In March this year, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 line of smartphones was introduced, which included the following models: 10, 10 Pro, 10S and 10 5G. All devices are somehow different from each other, but visually have minor differences. I did a detailed review of the basic version of Note 10, which I recommend you read, since most of the functions and features are related to other devices. Today’s review will focus on the 10S model, which is built on the MTK platform (Helio G95 processor), has a 6.43” Amoled display (running ahead, DC Dimming is present) and a 64MP OmniVision main camera.
Buy Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S
Since the start of sales of this model began quite recently (April 28), this review will be supplemented as new information becomes available. But I tried to make out all the main aspects. So, the appearance of the packaging is not much different from the entire Note 10 line.
Reviewed version 6/128Gb, color Onyx Gray. What is remarkable is the existence of versions with NFC on board.
The bundle is almost identical to the Note 10 version, except for the presence of another brochure. There is also a protective film on the screen.
The key features of this model are applied on a protective film, that is, in fact, the 10S differs from the 10 with an MTK processor and a more “megapixel” camera. The 5000mAh battery wanders from model to model.
As mentioned earlier, the appearance of Note 10S is no different from the basic version. But since we have a model with a 64MP photomodule, the silver insert around the main camera is a distinctive feature.
If the Note 10 used a 48MP IMX582 photomodule, then the Note 10S uses a 64MP OmniVision OV64B sensor (pixel size 0.70 µm, sensor size 1/2″). To what extent this is a winning option, we will find out in the tests. The rest of the modules remain unchanged:
- wide-angle — Sony IMX355 at 8MP
- macro — GalaxyCore GC02M1 at 2MP
- blur — OmniVision OV02B1B at 2MP)
The body of the smartphone is plastic, the back cover is easily soiled. All edges are rounded, it is comfortable in the steering wheel, it does not strive to slip out. The connectors are in the same places, at the top there is a speaker, a microphone and an infrared port, at the bottom there is a typeC connector, a microphone, a 3.5mm jack and a second stereo speaker. The sound is pleasant, there are no rattles of the back cover at maximum volume.
On the right side of the volume rocker, and below the power button combined with a fingerprint sensor. The response speed remained at the same level and works quite quickly. The left side is used for a multifunctional tray — 2 * nanoSim and 1 * microSD. The maximum capacity of memory cards is 2TB.
The new Amoled display is the weakest point of the Note 10 series, as it has high PWM performance. But for Note 10S, a crutch was implemented in the form of DC Dimming, which is activated in the screen settings. The flickering itself has not gone away and it is clearly visible on the display when DC Dimming is turned off, but after turning it on, the flickering will almost completely disappear. In general, it became comfortable to use.
Additional frame rate settings were not delivered, so the system only works at 60Hz.
Note that the Note 10S comes with the latest MIUI 12.5 operating system, which has a slight visual change from the regular MIUI 12.
But before moving on to the software, let’s finish with the display. The teardrop notch for the front camera has not gone away and houses the 13MP Omnivision OV13B10 module (it is also used in the base Note 10).
Operating system MIUI 12.5. I don’t see the point in talking about innovations, since visually everything has remained in its place, and no one is interested in all sorts of little things (for example, square volume bars instead of the previous round ones). But it’s better to say that Note 10S can be equipped with an NFC module, which proved to be excellent in working with VISA and MASTERCARD cards. So if you are interested in the Note 10 line, but you need NFC, you should take a closer look.
The settings menu has not undergone any changes, or I was looking in the wrong place. All the same, most users are waiting for a minor update to 12.5, but in reality you don’t feel the difference. Well, at least the AOD mode was left and given the opportunity to use it.
The long-awaited DC Dimming mode was nevertheless equipped with Note 10S and most likely in update 12.5 they will also be “delivered” to the base Note 10. It’s too early to say how convenient it is, so I’ll unsubscribe in a couple of days. But the very fact of recognizing the problem and trying to solve it pleases.
A brief summary of some of the characteristics of this device. The set of sensors is quite diverse, but there is no proximity sensor (in order for the screen to turn off during calls, a number of other sensors are used, such as an accelerometer).
Since the Note 10S is new, I was wondering how the Helio G95 processor would perform in synthetic benchmarks. And what was my surprise when I could not run a single benchmark. The standard set simply did not start, crashed at the final percentage, or did not allow additional files to be downloaded. Most likely, the performance will be corrected in new updates, but for now it has what we have:
- Antutu: does not allow downloading additional files in current versions v9.0.5-OB, v9.0.4-OB. But in the open spaces of the network there is information about 302500 points;
- Geekbench 5: crashes in both tests;
- 3DMark: Sling Shot — 3278 / Wild Life — 1489.
