ISSUE 64 • ANDROID ADVISOR 65ROUND-UPAs we mentioned earlier on in this review you
get a choice of 3- or 4GB of RAM. We tested the
latter, and this is the version we recommend for
the best performance, especially when it costs
only an extra £20.
A major advantage of Redmi over Mi is its support
for storage expansion, so there’s no reason why you
shouldn’t opt for the lower-capacity version and bolt
on extra storage later, if and when you need it. Redmi
Note 7 can accept microSD cards up to 256GB via a
hybrid SIM tray – you must choose between dual-SIM
functionality and storage expansion. If you do opt for
a second SIM instead, know that either SIM slot can be
used for 4G data, but unlike with the Mi 9 family you
can’t use 4G on both at once.
In terms of connectivity there’s also dual-band
802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS and an IR blaster.
You won’t find NFC for making mobile payments, so
if this is important to you step up to the Mi line.
Cameras
For a budget phone the Redmi Note 7’s cameras
are pretty good, though not quite as good as the
marketing might have you believe.
The star of the show is a 48Mp lens that by
default actually takes 12Mp shots. This is because
it combines four pixels into one, averaging out the
quality, exposure, colours and so on to create one
significantly better-looking super pixel.
This is paired with a 5Mp secondary lens for
blurred background (bokeh) shots, and together the
Note 7 is capable of some decent – if a little dull –