Redmi Note 8 series is official. After a number of teasers and leaks, Xiaomi on Thursday unveiled the new lineup at an event in Beijing. The Redmi Note 8 series is launching with two smartphones – Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro, however it is quite possible that Xiaomi might add more smartphones to the series over the coming months, just like it did with Redmi Note 7 series, in the form of Redmi Note 7S. In addition to the two phones, Xiaomi also took the wraps of its first Redmi-branded TV as well as a refreshed version of the RedmiBook 14.
The Redmi Note 8 sports a gradient design and comes with minor upgrades over its predecessor, like a slightly powerful processor, four rear cameras, slimmer bezels, audio improvements, and more. The Redmi Note 8 Pro, on the other hand, packs a redesigned body with significant upgrades in the hardware over the Redmi Note 7 Pro, including the presence of a 64-megapixel rear camera, as a part of the quad camera setup.
Redmi Note 8 price has been set at CNY 999 (roughly Rs. 10,000) for the base 4GB + 64GB model in the company's home market. The smartphone's 6GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB variants will be sold at CNY 1,199 (roughly Rs. 12,000) and CNY 1,399 (roughly Rs. 14,000), respectively. The first sale for Redmi Note 8 will take place on September 17.
The Redmi Note 8 Pro will retail starting at CNY 1,399 (roughly Rs. 14,000) for its base variant with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. The 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB models have been priced at CNY 1,599 (roughly Rs. 16,000) and CNY 1,799 (roughly Rs. 18,000), respectively. The first sale for the Redmi Note 8 Pro will take place on September 3.
In addition to the regular Redmi Note 8 Pro, Xiaomi has also introduced a World of Warcraft limited edition of the phone that will come with exclusive goodies, custom themes, and more.
According to Xiaomi, it will be offering the Redmi Note 8 in three colours – Dream Blue, Meteorite Black, and White. Like the Redmi Note 7, the Black variant will be the only one without the gradient finish. The Redmi Note 8 Pro will also be sold in three colours – Pearl White, Ice Emerald, and Electric Light Grey.
The dual-SIM (Nano) Redmi Note 8 runs on MIUI 10, based on Android 9 Pie and features a 6.39-inch full-HD+ (1080x2340 pixels) screen, same the company's Redmi K20 phone, with 90 percent screen-to-body ratio and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The phone includes Gorilla Glass 5 on both front and back and houses a waterdrop-style notch up front. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC, paired with up to 6GB of RAM.
On the imaging front, Redmi has added four rear cameras on the Redmi Note 8 – a 48-megapixel primary shooter, an 8-megapixel wide-angle shooter, and two 2-megapixel cameras. There is a 13-megapixel selfie camera on board as well.
Additionally, Redmi Note 8 includes 4,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support, USB Type-C port, 3.5mm audio jack, and IR blaster.
Redmi Note 8 Pro is also a dual-SIM (Nano) smartphone and runs on MIUI 10, based on Android 9 Pie. It packs a 6.53-inch full-HD+ (1080x2340 pixels) screen with 19.5:9 aspect ratio, waterdrop-style notch and Gorilla Glass 5 on both front and back. As expected, the phone is powered by MediaTek's new gaming focussed Helio G90T SoC, paired with up to 8GB of RAM. Xiaomi has also added liquid cooling support in the smartphone to improve the gaming experience for the Redmi Note 8 Pro users. Other gaming-centric features in the phone include the Game Turbo 2.0 mode. The company will also be selling a game controller for the phone.
Like the Redmi Note 8, the Redmi Note 8 Pro also houses four cameras the back, but the setup is slightly different. The Pro variant is the company's first phone with a 64-megapixel main camera. The main shooter is joined by the same camera setup as the Redmi Note 8 – 8-megapixel wide-angle shooter and two 2-megapixel cameras. On the front, there is a 20-megapixel selfie camera on board.
Among other specifications, the Redmi Note 8 Pro packs a 4,500mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging, NFC, USB Type-C port, 3.5mm audio jack, IR blaster, The Xiaomi smartphone is also IP52 certified.
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