Redmi Note 9S has a massive 5,020-mAh battery and 48-megapixel quad camera

After its predecessor emerged as the best-selling Android phone at the end of 2019, Xiaomi's sub-brand Redmi took the wraps off its next-generation budget phone, the Note 9S, the latest international model from its best-selling Note series. On Monday, the company unveiled the Note 9S in an event livestreamed from the Chinese phone-maker's Beijing headquarters after it was forced to cancel its launch in Kuala Lumpur, over fears of the coronavirus, and as the global smartphone industry is hammered by its spread.

The Redmi Note 9S is powered by the Snapdragon 720G chipset and comes in two variants: a version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage, which will go on sale in Singapore starting March 27 for S$315, which converts to $215, £165 or AU$330; and a 6GB, 128GB version, which will cost S$365 -- $250, £190 or AU$380. 

The biggest talking point is the massive 5,020-mAh battery crammed under the Note 9S' hood. That's larger than the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra's 5,000-mAh battery and it's the largest battery Xiaomi has ever built into a phone. Redmi says the battery can "easily" last more than two days and has support for 18-watt fast-charging.

But the Redmi Note 9S is also on the heavier end of the weight spectrum, clocking in at 209 grams. It's also unlikely the phone can be used with just one hand, considering its dimensions: 166 by 77 by 8.8mm. Samsung's behemoth Galaxy S20 Ultra is almost exactly the same size: 167 by 76 by 8.8 mm. 

Design wise, Redmi Note 9S sports a revamped aesthetic that features a small notch housing the Redmi Note's first-ever in-display selfie camera on the center of the 6.67-inch screen, and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor that doubles as a power button. The phone is sleek with narrow bezels, but is also among the tallest and widest phones available. It comes in three, highly reflective colors: aurora blue, glacier white and interstellar gray. What didn't change from last year is its 60Hz refresh rate.

Moving on to the cameras, the Note 9S features a square, quad-camera system on its rear, led by a 48-megapixel main sensor. It also comes with a 8-megapixel ultrawide lens with 120-degree field of view, a 5-megapixel macro lens and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. On the front, you get a 16-megapixel lens for its in-display front-facing camera,

Xiaomi's Redmi Note Series has dominated the Android budget market for years, delivering on a combination of factors like price, performance and features. The company says it has sold more than 110 million Redmi Note series devices worldwide. 

The Redmi Note 9S will be available globally, the company said, arriving first in Singapore and Malaysia with other release dates and pricing to be announced later. 

The Redmi Note 9S is actually a rebrand for international markets of a phone that's already available in India, where it's known as the Redmi Note 9 Pro and costs approximately $175 when converted from Indian rupees.