After a long wait, Xiaomi finally launched its Redmi Note 8 Pro in India alongside Redmi Note 8, Mi Air Purifier 2C and MIUI 11. The latest launch builds on the success of the Redmi Note series, which has been well-received by consumers and critics alike and upgrades in the new Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro have people excited.

Before we get to what Xiaomi has to offer with its new phones, here's how they are priced. The Redmi Note 8 starts at Rs 9,999 for 4GB+64GB while the 6GB+128GB model costs Rs 12,999. The Redmi Note 8 Pro starts at Rs 14,999 for 6GB+64GB, Rs 15,999 for 6GB+128GB and Rs 17,999 for the 8GB+128GB configuration.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro will go on sale in India October 21 onwards via Xiaomi's own online and offline stores as well as Amazon India. The Redmi Note 8 comes in four colours, Space Black, Neptune Blue, Cosmic Purple and Moonlight White, whereas the Pro model is offered in Mineral Grey, Pearl White and Forest Green.

Redmi Note 8
Redmi Note 8Xiaomi Twitter

Xiaomi has got the pricing of its Redmi Note 8 series right. Both models are positioned aggressively in the budget premium segment, throwing a stiff competition to the likes of Realme, Oppo, Vivo and others. Let's take a look at what these phones have to offer.

Redmi Note 8 vs Redmi Note 8 Pro

Both phones are alike, but they are mostly unique in their own terms. Let's start with the affordable Redmi Note 8. It comes with a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display with waterdrop notch and a gradient glass back. There's a quad-camera setup on the back, which comprises of a 48MP main sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth sensor.

On the Redmi Note 8 Pro, there's a 6.53-inch Full HD+ display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection. On the camera front, there are four cameras on the back, but Xiaomi offers a 64MP sensor for the main camera paired with the same 3 sensors found on the Redmi Note 8. On the front, the Redmi Note 8 gets a 13MP snapper as compared to the 20MP snapper on the Pro model. Another difference is the rear cameras on the back of the Redmi Note 8 are placed vertically on the top left corner whereas the Pro model has them at the centre.

Redmi Note 8 Pro
Redmi Note 8 ProXiaomi

Moving on to the performance aspect of the phones, the Redmi Note 8 is powered by a Snapdragon 665 processor and the Redmi Note 8 Pro gets MediaTek Helio G90T gaming chipset. The RAM and storage configurations are also different as mentioned above in the pricing section. Additionally, the Redmi Note 8 Pro has liquid cooling to keep the temperatures in check while gaming.

With great power, comes great responsibility. The Redmi Note 8 Pro has a massive 4,500mAh battery with 18W fast charging support via USB Type-C port. While the Redmi Note 8 gets the Type-C port and fast charging support, it settles for a 4,000mAh battery. The Redmi Note 8 series also marks the first time Xiaomi has offered a dedicated microSD card slot alongside dual SIM card slots in both phones.

The Redmi Note 8 is protected by P2i dust and water protection and auto cleaning speaker. Both phones are powered by Android 9.0 Pie-based MIUI 10, but Xiaomi is going to roll out MIUI 11 soon.