Xiaomi’s Redmi brand today introduced the Redmi Note 8 Pro smartphone at an event in China. This is the world’s first phone to be powered by MediaTek Helio G90T chipset and is also first in the range to feature liquid cooling, and the first to be available in the market with a 64MP camera. We got to check out the smartphone at the event. Here is our first impressions.
The Redmi Note 8 Pro features a large 6.53-inch (2340 × 1080 pixels) Full HD+ dot drop display with up to 91.4% screen-to-body ratio. The company said that it has received low-blue-light eye protection certification by Germany’s TÜV Rheinland. Inside the notch there is a 20-megapixel camera. Powered by the latest MediaTek Helio G90T Octa-Core processor clocked up to 2.05GHz along with Mali-G76 3EEMC4GPU with up to 800MHz, it provides AI power up to 1TMACs. There is also liquid cooling to prevent heating even during peak performance for extended periods of gaming. It comes with up to 8GB (LPDDR4x) RAM and up to 128GB (UFS 2.1) storage. It runs Android Pie with MIUI 10 top.
Coming to the button placements, the power button and the volume rockers are on the right, Hybrid Dual SIM slot is on the left, and the company doesn’t miss out on the IR sensor, which is on the top, along with the secondary microphone. The USB Type-C Port, 1217SLS speakers grill and the 3.5mm audio jack are present on the bottom. There are no antenna cutouts that are clearly visible, but it could be metal.
The Redmi Note 8 Pro sports the latest Samsung 64MP GW1 sensor, equipped with ISOCELL Plus technology. It offers 16MP output and the 4-in-1 pixel binning technology promises better shots in low light. It has a 8MP ultra-wide lens with a 120° field of view, 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. The phone has a fingerprint sensor below the camera module, uses IP52 splash-proof technology which offers effective protection against rain and sweat and has NFC.
The phone has a 3D Glass body, compared to the 2.5D Glass in the predecessor and has Corning Gorilla Glass 5, protecting it from both accidental falls and day-to-day wear and tear. It has a 4500mAh battery, the series’ largest ever and has 18W fast charging via USB Type-C. The phone has IP52 splash-proof technology which offers effective protection against rain and sweat. The phone feels sturdy and premium, but it is a bit heavy at nearly 200 grams due to the glass back and a larger battery.
The Note 8 Pro comes in Mineral Grey, Pearl White and Forest Green colors, starts at 1399 yuan (US$ 195 / Rs. 14,035 approx.) and will go on sale in China from September 3rd. People in India have to wait a bit longer, since the company has confirmed that it will take at least 8 weeks to launch here, due to certification and testing.
Srivatsan contributed to this post