Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 still remains one of the most popular smartphones in its segment - and not least thanks to the camera. Yes, this is not a flagship module with optical stabilization, but for its price the device offers surprisingly flexible shooting options. In this article we will analyze all the nuances of photos on Redmi Note 9: From technical specifications to practical tips on how to get the most out of the 48-megapixel sensor.

You will learn which modes are hidden in the standard camera application, how to properly adjust exposure and white balance manually, and why night shots on this smartphone are often better than competitors with more expensive matrices. We tested the device in different conditions - from bright sun to almost complete darkness - and are ready to share our honest conclusions.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Camera Specifications

The heart of the photomodule Redmi Note 9 — main sensor Samsung ISOCELL GM2 resolution 48 MP with aperture f/1.79. This is not the newest chip (released in 2019), but it is well optimized for budget devices. Helper modules include:

  • 🔍 8 MP сверхширокоугольный (угол обзора 118°, aperture f/2.2)
  • 🎯 2 MP macro camera (focal length 4 cm)
  • 🌃 2 MP depth sensor (for portrait mode)

Video recording is supported in resolutions up to 4K@30fps And 1080p@60fps, but there is a nuance: when recording in 4K, electronic stabilization is disabled. Front camera on 13 MP (aperture f/2.25) is hidden in the teardrop notch of the screen and is suitable for selfies and video calls.

Image processing is carried out by the processor MediaTek Helio G85, which is not the most powerful for photography, but gets the job done thanks to an optimized algorithm AI Scene Detection. The system automatically recognizes 27 scenes (from “sunset” to “food”) and adjusts the settings to suit them.

📊 How often do you use additional cameras (wide-angle/macro)?
  • Constantly
  • Sometimes
  • Somewhat
  • Never

Shooting modes: what the standard camera application can do

Camera interface Redmi Note 9 intuitive, but hides several useful features. Main modes:

  • 📸 Photo: Standard mode with automatic setting or manual control (press ⚙️ → Professional)
  • 🌄 Landscape: увеличивает насыщенность неба и зелени, но иногда перебарщивает с HDR
  • 👤 Portrait: blurs the background (bokeh), but only works at a distance 0.5–2 m from the object
  • 🌙 Night mode: собирает свет до 5 секунд (держите смартфон неподвижно!)
  • 🎥 Video: with option Short video for clips 15–60 seconds long
  • 🔎 Macro: Switches automatically when approaching an object

Hidden tricks:

  • 🖼️ Documents: Mode for scanning papers (enabled in Additionally)
  • 🎭 Cloning: позволяет сделать снимок с вашим "двойником" (нужно стоять неподвижно)
  • 🌈 Color accent: leaves one color on a black and white background (not perfect, but fun)

Для активации профессионального режима (Pro Mode) проведите пальцем влево по экрану камеры или нажмите на ⚙️ → Professional. Здесь можно вручную настроить:

  • Exposure (1/1000–32 s)
  • ISO (100–3200)
  • White balance (2500–10000K)
  • Фокус (ручная фокусировка с шагом 0.1)
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To quickly switch between the main and wide-angle cameras, double-tap the screen in shooting mode.

Comparison with competitors: who shoots better?

In 2020 Redmi Note 9 competed with Samsung Galaxy M31, Realme 6 And POCO X3 NFC. По части фотографии у каждого были сильные и слабые стороны:

Model Main camera Night photography Video Color rendition
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 48 МП, хорошая детализация при дневном свете Good, but noisy at ISO > 1600 4K без стабилизации, 1080p@60fps стабильное Естественная, но иногда тускловатая
Samsung Galaxy M31 64 MP, but poor processing (blurry) Ночной режим хуже, чем у Xiaomi 1080p@30fps, no 4K Oversaturated colors
Realme 6 64 MP, high detail Night mode aggressive (strong noise reduction) 4K@30fps with stabilization Яркая, но не всегда естественная
POCO X3 NFC 64 MP, similar to Realme 6 Night mode is better than Redmi Note 9 4K@30fps, 1080p@120fps More contrast

Conclusion: Redmi Note 9 loses in megapixels, but wins in color balance and night photography among budget smartphones. Its main advantage is stable operation without artifacts in daylight, тогда как конкуренты часто страдают от переобработки.

