Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro is available at a reduced price for the first time since launch. Launched back in October 2019, the Note 8 Pro' starting price was Rs 14,999, however, during the ongoing Amazon Great Indian Festival sale the handset is available with Rs 1,000 discount. The base variant of the Note 8 Pro with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage is available at Rs 13,999, down from the original price of Rs 14,999. Do make a note that only the base variant is available at Rs 1,000 reduced price and not the 6GB+128GB and 8GB+128GB variants. Right after the launch, we termed the Redmi Note 8 Pro as the best smartphone available under Rs 15,000. But since then, we have seen several launches like the Vivo U20 and even the Realme X2. Should you pick up the Redmi Note 8 Pro at Rs 13,999? Read on to know more.
Redmi Note 8 Pro at Rs 13,999 Makes Up for Great Purchase
The Redmi Note 8 Pro features stellar hardware for a mid-range smartphone. While smartphone brands are providing the glass-clad design with phones above Rs 15,000, Xiaomi managed to deliver the same under Rs 10,000. The Redmi Note 8 Pro features a glass back and it comes in four colour options- Electric Blue, Gamma Green, Halo White and Shadow Black. On the front, the phone sports a 6.53-inch Full HD+ display with HDR10 support and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. It is an IPS LCD panel but offers decent viewing angles and produces good colours.
Under the hood, the phone has the MediaTek Helio G90T chipset, paired with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. There's also dedicated microSD card slot for storage expansion up to 512GB. I have been using the Redmi Note 8 Pro with Jio 4G SIM card installed in Hyderabad since its launch back in October 2019. The phone offered excellent performance throughout the entire period and the battery life is also pretty good. The phone comes with a 4500mAh battery and Xiaomi has included an 18W charger inside the retail box. Very recently, the phone received MIUI 11 update based on Android 9 Pie; This update made the phone even better as the animations have been tweaked. Sadly, the update is still based on Android 9 Pie, but we are expected Android 10 update to reach the Redmi Note 8 Pro in the coming weeks.
I have been playing games like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile on the Redmi Note 8 Pro, and the phone never showed handled them with ease. In PUBG Mobile, you can even play the game Smooth+Extreme settings which deliver 60fps gameplay.
Moving onto the cameras, there are the best in the segment. The Note 8 Pro has a primary 64MP Samsung ISOCELL GW1 sensor, paired with an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, 2MP macro sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front, the Note 8 Pro has a 20MP shooter. The Note 8 Pro's primary camera captures some really good images in daylight, but the performance deteriorates when the light goes down.
There are two downsides with the Redmi Note 8 Pro- the fingerprint scanner placement and the lack of AMOLED display. But the phone compensates the downsides with a stellar performance, especially in the price range.
Redmi Note 8 Pro vs Realme XT: Which One to Choose
The Redmi Note 8 Pro faces stiff competition from the Realme XT whose base variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage also received a Rs 1,000 price cut. The Realme XT is currently retailing for Rs 14,999. However, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is an overall better smartphone, thanks to slightly better cameras, stellar performance and optimised software.
The Realme XT scores big on two fronts- AMOLED screen and in-display fingerprint scanner but lacks on other aspects compared to the Note 8 Pro. Overall, you can choose the Redmi Note 8 Pro as your next mid-range smartphone under Rs 15,000.
