I'm also using a 'Whyred' (silly name but since Xiaomi used the model name 'Redmi Note 5 (sometimes followed by 'Pro' or 'AI', terms which have different meanings in different countries)' for several different devices it is better to be accurate and use the code name), it offers great hardware for its price (around $180 for the 4GB/64GB model on Aliexpress) and - just as important - runs for 7 days/15 hours of screen-on time on a single charge. I'd just add that once you unlock the bootloader (which can be done in Linux using the java-based MiUnlocktool [1]) you can also de-fang MIUI by disabling all the intrusive bits, installing a different launcher and configuring iptables. Turn on the firewall log to see what tries to get through, you'll notice the thing trying to establish XMPP connections to some Xiaomi-owned domains. After disabling most of Xiaomi's 'services' the log stays empty without anything of value having been lost. This is a good compromise for those who'd rather use stock firmware, albeit de-bloated.
[1] http://xiaomitool.com/MiUnlockTool - make sure to run it on a 64bit machine as the included fastboot binary doesn't work on 32bit installations
[1] http://xiaomitool.com/MiUnlockTool - make sure to run it on a 64bit machine as the included fastboot binary doesn't work on 32bit installations