraction of the price, does more, lasts longer and for that I can live with the LCD type screen and who listens to music on a phone speaker?In all seriousness when I get the iPhone back I have to question whether I want to go back to that tired restriction despite the device quality.