Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro, analysis of the candidate for the best mid-range of 2019

Xiaomi's mid-range is unstoppable. After the resounding success of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, the company has presented what is supposed to be the natural successor to the Note 7 Pro, a model that finally did not reach Spain and the rest of the western markets. We refer to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro , a terminal whose novelties compared to the previous generation place the Xiaomi option a step above the Note 7 and Note 7 Pro.

Aspects such as the battery, performance, design or the photographic section are several of the proposals that Xiaomi puts on top of the month during this last half of 2019 and part of 2020. Will they be enough to conquer a market already saturated with mid-range mobiles? Find out in our review of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro.

index of contents

• Data sheet Xiaomi Redmi Note 8
• Design not suitable for all pockets
• Display: correct but not taking a step forward
• Surprising performance (for good)
• Camera - when versatility trumps quality
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro camera modes
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro camera options
• The best autonomy in a mid-range mobile
• Connectivity: you will not miss anything
• Poor sound and insufficient volume
• Conclusions

Data sheet Xiaomi Redmi Note 8

Design not suitable for all pockets

The appearance of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro does not differ much from the design presented by other models of the company, such as the Mi 9 or the Mi 9 SE. In summary, we find a body made of metal and glass whose finish is at the same level as mobiles that double or even triple their price. At all times the set feels robust : both by weight and quality of finishes. Not so much in the part of the buttons, because in addition to being made of plastic, they have some slack at the ends .

Speaking of the weight of the Redmi Note 8, the terminal reaches the tedious barrier of 200 grams, something heavy for depending on what hands but that will not pose any problem if we are large hands, as is my case. What can be a problem is size. Its 6.53-inch screen raises its height to 16 centimeters high and 7.6 wide. Compared to other terminals, the Redmi Note 8 is somewhat rough in hand and quite wide , which prevents reaching all ends of the screen with one hand.

This problem is further exacerbated with the installation of the cover included in the box, a cover that, while protecting the USB port and part of the screen surface , seems insufficient to cover the rear camera module. And, as we saw with the Redmi Note 7, the cameras protrude by around 2.5 millimeters above the surface of the back, which can be dangerous if the device falls on a stony surface.

Finally, it is worth highlighting the implementation of the IP52 certification to give the terminal some permeability. We have tried using the phone in the rain and we have not had any problems, which does not mean that it is compatible with immersion in water .

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro with its official cover.

Something that is worth mentioning is the situation of the fingerprint sensor, which this time repeats the location of the Redmi Note 7. The operation of this has been fast and accurate : quite the opposite of what an on-screen sensor can offer . Without a doubt, it has been one of Xiaomi's greatest successes.

Display: correct but not taking a step forward

As is customary in Xiaomi, the company has integrated a panel with IPS LCD technology and Full HD + resolution. The size, by the way, is 6.53 inches, enough to watch series or movies or make use of multitasking.

Roughly, we find a panel very similar to that of the Redmi Note 7. Compared with the latter, the only tangible difference is found in the viewing angles , somewhat higher in the case of the Redmi Note 8 Pro. The rest of aspects such as the brightness or color calibration are practically traced to those of the previous iteration. It is precisely at this point where we miss an evolution with respect to models from other years.

The brightness, for example, leaves a considerable margin for improvement . Outdoors, screen display can be a problem. Xiaomi speaks of a figure of 500 nits. In our experience, however, it falls short in sunny environments and even with cloudy conditions.

Another aspect that Xiaomi is left in the pipeline is found in the final quality of the panel. In addition to having a somewhat gloomy and muted color representation for our liking, the panel shows a shading around the edges of the phone that is even more evident in the area of ​​the notch and the bottom frame. Although it can only be seen with light and white colors, the feeling it leaves us is that we are facing a panel of medium quality.

Surprising performance (for good)

I have to admit that the news that Xiaomi was going to opt for a Mediatek processor (specifically the Helio G90T) made me fear the worst. All in all, the experience with the phone has been more than satisfactory . This is due, in part, to the integration of 6 GB of RAM and the UFS 2.1 standard as storage technology, which further speeds up the load times of applications that demand memory access.

If we talk about browsing experience, the terminal has not disappointed at any time. And it is that despite the fact that the device has not yet received the official update to MIUI 11, the management of MIUI 10 is more than decent. The mix of capable software and hardware optimization results in a fluid and electric experience when using any third party application : from WhatsApp, Slack and Twitter to Facebook and YouTube.

Read and write speed of the internal memory.

But not all that glitters is gold. Something that I personally did not like about MIUI 10 is the number of applications that are installed by default. To the Google applications (Gmail, Maps, Lens, Duo, Messages ...) are added the native MIUI applications and the promoted applications that the layer includes by agreement with other companies, such as Facebook. Although Xiaomi includes the possibility of uninstalling them, the number of applications that we see as we start the phone can overwhelm the less expert eyes.

Result of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro in Antutu Benchmark.