Also pay attention to the throttling of the Helio G95 processor, which is in the 3rd quarter of 2020 and built on a 12nm process technology. And if we turn to the test result of the processor itself, we can see that Geekbench 5 knocks out:
- Single Core Score — 516
- Multi-Core Score — 1595
Let me remind you that Note 10 is built on Snapdragon 678 and knocks out 532/1536 points. The difference between them is not significant, but Qualcomm processors are not subject to special throttling.
The internal storage (UFS 2.1) and RAM (LPDDR4x) speed test showed excellent results, which are significantly different from those of the base Note 10:
- RAM — 20570.54MB/s
- ROM — Read 509.02 | Write 312.85MB/s
The operation of positioning systems (GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo) does not cause any complaints, the speed of connection to satellites is instantaneous, a cold start is not a hindrance. Yes, and the connection keeps confidently, but it depends very much on the presence of a number of base stations. For example, in the first screenshot there are speed tests over 4G networks, at which 20.9 / 10.7Mb / s — Megafon and 7.5 / 10.8Mb / s — Yota (the test was made from the same place).
For the active use of this smartphone, a capacious 5000mAh battery and a 33W fast charging kit are used. But what was my surprise when the peak consumption of a smartphone from a standard unit with a cable did not exceed 10W. Yes, charging gave 9V1.2A, but the same Note 10 consumed 27W with similar PSU parameters. Therefore, the total charge time is as much as 3 hours. Perhaps this is some kind of glitch, so I will run this test again and add if there are changes.
Also, at the moment there is a test of autonomy during cyclic video playback, so this data will be added in the near future. But I can say in advance that the results are generally encouraging.
Re-test using a third-party charger kit and cable. The graph is identical to the previous one.
Autonomy test. Standard procedure for playing a looping YouTube video at 100% brightness and 50% volume. For a built-in 5000mAh battery, the result of 15 hours 55 minutes is more than worthy, but still loses to the basic version of Redmi Note 10 on Snapdragon.
Let’s add data to the general table, where I compare the results with other devices:
- OnePlus N100 — 11 hours 5 minutes (5000 mAh)
- Infinix Note 8 — 13 hours 47 minutes (5200 mAh)
- Vivo V20SE — 14 hours 25 minutes (4100 mAh)
- Poco M3 — 15 hours 26 minutes (6000 mAh)
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S — 15 hours 55 minutes (5000mAh)
- Infinix Zero 8 — 16 hours (4500 mAh)
- Infinix Hot 10 Play — 16 hours 15 minutes (6000 mAh)
- Vivo V20 — 16 hours 34 minutes (4000 mAh)
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 — 17 hours 27 minutes (5000 mAh)
- OnePlus N10 — 18 hours (4300 mAh)
Games. The ARM Mali-G76 3EEMC4720 MHz GPU is capable of pulling high and ultra settings in many online games, while there is a small drawdown in single-player games. Examples:
- PUBG Mobile — 51 FPS [Low]
- Call of Duty: Mobile — 38 FPS [Ultra]
- Fortnite — 27 FPS [Low]
- Shadowgun Legends — 57 FPS [Low]
- World of Tanks Blitz — 48 FPS [High]
- Genshin Impact — 27 FPS [Low]
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang — 52 FPS [Ultra]
Well, in conclusion, the photo capabilities of this smartphone. If you turn to the settings, everything is unchanged here: video stabilization is available only at 1080@30p settings, and the maximum video settings are 4K@30p.
Photo examples will be presented below, but I would like to note the new module of the Note 10S line — OmniVision OV64B. This sensor was introduced in the second quarter of 2020:
In comparison, the 64MP Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 sensor has 0.8µm pixels on a 1/1.7-inch sensor, while the 48MP Samsung ISOCELL Bright sensor has 0.8µm pixels on a 1/2-inch sensor. OmniVision OV64B is built on PureCel Plus-S technology using color filters (CFA). Along with 64MP images, the sensor can output 16MP images with four-pixel group fusion, equivalent to sensors with 1.4µm pixels.
Therefore, the final result is more than good and has a small amount of noise in the photo. If you would like to view full size photos, please follow the link.
What can I say in conclusion, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S smartphone is a rather interesting device with a more powerful camera and NFC versions. The question of choosing a processor is certainly not clear, but most likely the emphasis was placed on the financial component. Otherwise, this is a familiar Redmi Note 10 with additional features, the latest MIUI 12.5 OS and DC Dimming out of the box.
To purchase this smartphone, the Hong Kong Goldway store provides a $30 discount coupon, which can be obtained from this link. The coupon is valid from May 4, 10:00 to May 6, 09:59 (Moscow time). Valid only for the purchase of Redmi Note 10S.