The Redmi Note 5 is the latest phablet handset from Chinese firm Xiaomi. The Redmi Note 5 Pro is the higher spec version of the series and while the idea is a phone that is reasonably priced, it also aims to pack a lot of bang for your buck with an RRP around €200.

And if you thought OnePlus retailed handsets at reasonable prices, well… Xiaomi phones make the OnePlus 5T seem like the iPhone X with respect to price.

No one is making phones as good, or as cheap, as Xiaomi right now.

I mean, the Redmi Note 5 Pro retails for £200. And you’re getting some of the best specs around. You could buy FIVE of these for the price of ONE iPhone X.

And it is this, along with the finish and polish that goes into designing and making these phones, that has propelled Xiaomi into the position of one of the biggest handset makers on the planet.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro hits the current trend for large, 18:9 aspect ratio displays, with an edge-to-edge IPS LCD on a 5.9in diagonal, and featuring a 2160x1080p HD resolution, but also packs a massive 4,000mAh battery cell to keep it going, complete with Qualcomm Quick Charge.

On the internal hardware side, you’re looking at a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 octa-core processor backed up by an Adreno 509 GPU and either 4GB or 6GB of RAM. Either RAM option nets you the same 64GB of onboard storage, which is decent, plus microSD support for cards up to 256GB. However, it uses the hybrid-dual-SIM setup so  you can either have two SIMs or one SIM and microSD.

The connectivity is mostly fully-fledged, but disappointingly only packs microUSB rather than the spiffy new Type-C USB for charging and data.

As well as offering a big 18:9 display on a budget, the Redmi Note 5 Pro also gives you that other current darling feature of the smartphone space - the dual-camera. The primary setup has two sensors rated at 12MP and 5MP, with f/2.2 and f/2.0 apertures respectively. The dual-setup enables some depth-of-field tricks. Notably the front-facing camera is a 20MP f/2.2 aperture and is, alongside the battery capacity and display quality, one of the Redmi Note 5 Pro’s standout features.

For software, the Redmi Note 5 Pro runs Android Nougat out the box, version 7.1.2 with Xiaomi's MIUI 9 UI layer on top.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Specs

• Dimensions: 158.6 x 75.4 x 8.1 mm
• Weight: 181 g
• SIM: Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
• Display: 5.99 in IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen (77.4% screen-to-body ratio), 1080 x 2160 pixels, 18:9 ratio (403 ppi density)
• OS: Android 7.1.2 (Nougat)
• Processor: Qualcomm SDM636 Snapdragon 636 Octa-core 1.8 GHz Kryo 260
• GPU:Adreno 509
• RAM: 4GB/6GB
• Storage: 64GB, microSD up to 256GB (uses SIM 2 slot)
• Primary Camera: Dual-sensor with 12 MP (f/2.2, 1.25 μm) & 5 MP (f/2.0, 1.12 μm), phase detection autofocus, LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama, HDR, 1080p video @30fps
• Secondary camera: 20 MP (f/2.2, 1/2.8", 1 μm), LED flash, 1080p video
• Audio: Loudspeaker, 3.5mm jack
• Connectivity: WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Dual-band, WiFi Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot,
• Bluetooth 5.0 LE, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Infrared port, FM radio, microUSB 2.0, Fingerprint scanner (rear-mounted)
• Battery: Non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh battery, Fast battery charging (Quick Charge 2.0)
• Colours: Black, Champagne Gold, Rose Gold, Lake Blue