Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro Review

Design, build and controls

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro continues the design language set with the Redmi Note 7. It combines 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for the front and back with a plastic frame that has a glossy finish. The glass is 0.8 mm thick and its edges have undergone a special polishing process. Despite being plastic, the frame has an optimized protection on all four corners of the fuselage for additional sturdiness. In addition, the handset has a P2i nano-hydrophobic coating. This is a uniform water-repellent film on the surface of the handset which protects it against splashes of liquids and makes draining easier. There are rubber sealants around the ports as well. The model is available in Neptune Blue, Nebula Red, and Black colours. The first two are gradient ones with a special nano-layer under the glass that creates this specific gradient texture and light reflection effects. We are reviewing a classic black version. Just like its sibling, the Redmi Note 7, Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro falls in the 6.3-inch screen and 4000 mAh battery size class and has exactly the same dimensions and weight. Smartphones with this display+battery combo are not so common. Among those, the Redmi Note 7 Pro is one of the thinnest and most lightweight models with a waistline of 8.1 mm and a weight of 186 g. It has a below average width of 75.21 mm. In addition, the model is one of the tallest handsets in this size class with a height of 159.21 mm. As long as it concerns ergonomics, the device lies comfortably in the hand but tends to be slippery like every other smartphone with a glass back. The Redmi Note 7 Pro also has the same screen-to-body ratio as its the Redmi Note 7 - 81.63% of the total front surface of the device is taken by the display. The side bezels are not as thin as on flagship smartphones but are thin enough, especially for a device in this price class. The forehead and chin are kept within acceptable limits as well. The top centre of the display features a U-shaped waterdrop dot notch that houses the front-camera. The earpiece is a long slit between the display and the frame. The top bezel is where you'll find the light and proximity sensors. Just like on the Redmi Note 7, the Pro variant has a LED notification light placed right off the chin's centre. The navigation bar is onscreen only. You can either customize it or remove it completely and use onscreen gestures instead. The rear design of the Redmi Note 7 Pro is also identical to the one of the non-Pro variant. The dual camera module protrudes quite a bit and is vertically aligned in the top left corner of the handset. Right below it, there's a dual LED flash and a fingerprint sensor is positioned in the centre of the upper half of the handset. The Redmi by Xiaomi logo is imprinted at the bottom of the handset. An infrared port, 3.5 mm jack and a microphone hole are placed on the top frame of the device. The infrared port is used for pairing the smartphone with various appliances and using it as a remote control for them. The bottom frame houses a centrally positioned USB Type-C 2.0 port with speaker grilles symmetrically positioned on its sides. Only the right one covers a speaker. The hybrid, dual-SIM tray is placed on the left frame, while the Volume and Power off buttons are positioned on the right frame.