Redmi Note 9 Pro vs Redmi Note 8 Pro: What's the Difference

Redmi Note 9 Pro was released a couple weeks ago and stands as a strong contender in the budget friendly segment. It comes with a huge battery, quad rear cameras, and a stylish design. The Redmi Note 9 Pro is the successor to last year's Redmi Note 8 Pro that is still a great value for money option. So, let's take a look at these two “Pro” phones and see what all the Xiaomi sub-brand has changed from the last generation to this new generation.

Redmi Note 9 Pro vs Redmi Note 8 Pro: Price in India

Redmi Note 9 Pro comes in two variants, 4GB + 64GB storage and 6GB + 128GB storage. The former is priced at Rs. 12,999 while the latter is priced at Rs. 15,999. Both variants are available in three colour options namely, Aurora Blue, Glacier White, and Interstellar Black. The Redmi Note 9 Pro went on sale for the first time on March 25 through Amazon, Mi.com, Mi Home stores, and Mi Studio stores.

The Redmi Note 8 Pro, on the other hand, comes in three variants, 6GB + 64GB, 6GB + 128GB, and 8GB + 128GB, priced at Rs. 14,999, Rs. 15,999, and Rs. 17,999, respectively. All three variants are available in Electric Blue, Gamma Green, Halo White, and Shadow Black. The Redmi Note 8 Pro is also available through the same retail channels as the Redmi Note 9 Pro.

Redmi Note 9 Pro vs Redmi Note 8 Pro: Specifications

The dual-SIM (Nano) Redmi Note 9 Pro runs Android 10 with MIUI 11 on top while the dual-SIM (Nano) Redmi Note 8 Pro came with MIUI 10 and Android 9 Pie but has been updated to MIUI 11 and Android 10. The Redmi Note 9 Pro packs a 6.67-inch full-HD+ (1,080x2,400 pixels) IPS display with 20:9 aspect ratio while the Redmi Note 8 Pro features a 6.53-inch full-HD+ (1,080x2,340 pixels) screen with 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Both phones are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

Talking about the processor and memory, the Redmi Note 9 Pro is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC, an Adreno 618 GPU, and comes with up to 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM. The Redmi Note 8 Pro has an octa-core MediaTek Helio G90T SoC, supported by a maximum of 8GB RAM.

Both phones include quad rear cameras but with different configurations. The Redmi Note 9 Pro has a 48-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL GM2 primary sensor with an f/1.79 lens, an 8-megapixel secondary sensor, a 5-megapixel sensor with a macro lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. On the front is a 16-megapixel selfie shooter in a hole-punch design. In contrast, the Redmi Note 8 Pro has a 64-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.89 lens, an 8-megapixel sensor with an ultra-wide-angle f/2.2 lens, a 2-megapixel ultra-macro lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. There is a 20-megapixel camera housed in a notch on the front for selfies and video calls.

For storage, both the newer and the older Redmi phones have up to 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage that is expandable via microSD card (up to 512GB) and have a dedicated slot for it. In terms of connectivity, the Redmi Note 9 Pro comes with 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/A-GPS, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It also has NavIC support. The connectivity options on the Redmi Note 8 Pro include Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/A-GPS, an IR blaster, USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There is a side mounted fingerprint sensor on the Redmi Note 9 Pro while the Redmi Note 8 Pro has one on the back.

Talking about the battery, the recently launched phone has a 5,020mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging while the Redmi Note 8 Pro has a smaller 4,500mAh battery but still supports 18W fast charging. In terms of dimensions, the Redmi Note 9 Pro is 165.7x76.6x8.8mm in size and weighs 209 grams while the Redmi Note 8 Pro is 161.7x76.4x8.81mm and weighs 200 grams.