Why does Redmi Note 9 have better night photos than its competitors?

The secret lies in Xiaomi's noise reduction algorithm, which preserves more detail during long exposures. While Samsung and Realme aggressively smooth out images, the Redmi Note 9 leaves more texture, albeit with noticeable noise.

Practical tips: how to take better pictures on Redmi Note 9

Even with limited technical capabilities you can achieve excellent results. Here 5 key rules for perfect photos:

  1. Use HDR only when necessary. It turns on automatically, but sometimes overexposes the sky. Disable in camera settings (⚙️ → HDR → Off).
  2. Shoot in 48 MP. By default, the camera takes pictures in 12 MP (binning pixels). To activate full resolution, click on 48M in the top panel.
  3. Keep your smartphone level. Electronic stabilization is weak, so for clear shots use both hands or a rest.
  4. Adjust focus manually. In mode Pro Touch and hold the screen to lock focus on a moving subject.
  5. Avoid digital zoom. When approaching higher 2× quality drops sharply. Better crop the photo later.

For portrait shots:

  • 👗 Move away from the object 1–1.5 m (minimum distance for bokeh - 0.5 m, but more is better).
  • 💡 Lighting should be front or side — backlight spoils the blur effect.
  • 🎨 In portrait mode settings, select Natural instead of Studio (less artificial glare).

Disable HDR in bright light|Clean lens from fingerprints|Set resolution to 48 MP|Check white balance in Pro Mode-->

For macro photography:

  • 🐞 Bring your camera to 3–5 cm to the object (closer - out of focus, further - details are lost).
  • 💡 Use external light source (flashlight or lamp), since the built-in flash is blinding at such a distance.
  • 📱 Turn it on Grid in the camera settings to level the horizon.
⚠️ Attention: When shooting in 48 MP files take up to 15–20 MB everyone. If memory is low, switch to 12 MP in the settings.

Photo editing: best apps for Redmi Note 9

The standard editor in the Xiaomi gallery offers basic tools (cropping, filters, exposure correction), but for serious processing it is better to use third-party applications. Top 5 options:

  • 📱 Snapseed (Google): professional tools (curves, selective correction) + free.
  • 🎨 Lightroom Mobile: Better white balance and color correction, but requires registration.
  • 🖼️ VSCO: stylish filters and minimalistic interface (free version available).
  • 🌟 Afterlight 2: unique textures and lighting effects (paid, but worth the money).
  • 🤖 Google Photos: automatic improvement + cloud storage.

For Redmi Note 9 especially relevant:

  • Noise reduction: use Snapseed → Tools → Noise for night photos.
  • Sharpening: in Lightroom raise the parameter Sharpness on +30–40 and a sharpening mask on +60.
  • Distortion correction: Wide-angle shots are often curved at the edges - correct them in Perspective (Snapseed).

Processing example in Lightroom Mobile for a portrait:

1. Экспозиция: +0.5

2. Контраст: +20


3. Тени: +30


4. Чёрный: -10


5. Температура: -5 (для естественных тонов кожи)


6. Насыщенность: +10 (только для одежды/фона)

⚠️ Attention: Do not save processed photos on top of the originals! In the Xiaomi Gallery settings, enable Save a copy when editing (Настройки → Редактор → Сохранять оригинал).

Common problems and how to fix them

Even with a good camera, users Redmi Note 9 face typical problems. Here's how to solve them:

Problem Reason Solution
Blurry photos in low light Long exposure + hand shake Используйте ночной режим или штатив. B Pro Mode set ISO ≤ 1600.
Overexposed sky in landscapes Авто-HDR не справляется с контрастом Turn off HDR and shoot in Pro Mode с экспозицией по земле, а не по небу.
Зелёный оттенок на фото при искусственном свете Wrong white balance B Pro Mode установите баланс белого на 4000K (incandescent lamps) or 5500K (LED).
Макрофото получаются тёмными Вспышка ослепляет на близком расстоянии Используйте внешний источник света (например, фонарик другого телефона).

