When you think of affordable mid-range handsets, you think of Xiaomi, and today the company has just launched their latest bang-for-buck smartphones, the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro. Here’s what you need to know.
Price & availability
The Redmi Note 8 is priced as follows:
Redmi Note 8 — 3GB RAM, 32GB storage — RM599
Redmi Note 8 — 4GB RAM, 64GB storage — RM799
Redmi Note 8 — 4GB RAM, 128GB storage — RM899
You can also pre-order the Redmi Note 8 from the 8th to 11th of October 2019 and receive a pair of Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic headphones worth RM99. This deal is available online at Shopee and Lazada, and also authorised Mi retailers nationwide.
Meanwhile, the Redmi Note 8 Pro will retail for:
Redmi Note 8 Pro — 6GB RAM, 64GB storage — RM1,099
Redmi Note 8 Pro — 6GB RAM, 128GB storage — RM1,199
Xiaomi will also be having an early-bird promotion for the Redmi Note 8 Pro with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage where you can pick it up for RM999. This is an online-only promotion and can be bought at Lazada or Shopee from the 8th to 11th of October 2019. Additionally, if you want the high-spec variant, Xiaomi will bundle the left side of the Black Shark gaming controller when you pre-order this phone from Lazada, Shopee and authorised Mi retailers nationwide.
Redmi Note 8 and Note 8 Pro specs
The Redmi Note 8 Pro is the more capable of the duo, sporting a 6.53″ Full HD+ display up front with a MediaTek G90T processor powering it from the inside. This processor is mated to 6GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. Keeping the lights on is a 4,500 mAh battery with support for 18W fast-charging.
For photos, the Redmi Note 8 Pro features a 64MP ISOCELL Bright GW1 camera sensor and a wide angle lens. There’s also an 8MP ultra wide camera, a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth camera to boot. Up front, there’s a 20MP selfie shooter that sits in the tiny notch at the top.
Other features include the ability to connect to both 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi bands simultaneously, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an IR blaster and NFC.
On the other hand, the more affordable Redmi Note 8 tones down the specs a little bit. Up front you get a smaller 6.3″ Full HD+ display, while the processor is now a Snapdragon 665 SoC instead. Keeping the lights on is a smaller 4,000 mAh battery that still supports 18W fast-charging via USB-C.
For photos, you’re also getting the same quad-camera setup, with the only difference being the main camera which is now a 48MP sensor.
DxOMark camera score
Camera benchmarking website DxOMark has just released their review of the Redmi Note 8 Pro. The device received a score of 84 which actually puts it above older flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge. DxOMark praised the device’s fast and accurate autofocusing in good light as well as good subject isolation in portrait mode.
However, the device suffers from a lack of detail and artifacts in its zoom shots, lack of fine detail in indoor shots and lack of dynamic range. Read their full review here.
