JOIN USXiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro review: A worthy successor
Since the very first generation of the Redmi Note series in 2015, Xiaomi has been setting new benchmarks in the mid-range phone segment. The previous the Redmi Note 7 series was no exception, as it had a premium build quality and an equally impressive camera.
Now, with the Redmi Note 8 Pro, the company is claiming to have taken the notch up not only in the photography hardware but also in other aspects such as performance and battery life.
I have been using the Redmi Note 8 Pro for a week and here's what I have observed in Xiaomi's latest phone.
Design, display and build quality:
My review Redmi Note 8 Pro Gamma Green review unit looks gorgeous in all angles. It flaunts a glossy Aura design on the back with a vertically aligned quad-camera module and the fingerprint sensor is placed just below it. Though the company's intention is to offer the finger to easily reach the sensor to unlock the screen, my index finger took some time to memorise the location. Initially, it used to overreach and touch the camera sensor but any more.
On the front, the device has a small notch on top to house the camera. Also, one can notice that the bottom chin is very thin compared to the predecessor. The company claims to have used special display panel bending technology to achieve the feat -- 91.4-percent screen-to-body ratio.
The new Xiaomi phone comes with 6.53-inch full HD+ (2340 x 1080p) screen and a peak brightness of 500 nits. It offers a good viewing experience and also decent display legibility under direct sunlight.
With Corning Gorilla Glass 5 shield on the front (& back), IP52 water-and-dust resistant certification and P2i nano-coating, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is the most premium and durable phone in the sub-Rs 20,000 category.
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Performance:
It houses 2.05GHz MediaTek G90T processor (+ 800MHz ARM Mali G76 MC4 GPU) with Liquid Cool technology, another first for a mid-range phone in the market. The review phone (with 8GB RAM +128GB storage) worked flawlessly be it app launching, switching between multiple apps, camera loading, and while gaming, it never showed any sign of lag-ness. The phone did get warm, but never beyond my comfort level.
With Wi-Fi Antenna X, the phone gets better internet connection while playing games like PUBG Mobile, even when the fingers cover the corners (where most phones have antenna tapes) of the frame while playing in landscape mode.
Another new for the Redmi Note 8 Pro is the in-built Amazon Alexa assistant feature and I have been told that it is a system-level closed integration. It performed tasks without any fuss. Also, you can use Google Assistant as well.
The Redmi Note 8 Pro scored 2,83,987 points on the AnTuTu performance testing app, which pretty impressive for a mid-range phone. And on Geekbench 5, it got 467 and 1,524 on single-core and multi-core tests, respectively.
Camera:
The Redmi Note 8 Pro boasts one of the best camera hardware in the mid-range segment. It houses a quad-camera module with a primary 64MP Samsung sensor, 8MP ultra-wide (120-degree Field-Of-View), 2MP for macro and 2MP depth sensor for portrait pictures.
It captures sharp pictures with details in the natural light condition. Even the close-up photos look good but have to say I had trouble finding the macro mode and it is my mistake. As it turned out, it was a flower-shaped icon and was in plain sight at the top just beside the star-laced wand (beautify) icon. I got confused with the AI-feature, as it pops-up flower icon whenever I point the camera to plants or flowers. After figuring it out, I took a series of Macro shots and they were impressive.
As far as the night mode is concerned, it is hit-and-miss. The phone takes decent photos with street lights on in urban areas but fails when taken in pitch darkness. On the bright side, the phone takes pretty good pictures with the flashlight on.
In the portrait mode, the Redmi Note 8 Pro takes stunning images. The company has done a great job in terms of software (camera app) optimisation with the hardware. I liked edge separation around the subject in the foreground and the blurred background.
On the front, the Xiaomi comes with a 20MP snapper. It takes good selfies and photo filters offer good value addition for the user to have some fun editing pictures and share them on the social media platforms.
Battery:
The new Redmi Note 8 Pro houses a 4,500, 500mAh more than the predecessor. This is a big bump seen after many years in the Redmi Note series. And, yes it lives up to the hype. It offers more than a day's battery life under normal usage.
If you indulge in the heavy gaming or binge-watch videos with mobile internet on, the battery draining gets accelerated. This is not a deal-breaker as other phones too exhibit the same behaviour. One suggestion is that always download TV series or movies from media streaming apps with Wi-Fi at home and watch it longer offline while commuting office and home, vice versa.
Another unique aspect of the Redmi Note 8 Pro is that it comes with an 18W fast charger, which no rival mid-range phone can boast off.
Final thoughts:
With the new feature-rich Redmi Note 8 Pro, Xiaomi has set a new benchmark in the mid-range segment and you will have a tough time finding a better alternative phone under Rs 20,000.
I loved the Redmi Note 8 Pro's premium glossy design and display; the camera is best in the category and the long-lasting battery with fast charger is really a good value-addition, which you won't find in other rival branded phones in its class.
There are three colour variants-- Halo White, Gamma Green and Shadow Black with prices starting Rs 14,999.
Pros:
Visually appealing design
Exceptional camera
Big Battery with Type C-based 18W fast charger
Powerful processor with liquid cool technology and good memory configuration (RAM + storage)
Triple slots (2 SIMs + microSD)
Cons:
Ads flooded by Xiaomi and partner third-party apps on notification tray are bit annoying
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