If the camera starts to glitch (does not focus, produces green artifacts), try:

  1. Очистить кэш приложения камеры: Settings → Applications → Camera → Storage → Clear cache.
  2. Сбросить настройки камеры до заводских: Camera Settings → Restore Default Settings.
  3. Update firmware: Settings → About phone → System update.

Critical error: если камера выдаёт сообщение "Unable to connect to camera", это может быть аппаратная проблема. Проверьте, не повреждён ли шлейф (частая проблема после падений). В сервисном центре Xiaomi заменят модуль за 1 500–2 500 ₽.

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Before contacting the service, try rolling back the firmware to an older version - sometimes camera bugs appear after MIUI updates.

Photo Enhancement Accessories: What Really Works

A budget smartphone can be turned into an almost professional camera with the help of inexpensive accessories. Top 5 useful purchases for Redmi Note 9:

  • 📸 External lens (For example, Xenvo Pro Lens): wide angle (0.45×) and macro (15×) for 2 000 ₽.
  • 💡 Ring lamp с держателем: устраняет тени при портретной съёмке (от 800 ₽).
  • 🎤 Mini tripod (For example, Joby GorillaPod): гибкие ножки позволяют крепить телефон где угодно (1 500 ₽).
  • 🔋 External battery: съёмка в 48 МП и видео быстро сажают батарею.
  • 📱 Защитное стекло без отверстия для камеры: дешёвые стёкла с вырезом под модуль портят качество снимков из-за бликов.

For video we recommend:

  • 🎥 Stabilizer-gimbal (For example, DJI Osmo Mobile SE): убирает дрожание при ходьбе (6 000 ₽).
  • 🎤 External microphone (For example, Boya BY-M1): встроенный микрофон записывает много шумов (1 200 ₽).

Пример бюджетного набора для съёмки:

- Штатив: 500 ₽

- Кольцевая лампа: 800 ₽


- Внешняя линза (макро): 1 000 ₽


Итого: 2 300 ₽

⚠️ Attention: Cheap lenses (up to 500 ₽) часто портят качество из-за хроматических аберраций. Check reviews before purchasing!

FAQ: answers to frequently asked questions about the Redmi Note 9 camera

🔍 Почему фото получаются зернистыми даже днём?

This is due to the aggressive noise reduction in MIUI. Try:

  1. Disable AI camera in the settings.
  2. Shoot in Pro Mode with ISO ≤ 400.
  3. Process photos in Snapseed (tool Noise).

Если проблема остаётся — возможно, повреждён сенсор (нужна диагностика).

🌃 Как правильно использовать ночной режим?

The night photography algorithm works best when:

  • Стабильном положении телефона (используйте штатив или упор).
  • Lighting at least 3–5 lux (moonlight or lantern).
  • Excerpt 3–5 seconds (in Pro Mode).

If the photo turns out blurry, reduce the exposure time to 2 seconds.

📸 Можно ли снимать в RAW на Redmi Note 9?

Official mode RAW не поддерживается, но есть обходной путь:

  1. Install the application Google Camera (for example, version from BSG).
  2. In GCam settings, enable Save RAW files.
  3. Process RAW in Lightroom or Darktable.

⚠️ Attention: GCam may be unstable on MIUI 12.5 and later.

🎥 Why does the video twitch when walking?

Electronic stabilization in Redmi Note 9 weak. Solutions:

  • Shoot in 1080p@30fps (стабилизация работает лучше, чем в 4K).
  • Use the app Filmic Pro with manual stabilization setting.
  • Hold the phone closer to the body - this way less shaking is transmitted to the camera.
🔧 How to reset camera settings to factory settings?

Go to:

Настройки камеры (шестерёнка в правом верхнем углу) → Восстановить настройки по умолчанию

If the item is missing, clear application data:

Настройки телефона → Приложения → Камера → Хранилище → Очистить данные