Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 review

Design, build and 360-degree view

Redmi is really proud of the Redmi Note 7's design and build quality. To be frank, the design isn't anything special, and it looks a lot like your regular 2018 midranger, but there's more than it meets the eye.

The company says the Redmi Note 7 has gone through the same quality control as Xiaomi's top-shelf smartphones. Redmi is so confident in the build quality that it even offers the handset in China with 18-month warranty as opposed to the standard 12-month period. The front and the back are fitted with Corning's Gorilla Glass 5 with an additional 0.8mm-thick layer for extra durability.

We didn't test it ourselves, but the phone does feel quite sturdy in hand. Also, to our surprise, it doesn't feel like an exceptionally slippery phone although, the flat back makes it a bit hard to hold on.

First things, first. Let's start with the front panel where the 6.3-inch LCD IPS panel resides. It features fairly thin side bezels but compensates with a thick-looking chin and upper bezel, which was to be expected given the price point of the handset. The notch is quite small and isn't as obtrusive.

One cool thing we've noticed - the LED notification light sits comfortably on the chin. It can only be seen when it lights up, it's really subtle.

Flipping the phone over, we see a flat glass back that seamlessly transitions into the side frame. The front glass, on the other hand, sticks out and you can feel the edge of it. Anyway, the back houses the fingerprint reader in the middle and the dual camera setup along with the LED flash in the upper-left corner.

The sides of the phone are made of glossy plastic and thus feel less slippery than metal and glass while mimicking the feel of metal quite well. The top houses the 3.5mm audio jack, the secondary noise-canceling microphone and the IR blaster.

The power button and the volume rocker are on the right side, which leaves the SIM card tray on the left. The bottom is where the speaker grilles and the USB-C connector reside.

As we said earlier, the phone isn't easy to hold due to its ergonomics, but it's nowhere near your usual slippery glass sandwich phones. We don't know how they've done it, but the result is impressive. Our only small complaint would be the weight. At 186g, the phone does feel a bit heavy, but on the other hand, it gives the Redmi Note 7 a more sturdy and solid feel in hand.

Here's a 360-degree view of the device so you can to take a better look at it from all sides.