7 Reasons to NOT Buy a Xiaomi Redmi Smartphone in 2026

Xiaomi Redmi smartphones have long been known as the “best budget”: bright design, powerful specs for little money and regular updates. But in the last two years, things have changed dramatically. What used to be a competitive advantage has turned into a set of trade-offs that the manufacturer does not mention. If you are looking at a new phone and you are considering the Redmi Note 12, Redmi 13C or other models of the series, slow down.

This article is not about “Hype on Apple” or “Samsung promos.” Here we will look at the objective technical and operational problems that Redmi owners face after 3-6 months of use, from hidden CPU throttling to system bugs that have not been fixed for years. And yes, it’s not just about “Chinese quality” — many of the flaws are laid down at the level of MIUI architecture and hardware platform.

We warn you right away, if you want a cheaper phone to work, there are alternatives. But they're not from the Redmi line. Why? Read on.

1. CPU throttling: why Redmi is "slowing" in six months

Redmi's biggest asset is performance for little money, but after a few months of use, many owners notice that the phone starts to stoop even on simple tasks: slow scrolling on Instagram, hanging up when opening Google Maps, sudden reboots during games. What's the matter?

The problem is that the Qualcomm Snapdragon and MediaTek Helio processors that are installed in Redmi are aggressively throttling, and the manufacturer artificially lowers the core clock speed to reduce heat and extend battery life, but it does so in such a crude manner that the phone loses up to 30 to 40 percent of its original performance.

• 🔥 Heating to 50.°C when charging or playing is the norm for the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ younger.
• 🐢 Fall FPS Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile after 20 minutes of gaming.
• ⚡ Sudden performance drawdowns when battery charge is below 20%.

Worse, throttling doesn't go off either through the developer settings or through root rights. It's a feature of MIUI firmware that Xiaomi doesn't consider a bug. As a result, after a year of use, the Redmi 10C runs slower than the Redmi 9A on the same chipset but with a pure Android Go.

⚠️ Warning: If you buy Redmi for games or resource-intensive tasks (video editing, streaming), be prepared for the fact that in a year you will have to reset your phone to factory settings every 2-3 months.

2. MIUI: Advertising, bugs and spyware

MIUI is a story in its own right, and it used to be praised for customization, but it has now become a symbol of intrusive advertising, system lag, and data collection, and even in global market models (marked Global), users are faced with:

• 📢 Banners in Settings, Weather and File Manager.
• 🔄 Automatically installing unnecessary applications (Mi Browser, Mi Video, GetApps).
• 🕵️‍♂️ Transferring location and application usage data to Xiaomi servers (even with permissions disabled).

In 2022, independent researchers from Forbes and Kaspersky confirmed that MIUI collects data on browser history, list of installed applications and even activity in instant messengers, while Xiaomi has not yet provided users with the ability to completely disable telemetry without root rights.

Another unpleasant thing is that MIUI updates break stability, for example, after upgrading to MIUI 14, many Redmi Note 10 Pro owners encountered a bug that prevented the phone from connecting to the mobile network after the reboot, and the fix didn’t come out until 4 months later.

💡

Before buying Redmi, check on forums (like 4PDA or XDA Developers) to see what system bugs a particular model has, often not fixed for years.

3.Assembly quality: plastic, glue and lack of protection

Xiaomi saves on everything, and Redmi is a prime example of this, even the flagship models of the series (Redmi K60) are built using cheap plastic, poor-quality glue and no protection from moisture (even IP53).

Here’s what you’ll be waiting for in a year of active use:

• 📱 Exfoliating display - glue loses properties, a gap appears between the screen and the body.
• 🔊 Crisp speakers – dust and moisture fall under the grid, the sound becomes quieter.
• 🔋 Bloated battery – due to lack of thermal paste and poor ventilation.

By comparison, even the budget Samsung Galaxy A has IP67 protection, and the Motorola Moto G cases are assembled on propellers (they can be disassembled without risk of breaking), while Redmi disassembly often ends in cracks in the rear panel or damage to the plumes.

⚠️ Warning: If you drop your phone at least once every six months, Redmi will last you no more than a year: the body of "glossy" plastic scratches from the keys in your pocket, and the display is covered with Gorilla Glass 3 (released in 2013!), which can not withstand falls from a height of 1 meter.

4.Battery: Why Redmi is discharged in 4 hours

On paper, the Redmi's battery capacity is impressive: 5,000 to 6,000 mAh. But in practice, even new models discharge in half a day when used actively. What's the catch?

1. Low quality batteries: Xiaomi uses cheap batteries from obscure manufacturers that lose up to 20% of capacity in 6 months.
2. Aggressive MIUI optimization: The firmware constantly keeps in the background unnecessary processes (for example, Mi Cloud or Mi Push Service) that consume charge.
3. Fast charging kills the battery. Fast Charging 33W/67W heats the battery, reducing its lifespan.

According to GSMArena’s tests, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ with a 5,000mAh video viewing battery (a screen at 50% brightness) discharges in 10-12 hours. For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy A54 with a 4,000mAh battery lasts 14-16 hours in the same conditions.

Another unpleasant thing is that replacing the battery at Xiaomi’s service center costs 60-70% of the price of a new phone, and it’s more profitable to buy a new model than to repair the old one.

5.Camera: megapixels ≠ quality

Redmi likes to brag about the megapixel count: 108 MP, 200 MP... But in practice, the photos are soapy, with overlit areas and unrealistic colors. Why?

• 📸 Cheap lenses, plastic optics instead of glass, no optical stabilization.
• 🎛️ Weak image processing processor (ISP). Even with good lighting, the photos are “smeared».
• 🌃 Night photography = digital noise. MIUI They aggressively blur the dark areas, losing details.

For example, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ with a 200 MP main camera scored just 105 in DxOMark tests (compared to the Google Pixel 6a with a 12 MP camera, it scores 130).

If the camera is important to you, Redmi is not your choice, and even the budget Motorola or Realme shoot better with better optics and processing.

6 Software Updates: Abandoned Models and Eternal Bugs

Xiaomi promises 3 years of MIUI updates and 4 years of security for its smartphones.

• 📅 Updates come with a delay.For example, Redmi Note 11 received Android 13 only 9 months after release.
• 🐛 Redmi 10 still doesn't work correctly Always-On Display.
• 🗑️ Models over 2 years old "forget" Redmi Note 9 Pro (2020) never got Android 12.

Worst of all, Xiaomi doesn’t publish an update roadmap, users will learn that support is ending after the security patches stop being released, and Samsung and Google will announce the support dates for each model in advance.

Visit the official website mi.com/global/support

Enter the model name in search

View the "Software Update" section

Check the current version of MIUI with the latest available

Check the date of the latest security patch-->

⚠️ Warning: If you buy a Redmi, be prepared for the fact that in 1.5-2 years it will no longer receive security updates.

7.Alternatives: What to buy instead of Redmi

If you’ve decided to drop Redmi after reading this article, here are some decent alternatives in the same price range (15,000 – 30,000). ₽):

If budget allows, consider the Google Pixel 6a or Samsung Galaxy A54 – they will last longer and won’t cause as many problems.

💡

The main takeaway: Redmi is only for those who are willing to compromise for a low price, and if you want a reliable phone for 2-3 years, choose alternatives with better support and build.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi Redmi smartphones