Xiaomi today launched the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro in India. Xiaomi has dominated the sub-15k segment in India thanks to the popularity of its Redmi Note series.

Both – the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro – feature a quad-camera setup and a new design with Gorilla Glass 5 panels at the front and rear. Xiaomi continues to use an IPS LCD display on both phones, though some phones in this segment have switched over to OLED panels.

They also feature Xiaomi’s new Aura Design and are available in bold and striking colors.

Redmi Note 8 Pro

The 6.53-inch Dot Notch FHD+ display has a brightness level of 500-nits and Xiaomi says it is ‘HDR enabled.’

The phone will be available in three colors: Gamma Green, Halo White, and Shadow Black.

The Redmi Note 8 Pro is IP52 certified which means it is dust and water-resistant to a certain extent. It basically means that the phone can survive splashes of water and that’s about it — you should not dunk it in water and expect it to survive the ordeal.

The glass at the rear of the Redmi Note 8 Pro is curved on all four sides which makes it easier to hold in both portrait and landscape orientation.

As the naming suggests, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is the more powerful of the two handsets. It features a MediaTek Helio G90T chipset which is more powerful than the similar offerings from Qualcomm like the Snapdragon 710 and Snapdragon 712. Xiaomi is back to using a MediaTek chipset in one of its premier devices after a long time.

The octa-core chip features 2x Cortex-A76 ‘performance’ cores running at 2.06GHz alongside 6x Cortex-A55 cores. There is also a Mali-G76 GPU clocked at up to 800Mhz. The chipset is powerful enough to play PUBG on HDR and Ultra high graphical settings, something which no other smartphone in this segment currently supports.

The quad-camera setup of the Redmi Note 8 Pro consists of a 64MP primary shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide angle sensor with 120-degree FoV, 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor. It is the main highlight of the device, though Xiaomi is not the first company to launch a smartphone with a 64MP camera in India. The macro lens and the ultra-wide angle sensors are new additions to the Redmi Note lineup.

The macro mode can be used for video recording as well. The phone can also record slow-motion videos at 960fps. There is a 20MP selfie shooter with Palm Shutter, AI Beautify, AI Portrait Selfies, and more.

The Redmi Note 8 Pro comes with a minimum of 6GB RAM and 64GB of UFS 2.1 storage. There is also another variant with 128GB UFS 2.1 storage. There is a dedicated microSD card slot on the phone – a first in the first Redmi Note series – thereby allowing users to increase the storage on their phone for cheap.

Other specs of the Redmi Note 8 Pro include a 4500mAh battery, 18W fast charging support and Xiaomi is bundling a fast charger in the box this time around as well.

Redmi Note 8 Pro Specs

• 6.53” FHD+ IPS LCD
• 500-nits brightness, HDR Support
• IP52 Certification
• MediaTek Helio G90T Chipset
• 6GB RAM
• 64/128GB UFS 2.1 storage
• Quad-Camera Setup – 64MP primary shooter, 8MP ultra-wide angle, 2MP depth and macro sensors
• 20MP Selfie Camera
• 4500mAh Battery, 18W Fast Charger
• Dual-SIM, Dedicated microSD Card Slot
• IR Blaster, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0
• Rear Fingerprint Sensor
• 960fps slow-motion video recording

While Xiaomi also announced MIUI 11 at the event, the Redmi Note 8 series will launch with MIUI 10 out of the box. The MIUI 11 update for the device is scheduled to release in December.

Redmi Note 8

The Redmi Note 8 is a cut down version of the Redmi Note 8 Pro. It features a quad-camera array, though it has been cut down and it packs a 48MP primary shooter with the 8MP 120-degree FoV, macro, and depth sensors being the new additions.

The design of the Redmi Note 8 features an Aura Fluid design that is similar to the Mi A3. It will be available in four colors: Space Black, Moonlight White, Neptune Blue, and Cosmic Purple.

Redmi Note 8 Specs

• 6.3” FHD+ IPS LCD
• 450-nits brightness
• P2i nano-coating
• Snapdragon 665 chipset
• 4/6GB RAM
• 64/128GB storage
• Quad-Camera Setup – 48MP primary shooter, 8MP ultra-wide angle, 2MP depth and macro sensors
• 20MP Selfie Camera
• 4000mAh Battery, 18W Fast Charger
• Dual-SIM, Dedicated microSD Card Slot
• IR Blaster, Wi-Fi n, Bluetooth 4.2
• Rear Fingerprint Sensor

Redmi Note 8/Pro Price and Availability

The Redmi Note 8 starts from Rs 9,999 for the 4GB/64GB variant. The 6GB RAM variant with 128GB storage is priced at Rs 12,999.

As for the Redmi Note 8 Pro, it starts from Rs 14,999 for 6GB RAM/64GB storage and goes all the way up to Rs 15,999 for the 6GB RAM/128GB variant. There is also an 8GB RAM variant with 128GB storage for Rs 17,999.

The Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro will go on sale from October 21 on Amazon and Mi.com.