Redmi Note 8 |The budget 48MP Monster

In the past few months, Xiaomi has launched the Redmi 8 Series which includes the Redmi 8 and 8A. These devices focus solely on the budget-oriented or entry-level segment. This time though Xiaomi has launched two more of its devices from the Redmi 8 series. Namely the Redmi Note 8 & Note 8 Pro.

Contents

Redmi Note 8 | A Closer Look
Redmi Note 8 | Specs and Features
Cameras
Pricing

Redmi Note 8 | A Closer Look

Now, taking a closer at the Redmi Note 8 reveals almost identical dimensions to the Redmi Note 7. The length is on the shorter side but a little wider and heavier than the Note 7.

The Redmi Note 8 comes with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides just like the Redmi Note 7. It comes in three new colors – Moonlight White, Neptune Blue, and Space Black.

The phone comes with triple card slots. So, it does support a dedicated MicroSD card. It comes with an IR Blaster for controlling TV, Air-Conditioners and other appliances remotely.

Along with dual noise-cancellation microphones, there is a fingerprint scanner. It is located at the back like most of the Redmi devices. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack with dust-resistant speaker grilles. These can clear any dust with sound waves which are a pretty unique feature. The speaker has got an upgrade with a louder and clearer sound apart from the Redmi Note 7.

Lastly, it comes with a USB Type-C port with 18W Fast Charge support. Finally, this generation gets USB Type-C in all the Redmi 8 series devices which is a pretty neat move by Xiaomi. We also see there’s a rubber coating on the card slot which means it is water-resistant. But there is no IP Certification at all, apart from the P2i coating for splash-resistance.

Redmi Note 8 | Specs and Features

The Redmi Note 8 comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 665 AIE processor. This is a slight upgrade from the Snapdragon 660 found on Redmi Note 7. Now there are differences in the variants listed on the Global and the Chinese websites. Those are:

Global Website	Chinese Website
3GB \| 32GB	4GB \| 64GB
4GB \| 64GB	6GB \| 64GB
4GB \| 128GB	6GB \| 128GB

Now, this may be pretty weird and confusing. So we aren’t sure which of the variants will make it globally. We can only hope to have the Chinese variants since those have better RAM and storage options. Another thing that is also confusing is – the charger listed on the global site claims to have a standard 10W Fast Charger included but the device supports 18W Fast Charging.

The Redmi Note 8 has a 4000 mAh battery. That coupled with fast charging provides 0-100 charge times that are under 2 hours. We also see on the Chinese website that an 18W fast charger comes with the packaging. Now, let’s wait and watch for what we actually get on the global website despite these differences.

The Redmi Note 8 comes with a 6.3″ FHD+ IPS LCD display. The colors are vibrant and punchy but there’s a catch. That is that you can’t stream HD content from Amazon Prime or Netflix or any other streaming service since there’s no Widevine L1 support.

In both of these devices, we see that there’s no NFC support (Near Field Communication) as confirmed by the global website. The device comes with Android 9 Pie with MIUI 10. It is buttery smooth and doesn’t lag while multitasking. The user experience is pretty solid and the navigation gestures are pretty smooth.

The fingerprint scanner is pretty fast and snappy. It also supports Face Unlock which unlocks the device pretty fast with help from the front camera.

Cameras

One of the main highlights of this device is the quad cameras. The Redmi Note 8 comes with a primary 48MP shooter with an f/1.8 lens. It is supposed to be using the Samsung GM2 sensor as previously seen in Redmi Note 7S. With the help of AI scene detection, it takes some pretty good pictures that have punchy colors. Dynamic range and detail retention have also improved compared to the Redmi Note 7S.

The secondary lens is an 8MP ultra-wide lens with an f/2.0 lens. But there is a noticeable difference in quality compared to the Redmi Note 8 Pro.

The macro lens is a 2MP sensor with an f/2.4 lens and AF which is great for macro shots and macro video recording. Lastly, there is a 2MP depth sensor for taking portrait shots along the dedicated PRO photography options.

In terms of video recording, the Redmi Note 8 can shoot unstabilized 4K 30 fps just like the Note 8 Pro. While recording at 1080p 30 fps makes stabilized although there’s a pretty noticeable software stutter.

As claimed by the company they will be updating this through OTA and will also be adding the 60fps option in the 1080p recording mode.

The front-facing camera is a 13MP sensor sitting behind an f/2.0 lens. It takes very decent and crisp shots. The portrait mode also takes very good pictures with a good amount of background blur.

Pricing

The Redmi Note 8 comes at a price of CNY999(~$149) for the base variant, which is a pretty good deal. Let’s see what the other variants are priced in accordance with the Chinese variants.