The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G is one of three smartphones to be introduced by Xiaomi back in March and it's the only smartphone in the new Redmi Note 10 range that features 5G. It's also the least expensive handset with prices starting at around £200 which puts it comfortably in the mid-range as well as the 'cheap smartphone categories', of which, we have two: Under £200 and Under £300. 

Xiaomi says the Redmi Note 10 series brings innovation at a reasonable price so we're interested to see just how well the Redmi Note 10 5G performs. We've already reviewed the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro should you be interested in seeing how the flagship of the series scores. The Redmi Note 10 Pro is available in the UK priced at £249 (6+64GB) and £269 (6+128GB). 

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G Features

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G features a rear 48MP, f/1.8, 26mm with PDAF that's supported by a 2MP, f/2.4 depth sensor and a 2MP, f/2.4 macro lens while on the front is an 8MP f/2.0 selfie lens that's cut out of the 6.5 inches IPS LCD display. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 is found on the front of the smartphone but the rear and frame have a plastic construction. 

Video is captured in 1080p at 30fps and features such as digital filters, portrait mode, tilt-shift and AI are built into the camera app. Other features include a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C, 5000mAh battery, 5G connectivity, microSDXC slot and various RAM/ROM options as well as colour variants. 

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G is available for around £200 and on test we have the 4GB/128GB option in Graphite Gray. 

Key Features

• Rear Camera: 48MP, f/1.8, 26mm with PDAF, 2MP, f/2.4 depth sensor and 2MP, f/2.4 macro lens
• Front Camera: 8MP f/2.0 
• Zoom: Up to 10x digital 
• Video: 1080p @ 30fps
• Display: 6.5" IPS LCD
• Dimensions: 161.81 x 75.34 x 8.92mm
• Weight: 190g
• Battery: 5000mAH (supports wired fast charging)
• RAM/ROM: 4GB/64GB, 4GB/128GB. 6GB/128GB
• Connectivity: 5G
• Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack
• Colour options: silver, grey, blue or green

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G Handling

When you first pick up the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G you'll notice how well it fits in the hand and how comfortable it is to hold. Pop on the supplied clear plastic case and you get even more grip, too. Although, operating it with one hand will be tricky for some and we always recommend holding a smartphone with two hands when capturing photos. The smartphone is also lightweight, weighing 190g, and you can feel the lightness when you hold the smartphone in your hand but the plastic frame/back, which help keep the weight down, also make the Redmi Note 10 5G feel slightly cheaper than some of its competitors. The rounded edges are nice, though, making it comfortable to hold. Talking of edges, the right edge is where you find the power/volume rockers and to the bottom is the USB-C port and speaker. On top is a 3.5mm headphone jack and the left side is home to the MicroSD slot. 

Press the power button and the 6.5" LCD DotDisplay pings to life quickly but it is a little on the dark side which makes is hard to view in bright light. It also has a slight blue cast and just doesn't look quite as good as the AMOLED display on the Note 10 Pro. 

You can swipe to access the camera app from the bottom right of the screen and at first glance, it looks like any other smartphone camera app but when you start to look closer, you realise some bits are missing. This includes a Pro mode and a Panorama mode but you do get a night mode, 48MP shooting mode, slo-mo, time-lapse and an edit option from the 'More' menu. There are also Macro, Tilt-Shift and Timed-Burst options but these are accessed from the top of the camera app rather than in the 'More' menu so they were a bit of a surprise. Also up top is where you can toggle HDR and the AI function on/off and this is where the many digital filters, which can be applied in-camera, are housed. 

As there's just a 48MP, f/1.8, 26mm with PDAF camera on the rear that's supported by a 2MP, f/2.4 depth sensor and 2MP, f/2.4 macro lens, there's no optical zoom but you do have access to digital zoom which reaches 10X. As there is no digital zoom, there are no options on the screen to switch the zoom so, instead, you have to pinch-zoom and the smartphone tells you on screen how far you have zoomed in. In portrait mode, you can adjust the aperture by using using the sliding scale which goes from f/1.0 to f/16. You can also apply filters when in portrait mode if you want to and make use of the smartphones AI which is designed to help improve your shots. When capturing landscapes, there's an option to switch on HDR, too, for improved dynamic range. 

It's a shame that you're restricted to just one main camera on the rear of the Redmi Note 10 5G as optical zoom is really useful, more useful than a macro lens in our opinion and not having some camera modes that are staples on many others is a bit annoying but you can work around it. 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G Cameras At A Glance:

• Rear Camera: 48MP, f/1.8, 26mm with PDAF, 2MP, f/2.4 depth sensor and 2MP, f/2.4 macro lens
• Front Camera: 8MP f/2.0 
• Zoom: Up to 10x digital 

Battery life - The battery is rated at 5000mAh which gives you plenty of power for a day of taking photos and capturing video. 18W fast charging is also supported.