The Redmi 10 Prime belongs to a rather coveted lineup of budget and mid-range smartphones. Case in point – you’re unlikely to find a best budget and mid-range smartphone listing that doesn’t include at least one device from the Redmi range. Naturally, expectations have been hyped up for the Redmi 10 Prime, but the experience we’ve had with it in just less than two weeks hasn’t had us go gaga over it. That being said, the Redmi 10 Prime does have places where it makes a fair case for itself to smartphone buyers in India.
Specifications
Before we begin with our review, a quick specifications overview. The Redmi 10 Prime runs on the MediaTek Helio G88 SoC, a new chipset launched less than two months ago. Incidentally, this is the first mainstream smartphone where we see the Helio G88. The variant that we’re reviewing has 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, which costs Rs 14,999. There is a 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant as well, which we wouldn’t recommend (more on this later). It has a 6.5-inch full HD+ display with 90Hz adaptive refresh rate, and to the rear, it gets a 50MP quad rear camera setup.
The selfie camera is an 8MP unit, and the smartphone runs on Android 11 with MIUI 12.5 on top. It offers a USB-C port, and connectivity chops include the standard Bluetooth 5.1 and dual-band Wi-Fi. The setup is powered by a 6,000mAh battery with 18W charging, and dimensions wise, the Redmi 10 Prime weighs 192g and measures 9.56mm in thickness. The fingerprint sensor is mounted to the right, and the rear is made of polycarbonate. With that, on to more details.
The MediaTek Helio G88 on the Redmi 10 Prime isn’t exactly a performance beast. On Geekbench 5, it manages an average score of 370 points in single-core and 1,210 points in multi-core performance. For reference, this is significantly lesser than the average benchmark scores registered by the Helio G95 on phones such as the Realme Narzo 30, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 on the likes of the Redmi Note 10.
Build and design: Looks decent, feels budget
The recent range of Redmi smartphones have been lauded for offering premium builds, but with the Redmi 10 Prime, the polycarbonate back feels a bit too plasticky. It catches too many fingerprint smudges, and if you want to show off the fancy paint job on the rear, your only bet is to slap on one of those translucent rubber covers that inevitably look horrible after the first few weeks. It also does not feel premium, which is what bothers us more than putting on a cover.
The display is also a bit too bevelled, which means that the Redmi 10 Prime does not have the smooth, flush in-hand feel of premium phones. The fingerprint sensor embedded on the power button and the volume rocker are placed a touch too high up the right edge, which will bother those with smaller palms. However, the top-mounted 3.5mm audio port is a good addition, and the dual speakers are placed well so that you wouldn’t end up covering them with your palms when watching a video or playing games on the phone. On overall terms, this makes the Redmi 10 Prime a bit of a mixed bag, at best.
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