Xiaomi’s Redmi brand launched the Redmi 8 smartphone in India earlier this week. It has a large 6.22-inch HD+ screen, features dual rear cameras, fingerprint sensor and packs a 5000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging at a price of Rs. 7999. Here we have the first impressions of the phone.
Box Contents
- Redmi 8 smartphone in Sapphire Blue color
- 2-pin 10W charger (5V-2A)
- USB Type-C cable
- SIM Ejector tool
- Clear protective case
- User manual and warranty information
The Redmi 8 features a 6.22-inch HD+ screen with a Dot Notch and 19:9 aspect ratio with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection and is powered by Snapdragon 439 SoC, same as the Redmi 8A, but this comes with up to 4GB of RAM. It runs Android Pie with MIUI 10 on top, and it should get MIUI 11 in the future.
It has a small notch that houses an 8-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture and 1.12µm pixel size, same as the Redmi 8A. This is used for AI face unlock. The proximity and ambient light sensors are present on the top bezel. The bottom bezel has the Redmi branding.
On the bottom there is a speaker grill. Next to it is the USB Type-C port, which you rarely see on phones in the price range. There is also the primary microphone and 3.5mm audio jack. On the top there is a secondary microphone and an infrared sensor. The phone also has Wireless FM Radio, same as the Redmi 8A. On the right there are usual set of power button and volume rockers. On the left there is are Dual SIM and microSD slots arranged in a single tray.
There is a 12-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, Sony IMX363 sensor, 1.4μm pixel size, f/1.8 aperture, 6P len, Dual PD auto focus. This is the same sensor used on the POCO F1, Mi 8 and other phones. In addition, there is a 2-megapixel secondary camera for portrait shots. Check out some samples below (Click the image to view the full resolution sample).
The phone has Aura Mirror design that changes color when light hits at certain angles, but this is plastic and not glass. The back attracts fingerprints easily, so it is recommended to use the bundled case. It also comes with splash resistant P2i nano coating. The phone packs a 5000mAh battery with 18W fast charging, even though it comes with 10W charger in the box.
The Redmi 8 comes also comes in Ruby Red and Onxy Black colors, is priced at Rs. 7999 for the 3GB RAM with 32GB storage version and the 4GB RAM with 64GB storage version costs Rs. 8999, but the company will sell first 5 million units of 4GB + 64GB version at Rs. 7999. It will be available from Flipkart, mi.com and Mi Home Stores starting from October 12th, and will soon be available across all other offline stores.
Photography by Siraj and Siva Bharani