Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro Review

Overview

The Redmi Note 8 Pro is by far one of the most interesting smartphones from the Redmi brand. Initially created to cater for the entry-level and mid-range smartphone markets offering impressively low prices, this year, the Redmi brand tapped into the higher-end-range market, first with the Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro and now in the upper-mid-range market with the Redmi Note 8 Pro. However, instead of using a Qualcomm chipset, this model packs a MediaTek one. Moreover, it is the first smartphone available on the market that sports the Helio G90T - the most powerful MediaTek system-on-chip to date created especially for gaming smartphones. It is also the first commercially available smartphone utilizing the 64MP Samsung S5KGW1 camera sensor. This device does have other aces up its sleeve, so do read out all pages of this review and before we delve into the details, let's check the model's specifications and what's in the box.

Specifications

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro features a 6.53-inch display with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. The IPS panel offers a typical brightness of 500 cd/m² and 1500:1 static contrast ratio. It covers 84% of the NTSC colour space and is protected by a 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 5 with oleophobic coating. The small notch on the top of the display houses the 20MP Samsung S5K3T1 selfie-camera with an f/2.0 aperture. On the back, there's a quad-camera setup with a 64MP Samsung S5KGW1 main shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide unit, a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. The model is powered by a 4500 mAh battery paired with a 5V/3A~9V/2A~12V/1.5A fast charger.

The Redmi Note 8 Pro is based on a MediaTek Helio G90T (MT6785T) chipset. Built on the 12nm process, it houses an octa-core CPU with 2x 2.05GHz Cortex-A76 cores and 6x 2GHz Cortex-A55 cores. The graphics department is headed by a 4-core ARM Mali-G76 3EEMC4 GPU clocked at 800MHz. The CPU and GPU are aided by two MediaTek APUs clocked up to 750MHz for enhanced AI. The MediaTek HyperEngine Game Technology is on board as well. There are 6GB or 8GB of dual-channel LPDDR4X RAM clocked at 2133 MHz. The UFS 2.1 internal storage is either 64GB or 128GB and can be further expanded.

The integrated Cat. 12 4G LTE WorldMode modem allows the device to support LTE Cat. 12 speeds, 3x CA, 4x4 MIMO and 256QAM. The Redmi Note 8 Pro supports the following network bands: 2G GSM (B2, B3, B5, B8), 2.5G CDMA BC0, 3G W-CDMA (B1, B5, B8), 3G TD-SCDMA (B34, B39), 4G LTE-FDD (B1, B3, B5, B8), 4G LTE-TDD (B34, B38, B39, B40, B41). The wireless connectivity options of the model include NFC with Android Beam and Tap&Pay, Bluetooth 5, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac. There are an infrared port, 3.5 mm jack and a USB Type-C 2.0 with OTG support onboard as well. The Redmi Note 8 Pro supports GPS, GLONASS, and Beidou and runs on MIUI 10.4.8 based on Android 9 Pie.

Complete Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro specifications.

What's in the box

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro arrives in what has become a traditional box for the Redmi Note smartphones - with a rectangular form and a purple-pink-red gradient. The full brand and model names are imprinted on top of the lid and on the bottom side there's information about the main specifications and certifications. Inside, the smartphone is positioned below an envelope with some accessories and above the compartments for the charger and USB cable. Here's the full list with the box contents in addition to the handset:

• 5V/3A~9V/2A~12V/1.5A fast charger (US plug)
• USB Type-C data cable
• Transparent protective case for the back with a dark-grey tint
• SIM tray pin
• Quick start guide
• Warranty card