Xiaomi unveiled the latest Redmi 8 smartphone in the country, and the device starts at a very aggressive Rs 7,999 with multiple variants to choose from. An upgrade over the current Redmi 7, the latest Redmi 8 packs in a larger battery, newly styled water drop notch display and a fresh design.
Redmi 8 will be challenging the likes of Realme 3i, Asus Zenfone Max M2 and Realm 3.
Currently Xiaomi has Redmi 7 available in the same price range along with Redmi Y3. Now with Redmi 8, customers have another Redmi option to choose in the budget.
While there’s a lot of common between Redmi 8 and Redmi 7, the company clarified at the launch event how Redmi 8 will be able to deliver a smoother performance and user experience. The smartphone comes with a rear dual camera setup backed by artificial intelligence.
Here’s the top Redmi 8 features along with pricing, performance scores, camera, availability and more.
Contents
Design & Build
Redmi 8 comes with new design technology on the out, something similar to the latest Redmi 8A. There’s a water drop-styled display notch on top with capsule-shaped dual camera setup at the pack. It’s an all-plastic design with a physical fingerprint sensor at the middle of the back with the Redmi branding.
The device sports a mirror-like Aura design with gradient smudges.
The device has a slight camera bump, similar to what we saw on Redmi 8A. The screen has thin bezels on sides, but the chin remains fat.
The thick chin at the front will have Redmi logo, same as notched Nokia phones. Redmi 8 will be available in three colour options: Sapphire Blue, Ruby Red, and Onyx Black.
Display & Viewing Quality
Redmi 8 arms a 6.21-inch HD+ water drop notched display, sporting a P2i splash proof coating on the out featuring an IR blaster and Gorilla Glass 5 on the front. There isn’t much of any difference in terms of viewing experience or clarity.
Redmi 8 do a reasonable job in terms of display quality.
The 720p HD+ display isn’t bad, and does the job in the budget. Unless you play some top-end games, you will hardly notice any difference between a Full HD and the Redmi 8 display.
Hardware & Storage
Redmi 8 is powered by the same chip as Redmi 7. While this could be a bummer for some who are planning to buy Redmi 8, but clearly both the smartphones do a fair job. As far as Redmi 8 is concerned, Snapdragon 439 is still new and is capable of carrying out tasks without any hassle.
Redmi 8 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 439 processor.
The hardware pairs with up to 4GB RAM and up to 64GB storage, to be available in multiple variants starting with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage (in India). Both the variants of Redmi 8 support additional storage via a dedicated microSD card slot up to 512GB.
Cameras & Imaging Capabilities
Coming to optics, Redmi 8 will come with a dual camera system featuring a 12MP main camera and another 2MP depth sensor for portrait shots. Up front, Redmi 8 has an 8MP single wide camera. The 12-megapixel main camera comes with a 1.4 micro pixel size with an f/1.8 aperture.
It’s a Sony IMX363 image sensor.
The secondary 2-megapixel shooter is a depth sensor helping with the portraits.
The added camera features on Redmi 8 include AI Scene Detection, Google Lens support and dedicated Night Mode. The 8-megapixel AI selfie shooter upfront also supports different AI-based modes.
Coming to daylight performance, Redmi 8 will be able to offer above average performance with almost accurate colours and details. The dynamic range is good, and HDR does a fair job. The camera does struggle in low-light, but it’s good enough compared to other smartphones in the same price range.
Software & UI
Redmi 8 runs on Android 9 Pie with MIUI 10.0.1.3 on top. Both Redmi 7 and Redmi 8 have the same UI, and henceforth the user experience is going to be the same.
Android 10 is expected next year on MIUI.
Battery & Fast Charging
Redmi 8 packs a larger battery this time. The whole package will be backed by a 5,000mAh battery sporting a USB Type-C port for charging. The 5,000mAh battery on Redmi 8 supports 18W fast charging with several AI battery enhancements to provide excellent battery life.
But inside the box Redmi 8 comes bundled with the 10W charger only, so you need to buy the fast charger additionally.
At the bottom the device has a single speaker grille alongside the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Redmi 8 can run through well and will be able to pull off a whole day on heavy usage on a single charge. With the 10W charger, Redmi 8 will take close to 3 hours to charge fully from 5 to 100 percent.
Redmi 8: Pricing & Variants
Redmi 8 will be available in two variants in the country. The base model will come with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, while the top model will sport 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage. The base model with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant will cost Rs 7,999 in India.
Coming to the top model, 4GB RAM and 64GB variant will cost Rs 8,999.
Xiaomi India is celebrating 100 million Xiaomi smartphone sales in the country, at a special introductory pricing. The first 5 million Redmi 8 orders, Xiaomi will ship the 4GB RAM variant including the 3GB RAM customers at just Rs 7,999.
Redmi 8: Availability & Note 8 Pro Launch
Redmi 8 will be available from October 12 via Mi.com, Flipkart and Mi Home stores. The online availability will remain up to Flipkart and Mi.com, while offline availability depends on sales. For now, Redmi 8 will be available offline via Mi Home Stores, and may come to Mi Preferred Stores in the future.
Xiaomi also teased its 64-megapixel camera phone at the Redmi 8 launch event.
Xiaomi India confirmed that they will reveal it’s upcoming 64MP smartphone in the country next week. It’s the next Redmi Note smartphone, the Redmi Note 8 Pro with 64MP camera. Redmi Note 8 Pro in India will launch on October 16, with availability expected in a couple of weeks.
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