Xiaomi has unveiled its new breed of Redmi Note smartphones boasting with high-performance SoCs as well as premium cameras. The new flagship Redmi Note 8 Pro is the industry’s first handset to feature Samsung GW1 64MP camera module, whereas the Redmi Note 8 offers a 48 MP camera at an entry-level price point.

The Redmi Note 8 Pro

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro comes in a rather standard chassis comprised of an aluminum frame encompassed with Gorilla Glass 5 and features a 6.53-inch IPS LCD display with a 2340×1080 resolution as well as a 19.5:9 ratio. With a screen to body ratio of 91.4% (according to Xiaomi) and a rain drop selfie camera module, the device will be available in three colors: Mineral Grey, Pearl White and Forest Green.

Being a range-topping ‘Pro-level’ device, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is based on MediaTek’s flagship G90T SoC (two Cortex-A76, six Cortex-A55, quad-cluster Mali G76 at 800 MHz, AI-specific accelerators, dual-channel LPDDR4X controller, 12FFC) accompanied by 6 or 8 GB of LPDDR4X memory as well as 64 or 128 GB of NAND flash storage (expandable using a microSD card). The SoC is cooled down using Xiaomi’s LiquidCool cooling system (featuring a large piece of aluminum and a heat pipe) in a bid to sustain peak performance for prolonged periods. Performance wise, the new smartphone promises to be rather powerful, yet one of the main reasons to use the MediaTek G90T is because it supports a 64 MP camera module.

In fact, imaging capabilities are the key selling point of the Redmi Note 8 Pro. The main camera is comprised of the Samsung GW1 64 MP RGB module, an 8 MP ultrawide sensor with a 120° field of view, a 2 MP dedicated macro lens, a 2 MP depth sensor, and a dual-LED flash. Meanwhile, the phone also has a 20 MP camera for selfies.

Of course, the Redmi Note 8 Pro supports 4G/LTE: up to 600 Mbps downloads and up to 150 Mbps downloads. Other notable features of the Redmi Note 8 Pro include a 4,500 mAh battery, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, IP52 splash-proof protection, a USB 2.0 Type-C port for data and charging, a 3.5-mm audio jack, an IR blaster, and stereo speakers.

The Redmi Note 8

The 'younger' brother of the family — the Redmi Note 8 — is naturally a more cost effective option. Coming in an aluminum with glass on the front and plastic on the back chassis, this smartphone has a 6.3-inch IPS LCD display with 2340×1080 resolution. It is based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 665 SoC (four Cortex-A73-like cores, four Cortex-A53-like cores, an Adreno 610 GPU, X12 LTE modem) that is paired with 4 or 6 GB of RAM as well as 64 GB or 128 GB of storage.

Even though it is positioned as a mainstream smartphone, the Redmi Note 8 also has a premium quad-module main camera comprising of a 48 MP RGB sensor, an 8 MP ultrawide sensor with a 120° field of view, a 2 MP dedicated macro lens, a 2 MP depth sensor, and a LED flash. It also has a 13 MP camera for selfies. Inherited from the 'older' brother are a USB Type-C connector, an IR blaster, and a 3.5-mm headset jack.

