I was looking for a new phone to replace a Samsung M20 which had broken down and Samsung service was quoting a repair fee of INR 7000 – more than half of the price (INR 12,990) I had paid three years ago. Till now, my experience with Samsung mobiles has been good. My wife was having a Samsung Galaxy M31s, my sister and my son were using Samsung Galaxy M30s, and I have a Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite as my second phone, which I am very happy with. But recently, apart from the problem with this one (M20), I heard from a friend about a motherboard problem he was having with his Samsung Galaxy M20. So I decided to look for other brands.
The new phone will be used for Voice Calls, SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook & YouTube, in other words, regular usage, with not much photography and no gaming. I wanted a phone that was not too expensive. I considered models from VIVO, OPPO & Motorola – all three are Chinese brands but their affordable models are now being Made in India (assembled). After some search, I narrowed it down to two models: Redmi 10 Pro and Moto G31 which got released yesterday (6th Dec 2021). Asking around I got good recommendations for the former, so I went with Redmi 10 Pro from Amazon India for INR 12,499 (USD 165) for the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage model.
Redmi 10 Pro comes with a 6000mAh Battery, 90Hz Adaptive Refresh display, the latest MediaTek Helio G88 Processor, 3.5mm Audio Jack, FM Radio, IR Blaster, Dual Mic, Dual Speakers, and a 50MP Quad Camera setup. For charging it has a USB-C port. I dislike customized versions of Android and prefer Google’s stock Android, but MIUI 12.5 was not bad. I noticed little changes from the ordinary, and I was able to uninstall third-party apps like Netflix that came pre-bundled. It was easy to change the defaults to Google’s own apps for Calendar, Clock, Messages (SMS), GBoard Keyboard and so on.
Overall, it looks like a decent phone at an affordable price.
Redmi 10 Prime
Disclosure: I write reviews about products that I have bought for my usage and paid in full. There were no sponsorship or advertisement, or commission of any sort involved in this post.
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