Xiaomi recently announced its latest Redmi smartphones – the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro. It’s the successor of the Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7 Pro that was announced early this year. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the non-Pro variants to see how much has changed.
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 | Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 |
|---|---|
| 6.3-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) IPS display, 409ppi | 6.3-inch Full HD+ (2340 x 1080) IPS display, 409ppi |
| Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 (11nm) 2.0GHz octa-core CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 AIE (14nm) 2.2GHz octa-core processor |
| Adreno 610 GPU | Adreno 512 GPU |
| 4GB, 6GB RAM | 3GB, 4GB RAM |
| 64GB, 128GB storage | 32GB, 64GB storage |
| microSD card slot | microSD card slot |
| 48MP F1.8 (main) + 8MP F2.2 (ultrawide) + 2MP F2.4 (macro) + 2MP F2.4 (bokeh) quad rear cameras | 48MP F1.8 (main) + 5MP F2.4 (bokeh) dual rear cameras |
| 13MP F2.0 front camera | 13MP F2.0 front camera |
| Dual-SIM | Dual-SIM |
| 4G LTE | 4G LTE |
| WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS |
| USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| 3.5mm audio port | 3.5mm audio port |
| IR blaster | IR blaster |
| Fingerprint scanner (rear) | Fingerprint scanner (rear) |
| MIUI 10 (Android 9 Pie) | MIUI 10 (Android 9 Pie) |
| 4,000mAh battery w/ 18W fast charging | 4,000mAh battery w/ 18W fast charging |
| 161.3 x 76.4 x 8.4mm | 159.2 x 75.2 x 8.1 mm |
| 190 g | 186 g |
Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 list of improvements:
• Newer and better chipset
• Larger RAM option
• Larger storage option
• Ultrawide camera
• Macro camera
The Redmi Note 8 is almost identical to the Redmi Note 7 in most features but with improvements in the essential components. One of them is the newer and better Snapdragon 665 11nm chipset. It’s a good upgrade from the aging Snapdragon 660 14nm of 2018.
The RAM gets an upgrade as well. While the Redmi Note 7 uses the 3GB or 4GB RAM configuration, the Redmi Note 8 increases it to 4GB or 6GB RAM, which is suitable for multitasking. The same can be said in storage as it is bumped to 64GB or 128GB compared to the predecessor’s 32GB or 64GB.
The Redmi Note 8 has also become a more versatile shooter than the Redmi Note 7 by packing four rear cameras. While it retained the 48MP main resolution, it is equipped with an 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro, and 2MP bokeh. The Redmi Note 7 though has a higher resolution bokeh sensor at 5MP but not a deal-breaker considering its purpose.
The rest of the specs remain the same like WiFi ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, rear fingerprint scanner, and 3.5mm audio port. The battery was also retained at 4,000mAh with 18W fast charge, but considering that the new chipset is more efficient, it could have a better battery life. We’ll know once we have the unit for review.
As for the price, the Redmi Note 8 has the same SRP as the Redmi Note 7 when it launched in China:
• Redmi Note 8 (4GB + 64GB) / Redmi Note 7 (3GB + 32GB): CNY 999
• Redmi Note 8 (6GB + 64GB) / Redmi Note 7 (4GB + 64GB): CNY 1,199
• Redmi Note 8 (6GB + 128GB) / Redmi Note 7 (6GB + 64GB): CNY 1,399
If we follow this logic, does this mean the Redmi Note 8 will carry the same Philippine SRP as the Redmi Note 7 if ever it arrives in the country? Only time will tell.
Do you want Xiaomi to bring the Redmi Note 8 in the Philippines? Let us know in the comments below.
The Redmi Note 7 is a beautiful device, even if it only has 2 cameras instead of 4. Most of the quad cameras in the budget to mid range segments are just there to pad up the specs. Depth camera and macro are pretty much useless.
In Europe we also have version 4/128 and 6/64 for RN 7. I have RN 7 4/64 with Gcam 7.0., only RN 8 rumor with SD 730G version will interesing to me.