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.
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.
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.
