Redmi Note 9S vs Redmi Note 9 Pro Max: What's the Difference?

Xiaomi on Monday unveiled the Redmi Note 9S that is a mid-range smartphone with some impressive specifications. It is the global version of the Redmi Note 9 Pro that was released along with the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max in India. The Max version is a slight step up, as the name suggests, from the Redmi Note 9 Pro as well as Redmi Note 9S. So let's put the two smartphones head to head and see what really separates them:

Redmi Note 9S vs Redmi Note 9 Pro Max: Price

The Redmi Note 9S comes in two variants namely, 4GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB. The former is priced at RM 799 (roughly Rs. 13,700) while the latter is priced at RM 899 (roughly Rs. 15,000). The phone will go on sale in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore later this month. AliExpress shoppers can grab the phone starting April 7 for $249 (roughly Rs. 19,000) and have it shipped to where they live.

On the other hand, the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max starts at Rs. 14,999 for the base 6GB + 64GB variant. The phone is priced at Rs. 16,999 for the 6GB + 128GB model, and at Rs. 18,999 for the top-end 8GB + 128GB variant.

The Redmi Note 9S comes in Aurora Blue, Glacier White, and Interstellar Grey while the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max replaces the Interstellar Grey variant for the Interstellar Black and keeps the other colour options.

Redmi Note 9S vs Redmi Note 9 Pro Max: Specifications

Both the phones have dual-SIM (Nano) support and run MIUI 11 on top of Android 10. Both of them have 6.67-inch full-HD+ (1,080x2,400 pixels) display with an aspect ratio of 20:9. The Redmi Note 9S and the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max are powered by the same octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor but the former comes with up to 6GB RAM while the latter has an 8GB RAM variant as well.

Talking about the camera hardware, both phones have a similar quad rear camera setup with the only difference being the 48-megapixel main camera with an f/1.79 aperture on the Redmi Note 9S and a 64-megapixel primary sensor on the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. The other three cameras are the same with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, a 5-megapixel macro shooter, and finally a 2-megapixel depth sensor. On the front, the Redmi Note 9S has a 16-megapixel selfie camera while the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max has a 32-megapixel selfie camera.

For storage, both phones have 64GB and 128GB variants and support storage expansion via microSD card (up to 512GB). For connectivity, both the Redmi Note 9S and the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max have 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/A-GPS, NavIC, a USB Type-C port for charging, and 3.5mm headphone jack.

Even though both the Redmi Note 9S and the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max have the same battery capacity at 5,020mAh, the Note 9S supports 18W fast charging and the Note 9 Pro Max supports much faster 33W fast charging. The Redmi Note 9S comes in at 165.70x76.60x8.80mm and weighs 209 grams while the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max comes in at 165.50x76.68x8.80mm and weighs the same.