Spec Comparison

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Family
  Redmi Note 8 Pro Redmi Note 8
Display IPS LCD
6.53"
2340x1080
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
IPS LCD
6.3"
2340x1080
SoC MediaTek G90T
2x Cortex-A76 at 2 GHz
6x Cortex-A55 at 2.05 GHz
quad-cluster Mali G76 at 800 MHz AI-specific accelerators
dual-channel LPDDR4X controller 12FFC
Qualcomm Snapdragon 665
4x Cortex-A73-like cores
4x Cortex-A53-like cores
Adreno 610 GPU
X12 LTE modem
RAM 6 or 8 GB LPDDR4X 4 or 6 GB DRAM
Storage 64 GB or 128 GB of NAND flash
microSD card slot
Local Connectivity Wi-Fi  802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0
Data/Charging USB 2.0 Type-C
Audio 3.5-mm jack
stereo speakers
active noice cancellation
3.5-mm jack
stereo speakers
NFC Yes -
LTE 4G/LTE
CAT 12 UL 600 Mbps
CAT 13 UL 150 Mbps
X12 LTE
Navigation  A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS  A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
Rear Camera Main 64 MP, f/1.8,
1/1.7-inch
0.8µm pixels
PDAF
48 MP, f/1.8,
1/2-inch
0.8µm pixels, 
PDAF
Ultrawide 8 MP, f/2.2
13mm (ultrawide)
1/4-inch
1.12 µm pixels
Macro 2 MP, f/2.4
1/5-inch
1.075 µm pixels
Depth 2 MP, f/2.4
1/5-inch
1.075 µm pixels
Front Camera 20 MP, f/2.0 13 MP, f/2.0
Battery Capacity 4500 mAh 4000 mAh
Expected Life ? ?
SIM Size Nano SIM + Nano Sim
Sensors accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Biometric Security Fingerprint Yes (?) Yes
Facial Recognition - -
Dimensions Height 161.3 mm | 6.35 inches 158.3 mm | 6.23 inches
Width 76.4 mm | 3.01 inches 75.3 mm | 2.96 inches
Thickness 8.8 mm | 0.35 inches 8.4 mm | 0.33 inches
Weight 199 grams | 7.02 ounces 190 grams | 6.7 ounces
Colors Mineral Grey
Pearl White
Forest Green
Blue
White/Grey
Black
Protection Drop ? -
Splashes IP52 -
OS Google Android 9.0 with MIUI 10
Launch Countries China initially, NA/EU launch later
Price 6 GB + 64 GB — RMB 1,399
6 GB + 128 GB — RMB 1,599
8 GB + 128 GB — RMB 1,799

starts at $172
4 GB + 64 GB — RMB 999
6 GB + 64 GB — RMB 1,199
6 GB + 128 GB — RMB 1,399

starts at $124

Price and Availability

So far, Xiami has introduced its Redmi Note 8 series only for China, where they will ship in September, but expect the smartphones to hit other markets in the future. The Redmi Note 8 Pro starts at RMB 1,399 for a 6 GB + 64 GB version and goes all the way to RMB 1,799 for an 8 GB + 128 GB model. The Redmi Note 8 is naturally cheaper: it costs RMB 999 – RMB 1,399 depending on configuration.

Related Reading:

Sources: Xiaomi/Redmi, GSMArena

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  • jabber - Sunday, September 1, 2019 - link

    Adding to that improve noise, dynamic range, 14bit+ etc.
  • SanX - Sunday, September 1, 2019 - link

    Will work on Verizon?
  • Ro_Ja - Monday, September 2, 2019 - link

    Xiaomi phones don't work with US bands

    ...they will without LTE.
  • Dragonstongue - Sunday, September 1, 2019 - link

    still stuck at that 4000Mah range.

    not user replaceable (least not easily)

    hard pass.
  • jabber - Monday, September 2, 2019 - link

    Yet a year ago they would have mostly been stuck at 3000Mah range...
  • ghdsport - Sunday, September 1, 2019 - link

    Thank you xiaomis for your wonderful features mobile and for this product in market - https://ghd-sports.com/
  • Kocchi - Sunday, September 1, 2019 - link

    One of the best and more popular company in the world and waiting for this phone launch - https://www.ghdsports.net/download/
  • Skeptical123 - Sunday, September 1, 2019 - link

    They made the sensor fairly big, massive for a (normal) smart phone so I cautiously optimistic that it will be good. Also I don't follow the smart phone space much but those prices even for china seem really good. A metal body with Gorilla Glass 5, close to top of the line SOC with a headphone port and MicroSD slot along with 6GB LPDDR4X for under $200 seems hard to beat.
  • patel21 - Tuesday, September 3, 2019 - link

    Buy why don't they include all the LTE bands like OnePlus ?
    They already know people buy their phones from all over the world through Aliexpress and Gearbest.

    And that market can be even more huge with all the LTE bands included.

    They can really earn money by not officially launching in Americas but still reaping the benifits.

    Thats what some chinese brands like Umidigi are doing.
  • Zoolook13 - Tuesday, September 3, 2019 - link

    Cost and space spaving I'd guess (less antennas needed).

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