Redmi 10C: The midrange killer

Out of the blue, from left field, the Redmi 10C has been launched globally. I woke up this morning to see Xiaomi’s official handles on social media posting the news.

This comes as a bit of a surprise because most of the conversation were dominated by the upcoming Redmi 10a which is a clone of the Redmi 9a.

The Redmi 10C comes with what are bonafide midrange specs but seems to be advertised as a budget device. Just one glance at the spec sheet and I am sold. I have not ben excited about a phone like this in a while.

With that out of the way, lets take a look at the specs as well as the pricing.


Redmi 10C specs

  • Body: Plastic
  • SoC: Snapdragon 680 (6nm)
  • GPU: Adreno 610
  • Memory: LPDDR4x RAM + UFS 2.2 storage
  • Display: 6.71″ HD+ IPS-LCD, 329ppi, 400nits, 60/120Hz
  • Cameras: 50MP Samsung JN1 + 2MP depth
  • Selfie: 5MP selfie
  • Video: 1080p@30fps
  • Battery: 5000mAh with 18W fast charge
  • Connectivity: Dual 4G SIM slots, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, 3.5mm audio jack, OTG, NFC
  • Sensors: Fingerprint (rear), light, proximity, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, infrared, GPS.

Read: Redmi Note 11 series is here


Body

The phone is made of plastic and seems to weigh around 190g to 200g. There has been no word on if there are any IP ratings. It seems to lack them though.


Performance

There is the latest Snapdragon 680 SoC on board with the Adreno 610. This is definitely midrange territory. This is the same SoC that powers the Redmi Note 11. Very decent set up.

There is a standard 4GB LPDDR4x RAM paired with a very fast 64GB or 128GB of UFS 2.2 internal storage on board. Contrary to earlier reports, it does support expandable storage.

The phone ships with MIUI 13 running on Android 11.

Overall, this device will give decent performance but do not expect too much. It’s modest 242,000 score on Antutu should be an indicator for this.


Display

There is an 6.7″ IPS-LCD display here. The resolution of the display is High Definition or 720p. There are no high refresh rates here, no HDR 10 and definitely no screen protection. This is understandable considering that it is a budget class device.


Read: Redmi 10


Cameras

The R10c comes with three cameras. There is 50MP Samsung JN1 main camera and a 2MP OmniVision depth sensor. This setup is reminiscent of the Redmi Note 7. For selfies, there is a 5MP module out in front.

This device records 1080p video at 30fps. It can also do 720p videos at 60fps and slow motion at 120fps as well.


Battery

The device is powered by a 5,000mAh battery which supports 18W fast charge as well as 5W reverse charge.


Connectivity and Sensors

All of the regular connectivity options and sensors that you’ll expect from a phone are no board here.


Prices

It is the prices that have attracted me to this device. The 4/64GB model sells for N78,000 ($187.50) while the 4/128GB model sells for N87,000 ($209).


Final take

This device brings back memories of the Redmi Note 7. Its SD chipset, dual cameras, 18W fast charge etc. The fact is that the Redmi 10C squares up to it cousin, the Redmi Note 11 in terms of performance and photography.

If you can do without an AMOLED display, 33W fast charge and the extra two cameras, then this is the device for you. Its price point is perfect.


Thank you for reading to the end. As always, ensure to check out our links for more information and…