This year Xiaomi has launched some notable phones like the Redmi Note 7 Pro and the latest in this series is the Redmi Note 8 Pro. The Note series from Xiaomi is the most hyped one that the smartphone manufacturer ships for its Indian buyers and on those lines, the Redmi Note 8 Pro comes with many upgrades over the Redmi Note 7 Pro, thus making it a very attractive device for someone looking to upgrade to a good smartphone in the mid-range segment. The Note 8 Pro comes with MediaTek Helio G90T chipset, up to 8GB of RAM and a 4500mAh battery to accompany lengthy gaming sessions. Also, it's the first smartphone from Xiaomi to pack 64MP rear-facing camera, taking on the Realme XT. I have been using the Redmi Note 8 Pro for nearly two weeks now and thoroughly impressed with the phone.
So, if you are deciding to buy the Redmi Note 8 Pro and you can’t be sure, then go through this review to find out if the phone would be the right fit for you.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro Review: An Upgraded Design and Bigger Display
When it comes to the design, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro gets some upgrades, and definitely differs from the Redmi Note 7 Pro. The change in design follows the trend which the Redmi 8 series follows and hence, we get to see the waterdrop notch on the Redmi Note 8 Pro. There is also a bigger screen on the Redmi Note 8 Pro which measures 6.53-inches as compared to the smaller 6.3-inch screen on the Redmi Note 7 Pro. The bottom chin on this phone has also been trimmed down and this is because of the new display driver which the Redmi Note 8 Pro uses. The power button and the volume rockers are situated on the right edge of the phone and on the left side we find a single nano-SIM card slot and another slot for the second nano-SIM and a microSD card slot. It is worth noting that the Chinese version of the device does not come with a dedicated micro-SD card slot. For protection, the Redmi Note 8 Pro comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
As for the display, the Redmi Note 8 Pro features a 6.53-inch display with a Full HD+ (1080x2340) pixels resolution. The display renders vivid colours and the brightness is sufficient enough to make the screen legible even under bright sunlight. The phone also extends HDR support, so you be sure of true colours when needed. Similar to the back panel, the screen is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro Review: Performance Tuned for Gamers
When it comes to performance, the Redmi Note 8 Pro packs a MediaTek Helio G90T processor, which has been specially made for gaming. This processor is a competitor of the Snapdragon 730G, which is also a gaming chipset. The octa-core processor utilises two ARM Cortex-A76 cores clocked at 2.05GHz and six efficiency Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0GHz. For graphics, it packs an ARM Mali-G76 MC4 integrated GPU clocked at 800MHz.
As for day to day performance, the Redmi Note 8 Pro surely lives up to the expectations. The 8GB of RAM in our review unit ensured that there is no lag while you re firing up applications back to back even with all of the runnings in the background.
Since the Redmi Note 8 Pro packs a gaming processor, it is also essential to test the phone with some games as well. While running the most popular phone that the users are going to play on this device, PUBG Mobile, we saw a drop of about 12% on stretching the game for about 30 minutes. The settings during this play were high for the frame rate and graphics were at HD. There was a little heat on the rear panel as we finished the game.
On further bumping up the setting to HDR and Ultra frame rate, the heating was more noticeable. As for the battery life on this phone, the device fares really well owing to its 4500mAh battery which is ample to last you a full day of usage and it also comes with an 18W charger which gets the phone to 62% in an hour. The overall battery life isn't that impressive considering the previous Redmi Note devices. The average screen-on-time offered by the Note 8 Pro is less than five and half hours, which is below par considering the whopping eight and even nine hours of SoT offered by the Redmi Note 7 Pro, Redmi Note 6 Pro and the Redmi Note 5 Pro smartphones.
On the software front, the Redmi Note 8 Pro runs the Android 9 Pie-based MIUI 10 and if you are interested in knowing, then yes the phone comes with in-system ads and some pre-installed apps. The Redmi Note 8 Pro will receive MIUI 11 update at the tail-end of December 2019.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro Review: Joins the 64MP Sensor Race
As for the optics, the Redmi Note 8 Pro surely packs some noteworthy sensors. The most important of these being the 64MP primary sensor which is the Samsung Isocell GW1. This sensor offers a 0.8-micron size. It can shoot high-resolution 16MP images in the low light environments and can provide you access to 64 MP images at the bright light conditions. Paired up with this sensor is an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 120-degree field of view There is also a 2MP macro camera as well. Lastly, for the depth of field shots, there is also a 2MP sensor. On the front, the Redmi Note 8 Pro comes with a 20MP selfie sensor, which is an upgrade to the 13MP sensor we saw on the Redmi Note 7 Pro.
When the Redmi Note 8 Pro snaps pictures using the primary sensors, there is ample detail in the images and the HDR inevitably gets the exposure right when it is well-lit setting. The HDR turns on automatically while there is enough light.
The wide-angle lens also snaps great pictures, but the details are not as fine-tuned as in the case of the primary sensor. In low light as well, the primary sensor was able to capture good shots and the focus was fast. The night mode in the camera also functions well to snap brighter images, but you will have to keep the phone stable to capture a good enough shot.
The macro camera snaps good pictures up close, but the details are not appreciable because of the 2MP sensor. The AI scene detection also worked well to identify scenarios and to adjust the camera well. The portrait mode on both the front and back also does a good job of separating the subject from the background. Lastly for video, the Redmi Note 8 Pro offers up to 4K recording at 30fps and 1080p at 30fps for the front camera.
Will the Redmi Note 8 Pro Make it to Your Shopping Cart?
With all this being said, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro is surely an offering which will see a lot of interest from the consumers. The gaming processor surely ramps up the performance, although it is a little harsh on the battery. But, with a 64MP sensor and attractive pricing, the Redmi Note 8 Pro becomes a worthy upgrade even for the Redmi Note 7 Pro users. It also undercuts the Realme XT in terms of pricing and gives it a tough competition.
The Redmi Note 8 Pro's entry-level variant comes with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage and bears a price tag of Rs 14,999. Another variant with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage bears a price tag of Rs 15,999. For the first time, a Redmi Note phone comes in 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage model priced at Rs 18,999.
