Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 review: A wholesome package under Rs 10,000 

Xiaomi launched Redmi te 7 in India in March. It was easily best value for money phone under Rs 10,000 at launch. But it was quickly replaced by Redmi te 7S, which was basically Redmi te 7 with a 48MP main camera. Unsurprisingly, Redmi te 7S was also met with positive response even though it cost a bit higher than Redmi te 7.  

Like clockwork, Redmi te 8 is w upon us – barely a few months after. It too is a wholesome pack. re are absolutely two ways about it. But having used Redmi te 8 for over a week w, I have some mixed feelings about it. While Redmi te 7 was an easy recommendation, things are a little complicated with Redmi te 8.  

That’s t to say that Xiaomi has cut any corners here. Redmi te 8 still punches way above its weight in more ways than a budget conscious buyer could ever imagine. But it doesn’t wow you way Redmi te 7 or Redmi te 7S did earlier in year. re’s also fact that it lives under show of very impressive Redmi te 8 Pro. And, n re’s competition. 

Design and build quality 

Redmi te 8 looks and feels a lot like Redmi te 7. That’s both a good thing and b. Good that it’s still one of prettiest phones that you can buy at its price point and you can still be rest assured about phone’s all-round build quality, and b that, design may seem a little dated by Xiaomi standards. Xiaomi mand to bump things up quite a bit with Redmi te 8 Pro – that one’s a complete overhaul of Redmi te 7 Pro. So, it’s a little disappointing that Redmi te 8 didn’t get a similar treatment.  

That’s t to say that Redmi te 8 is an exact replica of Redmi te 7 though. re are a few changes. Subtle, but y’re certainly re. Like Redmi te 7, Redmi te 8 also boasts of Xiaomi’s aura design, which is a combination of glass and plastic, but re’s a slight twist in grient scheme and three new colourways, Neptune Blue, Moonlight White and Cosmic Purple – plus standard Black. Each of se (except black variant) tends to bend light differently, unlike Redmi te 7 which was largely solid. Redmi logo on back also sees a revision in positioning. 

re’s one thing that Redmi te 8 borrows from Redmi te 8 Pro though – and I am t particularly fond of it. Redmi te 8 also has a huge camera bump which means that phone wobbles quite a bit when placed back facing down unless you cover it up with bundled case. 

A few things to te about Redmi te 8’s design and build: 

-- Redmi te 8 has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on front and on back. outer frame is all-plastic, so are power button and volume rocker - se offer excellent tactile feedback.  

-- Redmi te 8 is a thick and chunky phone like Redmi te 7. But those familiar with Redmi te lineup wouldn’t mind that. Besides, rival phones like Realme 5 are thicker and chunkier, so that’s that.  

-- I like that Redmi te 8 isn’t as slippery as Redmi te 8 Pro. It holds on to your palm and stays re and even though one-handed us could be a challenge on it for many users, it’s easier to get used to this sort of form factor – rar than something that’s curvier, like say Redmi te 8 Pro. 

-- Redmi te 8 has a rear mounted fingerprint scanner which is ridiculously fast and accurate. 

-- phone has a P2i hydrophobic coating which makes it resistant to light splashes of water/rain. 

Display 

On front, Redmi te 8 has a 6.3-inch IPS LCD display with a 1080p+ or full-HD+ resolution and a waterdrop-style tch - Xiaomi calls it, a dot tch – which is again same as Redmi te 7. Much like Redmi te 7, colours look a little muted (especially by default) on Redmi te 8 but brightness levels and viewing angles are quite good. 

Redmi te 8 display isn’t HDR-certified like Redmi te 8 Pro’s but you do get Widevine L1 support out-of--box which means you can stream HD content on it from OTT services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. 

Performance and battery life 

Snapdragon 665 processor inside Redmi te 8 is like Snapdragon 660 inside Redmi te 7 in many ways, except that former is based on more efficient 11nm manufacturing process while latter’s based on 14nm. core architecture remains nearly same, so unsurprisingly, all-round performance is also on very similar lines. SD665 in Redmi te 8 is paired with up to 6GB LPDDR4x RAM and up to 128GB eMMC 5.1 stor. 

Basic day-to-day tasks are handled well by Redmi te 8, so is multi-tasking – better than its predecessor phone, so that’s a relief. Redmi te 7 was comparatively a slower phone even with capable hardware – possibly due to improper software optimization. It really helps that Xiaomi has been able to well optimize hardware with software in Redmi te 8, so overall phone feels faster than Redmi te 7. Basic games are handled well as well – so are graphical games like PUBG at low and sometimes even at medium settings.   

