Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro may launch in February with better 48MP camera than Redmi Note 7

Xiaomi will launch the second product under its new Redmi sub-brand possibly in February. The company has announced that it will launch a more potent variant of the Redmi Note 7, aka the Redmi Note 7 Pro, in China after the Spring Festival which is on February 5. The Redmi Note 7 Pro is expected to look and feel exactly like the Redmi Note 7 but it will pack slightly better hardware. Especially in the camera department. 

Xiaomi has confirmed that the Redmi Note 7 Pro will also sport a 48MP primary rear camera like the Redmi Note 7, but it will come with a better sensor. While the Redmi Note 7 Pro uses a Samsung-sourced GM1 sensor, the Redmi Note 7 Pro will come with Sony’s IMX586 – the same sensor that is also found in the Honor View 20. The Redmi Note 7 was apparently supposed to come with the Sony IMX586 but instead it had to go with the Samsung GM1 due to supply constraints. 

Both the Samsung GM1 and Sony IMX586 are the first to make high-definition 48 effective megapixels photography possible on a smartphone form-factor – capable of producing high-quality photos with more details even when zoomed in. But here’s the thing. The Sony IMX586 is hands down a better sensor than the Samsung GM1. At least on paper. The Sony IMX586 uses a Quad-Bayer array arranged in 4x4 for a total of 48-million-pixel count, whereas the Samsung GM1 can do only 12MP photos only to then interpolate to 48MP. In simpler terms, the Sony IMX586 is a true 48MP sensor. The Samsung IMX586 is not. 

Regardless, there’s more to smartphone photography than just the sensor and the megapixels. At the end of the day, the difference between the Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7 Pro, could be just about nit-picking the finer details – like details while zooming in – and hard to notice for casual users. Note that the Redmi Note 7 Pro will also likely cost more than the Redmi Note 7, so that is also something to take into consideration. 

The Redmi Note 7 has been launched in China at a starting price of CNY 999 (which roughly translates to Rs 10,385) for the base version with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage going all the way to CNY 1,399 (roughly Rs 14,539) for the top-end version with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage. There is also a 4GB RAM and 64GB storage version of the Redmi Note 7 that will sell for CNY 1,199 (roughly Rs 12,460.)  

Also Read: Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Launched With Waterdrop-style Notch, 48MP Rear Camera, Price Starts At Around Rs 10,000