Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 has long been one of the most talked about devices in the budget segment of the market. Users are often interested not only in the quality of cameras or autonomy, but also in the real performance of the gadget in synthetic tests. The question of how much this device gains in the popular benchmark AnTuTu Benchmark, worries many potential buyers and owners who want to compare their device with competitors.
It should be noted that the numbers can vary significantly depending on the firmware version, ambient temperature and background processes. In this article, we will discuss in detail what results owners of this model should expect, you will understand how efficiently the CPU and RAM work in real-world conditions.
It's important to remember that synthetic tests are just one way to measure iron power. However, AnTuTu scores are often the deciding factor when choosing between several similar models. Let's dive into the technical details and see what's hidden under the hood of this popular smartphone.
Technical characteristics and architecture of the processor
At the heart of the device in question is the MediaTek Helio G85 chipset, an eight-core 12nm processor that is positioned as an entry-level gaming solution. The architecture includes two powerful Cortex-A75 cores with frequencies up to 2.0 GHz and six energy-efficient Cortex-A55 cores with a frequency of 1.8 GHz. It is the balance between these clusters that determines the final performance in various use cases.
The Mali-G52 MC2 video accelerator is responsible for processing graphics. Although it is not the most powerful GPU on the market, it does a good job with the system interface and light games. However, in heavy three-dimensional projects, it is the graphics module that becomes a bottleneck limiting the overall score in benchmarks.
⚠️ Attention: There is a version of the smartphone Redmi Note 9 with a Snapdragon processor 720G, But it was released for other markets (e.g. India) and is known as the Redmi Note 9 Pro in some regions. G85.
The amount of RAM also plays a critical role. Depending on the modification, the device can be equipped with 3, 4 or 6 GB of memory like LPDDR4X. Larger memory allows the system to more efficiently caches applications, which has a positive effect on the speed of multitasking and, as a result, on the final score in tests.
Real performance in the benchmark AnTuTu
When running the current version of the AnTuTu Benchmark test (version 9 or 10), owners of the Redmi Note 9 most often see results in the range of 200,000 to 220,000 points. These figures are averaged and can fluctuate in a smaller or larger direction. The variance is due to a variety of factors, including the degree of wear of the battery and the current system load.
If you break the overall score down into components, the lion’s share of points is scored on the performance of the CPU and UX (user experience). The graphics component tends to show more modest results, which is typical for chips in the Helio G series. Below is a table with an approximate distribution of points by category.
| Category of test | Average grade (roughly) | Share in the total account |
|---|---|---|
| CPU (Processor) | 65 000 - 70 000 | ~30% |
| GPU (Graphic) | 40 000 - 45 000 | ~20% |
| MEM (Memory) | 45 000 - 50 000 | ~25% |
| UX (User Experience) | 60 000 - 65 000 | ~25% |
It is worth noting that the result is influenced by the type of storage device, which uses memory standard eMMC 5.1, which is significantly inferior to modern UFS 2.1 or UFS 3.1 in speed read and write, and this is directly reflected in the MEM point in the final test protocol.
Factors Affecting the Test Results
Why does one user have a smartphone that scores 215,000 and another has only 190,000? The answer lies in a combination of external and internal factors, primarily temperature, and when it gets overheated, the processor lowers the clock speed to avoid damage, which instantly crashes the performance.
The second important aspect is background processes: if applications are updated in the background, photos are synchronized or the navigator is running, the system will not be able to allocate all the resources for the benchmark, and it is recommended that all unnecessary programs be closed before AnTuTu empty and RAM is cleared.
The final figure is also influenced by the operating system version and the MIUI shell. New firmware versions often contain optimizations that can both improve and worsen the performance in synthetics. Sometimes updating to the latest available version of Android changes the algorithms for allocating the CPU resources.
⚠️ Warning: Do not test immediately after charging the device or playing a long game, let the smartphone cool to room temperature, otherwise the results will be incorrect due to trottling.
Comparison with competitors and previous models
To understand the Redmi Note 9’s place in the performance hierarchy, it’s useful to compare it to its predecessor and direct competitors. The previous model, the Redmi Note 8, was based on the Snapdragon 665 processor, which in AnTuTu scored about 170,000 to 180,000 points. Thus, the new chipset from MediaTek provided a performance gain of about 15-20%.
When you look at competitors from the same period, like the Samsung Galaxy A21 or the Realme 6i, the numbers are similar, as they often use identical or similarly-architectured platforms, but the Redmi Note 9 has long been a benchmark for price and power balance in its price segment.
Here is a list of key performance differences from competitors:
- 🚀 Helio processor G85 Shows better energy efficiency in standby mode compared to Qualcomm’s counterparts in this class.
- 🎮 Graphics engine Mali-G52 Optimized for popular mobile games, which gives a small bonus in the game scenarios of the benchmark.
- 💾 The speed of work with the eMMC 5.1 file system is standard for this class, but inferior to more expensive models with a high-end computer system. UFS memory.
It is important to understand that the difference in 10-15 And the interface will run smoothly on all of these devices.
Impact of MIUI version and operating system
The MIUI shell installed on Xiaomi smartphones significantly changes the work of Android. Heavy visuals and a lot of preinstalled services can put additional strain on the processor. In early versions of firmware, owners sometimes complained about the instability of the rate, which reflected in the scores in tests.
With the release of new versions of MIUI (for example, the transition from MIUI 11 to MIUI 12, 13 and beyond), the strategy of resource management changed. In some cases, the updates “strangled” background activity, which allowed you to squeeze more points in benchmarks; in others, the new animation required more GPU resources.