Xiaomi Redmi 7 is a new budget smartphone and successor of Redmi 6. This phone came a bit before one year mark but this was important. The smartphone market is getting competitive and it is necessary to put out the best. We used Redmi 7 for a week and compared it with our Redmi 6. The experience was very positive and simple we can say that this is a significant upgrade.
Xiaomi Redmi 6 is almost a year old and it has seen a lot. It got lots of updates and there is much more to it. Frankly, I still use this phone as a secondary phone. My blue color Redmi 6 is the only phone which has got many people asking about its name. People mostly like its small size and color. This shows how still many people like the small form factor. Redmi Go is a good small size option for many people.
Now there is Redmi 7 with big upgrades in the processor, memory, storage, screen, battery, and camera. This basically means there is an upgrade in every part of the phone. It is the reason why this phone is important as it comes at the same price range but provides more power. The update on these smartphones shows how phone scenario changes rapidly in one year. To begin our review and comparison, let us list the hardware specs of the new Xiaomi both Redmi 7 and Redmi 6.
Xiaomi Redmi 7 and Redmi 6 Specifications Comparison
Redmi 7 Specs and Details
- Display: 6.26 Inches IPS LCD
- Resolution: 720×1520
- Screen Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 (Octa-Core)
- CPU Details: 1.8 GHz Kryo 250 Gold and 1.8 GHz Kryo 250 Silver Quad-Core Sets
- GPU: Adreno 506
- Memory: 2/3/4 GB RAM
- Storage: 16/32/64 GB eMMC 5.1 On-Board
- Battery: 4000 mAh Lithium Polymer
- Charging Rate: 10W
- Back Camera: 2 modules
- 12 Megapixel with aperture f/2.2
- 2 Megapixel (Depth)
- Front Camera: 8 Megapixel with f/2.0 aperture
- OS: Android 9 (MIUI 11)
- Connectivity: micro USB 2.0, 3.5 mm headphone jack
- Sensors: Rear-Mounted Fingerprint Scanner, Proximity, Accelerometer
| Redmi 7 | Redmi 6 |
| 6.26″ IPS LCD Screen | 5.45″ IPS LCD Screen |
| 720×1520 screen resolution | 720×1440 screen resolution |
| 2/3/4 GB RAM Option | 3/4 GB RAM Option |
| 16/32/64 GB Storage variants | 32/64 GB Storage variants |
| 4000 mAh Battery | 3000 mAh Battery |
| Snapdragon 632 Chipset | Mediatek MT6762 Chipset |
| 8 MP Selfie Camera | 5 MP Front camera |
| 12 MP f/2.2 + 2 MP Back Cameras | 12 MP + 5 MP f/2.2 Rear cameras |
Our review is based on 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage variant of both phones. At first, a clear change is built. Redmi 7 is a big phone as it has a bigger display. Back side is made up of polycarbonate which is glossy and seems like glass. Redmi 6 is also made of polycarbonate but it has good color options and doesn’t show fingerprints like the Xiaomi Redmi 7. Both phones have the fingerprint scanner at back and they are placed correctly.
Performance Improvement
Last year there was Mediatek chipset with 2 GHz octa-core processor. Now the chipset is Snapdragon 632 which is newer and powerful with two 1.8 GHz quad-core sets inside to make for the 8 cores in total. Xiaomi is providing the same 3/32 GB model this year at the same price range which is good. We did some benchmarks and they showed good improvement. The benchmark data below shows the difference between both phones.
| Benchmarks | Redmi 7 | Redmi 6 |
| Geekbench Single Core | 1239 | 812 |
| Geekbench Multi-Core Core | 4268 | 3364 |
| Renderscript Score | 3835 | 2760 |
| AnTuTu Score | 103321 | 74735 |
Both phones are running with new MIUI 10 but Xiaomi Redmi 6 is already showing its age and it does freeze sometimes but the new one is rocking. The raw power shows up in operations and normal use. The phone has enough power to do all the basic tasks and even multiwindows work. I used YouTube and Chrome in a split window and they worked smoothly even with 3 GB LPDDR4 RAM.
Better Camera
There are minor but impactful improvements in the camera of Xiaomi Redmi 7. If we see the raw specs, we see that the main camera is 12 MP f/2.2 and depth sensing module is 2 MP. In the older version, the depth-sensing camera was 5 MP f/2.2. The meaningful changes can be found inside the camera software actually. Redmi 7 can now shoot photos at the same resolution as the predecessor but it can now record videos at 1080p 60 fps.
It can also record and save the files using the H.265 codec which gives better quality in small size. Many tweaking options are available like Pro mode, time lapse interval control and much more. Still, there is no option to select the resolution in the camera settings. Xiaomi should understand that enthusiasts like us need granular control over resolution. On the front side, there is an 8 MP camera whereas there was 5 MP in the older model. This also gives more power which means higher resolution selfies with great details.
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Richer Extra Features
The battery is a basic requirement and it is very important to have a good battery. Xiaomi Redmi 6 has 3000 mAh battery while the Redmi 7 comes with 4000 mAh battery. This is a big jump and a very meaningful one. Now the phone can easily go for two days with normal use. On top of a big battery, the company is also throwing in 10W Fast charging. This isn’t industry-leading fast but it matters a lot.
Most phones at this budget don’t have a good screen protector but Xiaomi is also using Gorilla Glass 5. This is a very good addition which gives better protection to the phone. Xiaomi is using new 2+1 card slot design this time. In previous phones, there used to be two trays for two SIM cards and SD card. Now all three things go in one tray instead of two separate one.
Final Conclusion
If we consider the comparison of Xiaomi Redmi 7 vs Redmi 6, the new one is obviously a worthy successor and worth the upgrade. It has a much faster processor which is shown from our benchmark. The camera is also improved with better video shooting capability and selfie camera. There is a bigger battery and a bigger screen as well.
It passes all the requirements to be a good phone. Things like Gorilla Glass 5 and fast charging add additional attraction to the phone. We find the Xiaomi Redmi 7 a very good budget option and recommend this as a valuable option.
