Xiaomi Redmi 8A hands-on review: First impression

Xiaomi earlier in the week unveiled the new budget phone Redmi 8A in India. It is slated to go on sale this Sunday (September 29) on Flipkart and mi.com.

DH has received the new Remdi 8A review unit and here is my initial thoughts about the Redmi 7A successor.

Display and design
Xiaomi Redmi 8A flaunts an Aura Wave Grip design on the shell. I have to say, it is visually appealing and offers really good grip thanks to fingerprint-like texture. The frame around the edges feel really solid and is capable of sustaining a fall, provided the impact is on the sides or on the back of the phone. Also, the phone comes with P2i water-resisting coating, meaning the device can survive water splash and light rains.

On the front, Redmi 8A sports a 6.1-inch HD+ dot-notch display with 19:1 aspect ratio, which promises to offer immersive viewing experience. Most part of the front panel is occupied by the functional screen and only a small space is occupied by the camera on top.

It can be noted that Xiaomi has used Corning Gorilla Glass 5 shield on the screen, which no other phone can boast off in the sub-Rs 10,000 segments.

Processor, RAM, and storage

Xiaomi Redmi 8A (DH Photo/Rohit KVN)

Xiaomi Redmi 8A comes with 2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 octa-core processor backed by Android Pie-based MIUI 10.3 OS, 3GB RAM, 16GB/32GB storage (expandable up to 512GB via microSD card).

In the brief time, I have spent with the Redmi 8A, it hasn't exhibited any lag-ness while opening apps, browsing the web, launching the camera and taking photos. But, it needs to be tested more on how the device performs during playing games. Also, Xiaomi phone com

Camera:
Xiaomi's Redmi 8A houses a 12MP snapper with IMX363 sensor(F1.8 aperture), same as the one we find in the Pixel 3 and Poco F1.

Xiaomi Redmi 8A camera sample (DH Photo/Rohit KVN)

Though Xiaomi's software is not on par with Google's magical camera app, the photos (during daylight) taken by Redmi 8A are really good in its class (sub-Rs 10,000 price band).

Xiaomi Redmi 8A photo sample (DH Photo/Rohit KVN)

But, I am looking forward to how the device fares in the low-light situation.

Must Read | Google Pixel 3a review: Top-notch camera phone

On the front, it features 8MP camera with Artificial Intelligence-based Portrait mode, beautifies app and other selfie-centric filters. Yes, it takes decent selfies in natural light. But, have to test its capabilities in the low-light and in indoor locations.

Battery:
Another notable aspect of the new Redmi 8A is the 5,000mAh battery. With normal usage, it can easily last for two days. But, what impressed me a lot is the use of Type C USB fast charger, which again a new benchmark in the budget category. The device comes with 10W fast charger with the retail box and the device can support 18W charger too.

Initial thoughts
The Redmi 8A comes with a solid upgrade over its popular predecessor. On paper, Xiaomi budget phone has best price-to-specs ratio and there are very few in the market can come close to match it.

So far, I am quite impressed with the camera and the minimalistic design. But, I will pass the final judgement on the Redmi 8A, in a more detailed review. Keep an eye on this space, as I plan to publish soon.

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