So we were right in this article. The Redmi phone that Xiaomi Philippines has been teasing the past few days is indeed the Redmi Note 9S.

(Update, May 1: Good news, Philippines! Read Redmi Note 9S details for PH to be announced May 4.)

(Update, March 23: The global, not the local, launch pushed through. Read Launched: Redmi Note 9S, the Redmi Note 9 Pro’s global variant.)

(Update, March 17: The launch has been postponed amid the lockdown on Luzon because of the spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines.)

And just like in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, the unit will also be unveiled in the Philippines March 23. Our guess is it’s going to be either a global or regional online launch.

Xiaomi Philippines finally posts an announcement about the Redmi Note 9S launch

Admittedly, we’re in the dark about the Redmi Note 9S, as we hadn’t read any credible information about the said model before the teasers came out. So we don’t know if it’s just a rebranded Redmi Note 9 Pro or Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. The two Snapdragon 720G phones were launched in India a few days ago with prices starting at ₹12,999 (around P8,960 or $176).

Rumors say the Redmi Note 9S will be the first phone to use a MediaTek Helio P75 chip

It could be the device code-named Xiaomi Merlin, which was spotted in the Geekbench app earlier. Instead of a Qualcomm processor, this one has what’s presumed to be a MediaTek Helio G70 chip. Then again, there’s also a rumor that says the Redmi Note 9S will be the first phone to use a Helio P75.

For now, all we know is that the screen design is similar to that of the other Redmi Note 9 series phones. And that there are four rear cameras as well.

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