Redmi 9 vs Redmi 9 Prime vs Redmi Note 9: What’s the Difference?

Redmi 9 debuted in India on Thursday as the successor to the Redmi 8. The new smartphone comes with dual rear cameras as well as features a waterdrop-style display notch. The Redmi 9 is also based on Xiaomi's Aura Edge Design that brings a textured back and prevents smudges. Xiaomi has also provided a 5,000mAh battery on the Redmi 9, with two days of usage on a single charge. The new launch came just a little over a month after the company launched the Redmi Note 9 in the country and a few weeks after the debut of the Redmi 9 Prime. There are slight changes among the three Redmi series phones.

In this article, we compare Redmi 9 price in India and specifications with those of the Redmi 9 Prime and Redmi Note 9 to help you look at their key differences.

Redmi 9 vs Redmi 9 Prime vs Redmi Note 9: Price in India

Redmi 9 price in India starts at Rs. 8,999 for the 64GB storage option. There is also a 128GB storage variant of the new Redmi phone that carries a price tag of Rs. 9,999. The phone comes in Carbon Black, Sky Blue, and Sporty Orange and will be available for purchase starting August 31.

In contrast, the Redmi 9 Prime is priced at Rs. 9,999 and Rs. 11,999 for the 64GB and 128GB storage variants, respectively. The phone is available in Carbon Black, Sky Blue, and Sporty Orange colours through select sale rounds in the country.

The Redmi Note 9, on the other hand, carries a starting price of Rs. 11,999 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage option, while its 4GB RAM + 128GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 13,499 and the top-end, 6GB RAM + 128GB storage model is at Rs. 14,999. There are four colour options, namely Aqua Green, Arctic White, Pebble Grey, and Scarlet Red. Moreover, the handset is available through select sale rounds.

Redmi 9 vs Redmi 9 Prime vs Redmi Note 9: Specifications

The Redmi 9, Redmi 9 Prime, and Redmi Note 9 all come with dual-SIM (Nano) support and run on Android 10. However, the Redmi 9 is the company's first model in the country that comes preloaded with MIUI 12, while the Redmi 9 Prime and Redmi Note 9 have MIUI 11 on top of the latest Android version. In terms of display, the Redmi 9 has a 6.53-inch HD+ (720x1,600 pixels) Dot Drop display with a 20:9 aspect ratio. The Redmi 9 Prime and Redmi Note 9 also come with the 6.53-inch display size but with full-HD+ (1,080x2,340 pixels) resolution that brings a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Further, the Redmi Note 9 has a hole-punch design, which isn't there in case of the Redmi 9 and Redmi 9 Prime that both have the waterdrop-style notch.

Under the hood, the Redmi 9 offers an octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 SoC, along with standard 4GB RAM. The Redmi 9 Prime, on the other hand, has an octa-core MediaTek Helio G80 SoC, with 4GB RAM. In contrast, the Redmi Note 9 comes with an octa-core MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, coupled with up to 6GB RAM. The Redmi 9, Redmi 9 Prime, and Redmi Note 9, however, provide the same, 64GB and 128GB storage options that are expandable via microSD card (up to 512GB).

On the optics part, the Redmi 9 has the dual rear camera setup that includes a 13-megapixel primary sensor with an f/2.2 lens and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor with an f/2.4 lens. The Redmi 9 Prime, on the other front, provides a quad rear camera setup that houses a 13-megapixel primary shooter, an 8-megapixel secondary shooter with an ultra-wide-angle lens that has a 118-degree field of view (FoV), a 5-megapixel macro shooter, and lastly, a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The Redmi Note 9 also has a quad rear camera setup but with a 48-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1 primary sensor along with an f/1.79 lens, 8-megapixel secondary sensor with an f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens, and two 2-megapixel sensors for macro and depth photography.

The Redmi 9 has a 5-megapixel camera sensor at the front, with an f/2.2 lens. This is unlike the Redmi 9 Prime that gives you an 8-megapixel camera sensor at the front. The Redmi Note 9, on the other side, brings a 13-megapixel selfie camera sensor at the front.

Connectivity options on the Redmi 9, Redmi 9 Prime, and Redmi Note 9 are almost identical as all three phones have 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. However, the Redmi 9, being the most inferior in the series, has a Micro-USB port instead of a USB Type-C port that's available on the Redmi 9 Prime and Redmi Note 9. The latter two models also have an infrared (IR) blaster which isn't there on the new Redmi phone.

The Redmi 9, Redmi 9 Prime, and Redmi Note 9 all three phones come with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. In terms of battery, the Redmi 9 has a 5,000mAh battery, whereas the Redmi 9 Prime and Redmi Note 9 pack a 5,020mAh battery. Additionally, the Redmi 9 supports 10W fast charging, while the Redmi 9 Prime has 18W fast charging and Redmi Note 9 comes with 22.5W fast charging and 9W reverse charging.

Dimensions-wise, the Redmi 9 is the biggest among the three models, measuring in at 164.9x77.07x9.0mm. The Redmi 9 Prime, on the other hand, measures 163.30x77x9.1mm, while the Redmi Note 9 measures 161.48x76.7x8.75mm. On the part of weight, the Redmi 9 is the lightest in the series with a weight of 196 grams. The Redmi 9 Prime weighs 198 grams and the Redmi Note 9 weighs 200 grams.

Is Redmi Note 9 the perfect successor to Redmi Note 8? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.