Redmi just unveiled its latest mid-range series in India, the Redmi Note 9. Two devices are in the lineup: the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, and the “standard” Redmi Note 9 Pro. Unlike their predecessors, the Redmi Note 9 smartphones sport a new design language.

Next to the Redmi Note 8 series, it’s not immediately obvious the new Redmi Note 9 smartphones are the successors. Unlike their predecessors’ notched displays, the Note 9 series features a hole-punch cutout at the top of the screen, right in the centre. In fact, this is aesthetically similar to the Samsung Galaxy S20‘s design.

On the back, gone are the vertically stacked camera module in favour of a square one. It houses a 64MP f/1.89 primary shooter (48MP f/1.79 for the standard Redmi Note 9 Pro), an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle camera, a 5MP macro lens, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor.

Unfortunately, there’s no telephoto shooter here, which isn’t really a surprise. After all, their predecessors didn’t have one either. As for the selfie camera, the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max has a 32MP front-facing sensor, while the Redmi Note 9 Pro comes with a 16MP shooter instead.

Besides the front-facing camera, there are a couple more differences between the Pro Max and Pro models. The Pro Max supports 33W fast charging, while the Pro can only do 18W. Besides that, the highest RAM option of the Pro Max goes up to 8GB; the Pro model maxes out at 6GB.

Beyond these differences, the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max and Redmi Note 9 Pro share the same hardware. These include a 6.67-inch 2400 x 1080 IPS display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset, as well as a generous 5,020mAh battery. Rounding out the specifications of both phones include a 3.5mm headphone jack, an IR blaster, and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro will be available in India from 17 March onwards, while the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max will arrive slightly later in the same market on 25 March. The Note 9 Pro retails from 12,999 Indian rupee (about RM745), while the Note 9 Pro Max starts at 14,999 rupee (approximately RM860).

There’s no word yet whether or not the new Redmi Note 9 series will be available outside of India, but we did spot the newly launched smartphone in SIRIM’s database. It’s registered under Xiaomi Malaysia with the model number M2003J6A1G, so it’s entirely possible the Redmi Note 9 smartphones will be launched here in the near future.