But Redmi te 8 is surely t best-in-class. Rivals have caught on. I can think of at least two competing phones with same hardware, Realme 5 and Vivo U10, that offer faster performance. Of course, this also has to do with fact that both se phones have a 720p+ resolution which means re are fewer pixels to drive. So, one can argue that Redmi te 8 offers best of both worlds – a sharper display and generally good performance. 

same is true about phone’s battery life. 4,000mAh battery inside Redmi te 8 can easily last a full day with moderate us – even one and a half days should you tone things down furr. In our battery loop test, phone lasted for 15 hours 42 minutes which is in fact better than Redmi te 8 Pro (which has a larger 4,500mAh battery). But again, Realme 5 and Vivo U10, t only offer a significantly bigger 5,000mAh battery, ir lower resolution screen means y last way longer in comparison.  

A good thing about Redmi te 8 is that phone supports 18W fast charging through USB -C and Xiaomi is bundling a compliant charger in box. or phone does that in its price segment. 

Quick pointers on Redmi te 8 as an everyday phone: 

-- Redmi te 8 comes in two configurations – 4GB RAM and 64GB stor (Rs 9,999) and 6GB RAM and 128GB stor (Rs 12,999). This is a step-up from Redmi te 7 and Redmi te 7S which started with 3GB RAM and 32GB stor. Redmi te 8 also supports expandable stor of up to 512GB via a dedicated micro-SD card slot. 

-- Software inside phone is Android 9 Pie-based MIUI 10. Yes, re are s. Xiaomi says phone will be updated to MIUI 11 by end of vember. 

-- Redmi te 8 has a mo speaker out that’s aver at best. re’s a 3.5mm audio jack for wired audio – which is decent. phone comes with a one-of-its-kind clear speaker feature that plays a 30 second audio, when enabled from settings, to well, clear speaker vent off any dust particles. I think that’s a nice touch.  

-- Phone calls me with Redmi te 8 are of acceptable quality across board – thing really to complain here. dual SIM phone supports dual 4G VoLTE. 

-- re is an IR blaster on phone as well as wireless FM rio. 

Camera 

Redmi te 8 has four cameras on rear. That's two more than Redmi te 7 and Redmi te 7S. re’s a 48MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, a 2MP depth camera, and a 2MP macro lens. That main camera uses Samsung’s 48MP GM1 sensor which can produce sharper, more detailed 12MP photos in low light (and by default) and high resolution 64MP photos using software interpolation as and when required. 

To put it simply, Redmi te 8 has same main camera as Redmi te 7S, while or three have been lifted from Redmi te 8 Pro – and would also remind you of Realme 5 in many ways because it basically has same setup too (only main camera is a 12MP in Realme 5). On front, Redmi te 8 has a 13MP camera – which is again same deal as Redmi te 7 and Redmi te 7S.  

As for im quality, it is quite good. In good light, phone’s 48MP rear camera can capture good-looking photos with good detail and colors that are mostly true to source – especially for close subjects. Dynamic range is quite good too for most part. I like that Xiaomi isn’t overdoing things with fancy post-processing algorithms resulting in truer to life photos when lighting is ideal. Sticking to default 12MP mode is key as 48MP photos serve significant real-world purpose – se come out soft and grainy most of time.  

Redmi te 8’s main camera is also a capable performer in tricky and low light shooting brighter, cleaner and more detailed photos with little or ise. re’s also a dedicated night mode to bump up shows and pick even more detail, but it’s a hit or miss really.   

But biggest highlight here is that Redmi te 8’s main camera feels faster. Yes, re are times when it slows down especially while locking focus on close-up subjects but overall, it’s an improvement over Redmi te 7S. same is true about shooting at 48MP. Post-processing is faster too.  

As for or three cameras, well, results are very similar to what you get in Redmi te 8 Pro which is both a good thing and b. Good that Redmi te 8 offers so much versatility, and b that all-round camera quality is aver at best – thing really to write home about. wide-angle camera offers a wider perspective, but its quality leaves a lot to be desired, and macro lens is a mere velty. only saving grace here is depth camera that’s capable of shooting some good bokeh in all kinds of lighting situations.  

I really like Redmi te 8’s video-recording capabilities though. This one can do decent 4K at 30fps (its predecessor didn’t support it) and it also lets you shoot videos from all its cameras including macro, offering level of versatility that or smartphone does in this price range.  

front-facing camera does a good job too especially when lighting is equate – although details could have been better. 

Should you buy Xiaomi Redmi te 8? 

Redmi te 8 does t wow you way Redmi te 7 did but that’s alright. Redmi te 7 me all right ises and caught everyone’s attention – and did well in process – but truth be told, Redmi te has always been making right ises in one way or or. Redmi te 8 is different. 

Redmi te 8 isn’t about reinventing wheel. Rar, it’s all about building on Redmi te 7’s winning formula and improving things furr. 

t every piece of tech needs to wow you. Sometimes, it’s smaller things that make all difference. Like bumping up base configuration to 4GB RAM and 64GB stor, like ding a self-cleaning speaker, like ding a couple of more cameras and 4K video recording, like bundling a fast charger in box – and yet, somehow managing to keep price as low as possible, to stay true to Redmi te legacy. Redmi te 8 does all that and succeeds while at it. Redmi te 8 is a must buy for anyone looking for a wholesome pack under Rs 10,000.  

(Photos by Saurabh Singh)

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