And what about gaming performance? Again the Redmi Note 8 Pro keeps up thanks to the Mali G76 GPU from which the Mediatek processor it includes drinks. In games like Call of Duty Mobile, the possibilities of the GPU allow us to opt for high-performance graphic configurations without sacrificing fluidity. In fact, the phone has not had any kind of fluidity problem derived from a lack of power.

Call of Duty Mobile setup screen.

Neither temperature, with a rate that has remained above 38 degrees thanks, in theory, to the liquid cooling system. The general feeling is that the device heats up even less than other phones we've tested, such as the OnePlus 6T.

Camera - when versatility trumps quality

The photographic section is perhaps the most interesting point of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro, along with autonomy and performance. It is because of the number of cameras that the Asian firm has decided to implement in the phone's chassis: up to four in the back and one in the front, where the most interesting novelty is found in the main 64 mega-pixel sensor is signed Samsung.

Along with the main sensor we find three complementary sensors of 8, 2 and 2 megapixels . While the first and second have wide-angle and macro lenses, the third sensor uses its functions to improve the depth of photographs in Portrait mode. But what is the actual behavior of the cameras?

Roughly we can say that it is correct, with more shadows than lights in some aspects that we will talk about next.

Main sensor

64 megapixels of resolution, focal aperture f / 1.7, pixels of 0.8 μm and a sensor size of 1 / 1.7 inches is what makes up the main camera of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro. Beyond its technical specifications, the experience it has been positive , although not as much as its specifications promise.

During the day the behavior of the sensor is quite correct. While it is true that a wider dynamic range is missed , the quality where the scene lighting is generous is quite decent. It is in night scenes or in low light where we begin to see some of the shortcomings of this sensor, which are largely determined by the size of the pixels.

AI mode on and off

And it is that despite the fact that Xiaomi's algorithm manages to lift some poorly lit areas of the photograph, the definition of the figures and bodies is blurred by the famous butter effect that blurs the geography and surface of the objects. For testing, a button.

Nor does the Night mode implemented in the native application help to improve this lack. In addition to overexposing the scene in most scenarios, the algorithm again discards every bit of textures in the bodies and figures that make up the image. Unfortunately, the phone is not compatible with the Google Gcam camera application, so we will not be able to solve this type of situation with solvency unless we resort to manual adjustments.

Night mode on and off

And what about the 64 megapixel camera mode? To tell the truth, the difference from 16 megapixel images taken by default are not very relevant. Yes, it is possible to appreciate an improvement in definition in distant objects , which can help us to obtain cut-outs from photographs where digital zoom does not do its job. The improvement, in any case, is limited to the size of the image and the definition of the elements of the photograph.

64 megapixel and 16 megapixel photography (cropped image)

Image taken at 16 megapixels (resized and compressed).

Image taken at 64 megapixels (resized and compressed).

Image taken at 16 megapixels (resized and compressed).

Image taken at 64 megapixels (resized and compressed).

Image taken at 16 megapixels (resized and compressed).

Image taken at 64 megapixels (resized and compressed).

Image taken at 16 megapixels (resized and compressed).

Image taken at 64 megapixels (resized and compressed).

Image taken at 16 megapixels (resized and compressed).

Image taken at 64 megapixels (resized and compressed).

• Click here to see the full image gallery in full resolution

If we move on to the video section, the Redmi Note 8 Pro suffers from the same shortcomings and excesses present in the traditional photography mode: good results during the day and serious doubts at night .

On its positive points we find stabilization, where the camera software does a good job at resolutions below 4K . The margin of improvement is found in the focusing capacity of the sensor.

If we opt for an automatic focus, the average waiting time is quite high . In this sense, it is recommended to use a manual focus, especially if the scene lacks light or is at night. The results in this last scenario are quite improvable: lack of focus, insufficient light level and definition that is conspicuous by its absence .

Secondary sensor with wide angle lens

The 120º wide angle lens embedded in the secondary camera of the Redmi Note 8 Pro uses an 8 megapixel sensor with 1.12 μm pixels and a focal aperture f / 2.2. The shortcomings of this come precisely from the hand of the lack of resolution and the level of openness .

Although the 120º of amplitude that the lens gives to the camera sensor allows you to play with landscape and city photography, the chromatic aberration at the ends of the images makes the final result lose quality compared to the main sensor.

Photography with wide angle lens, main sensor and 2x digital zoom

This is further aggravated at night, making its use impractical due to the lack of brightness and little or no focusing ability . It is true that the company manages to maintain the proportions of the image without suffering the dreaded fisheye effect. The price to pay is the aforementioned aberration of colors and focus.

Tertiary sensor with macro lens

We arrived at what for me has been the surprise of the Redmi Note 8 Pro. The 2 megapixel sensor, accompanied by a macro lens and focus aperture f / 2.4, is capable of capturing images from just 2 centimeters away , which it opens up a whole range of possibilities in what has to do with macro photography (insects, textures, vegetation, food, etc.). Bottom line: taking pictures with this sensor is a real treat .

The level of detail obtained by the sensor, despite its resolution, is surprising. So is the ability to focus. Not so much the chromatic representation and the level of luminosity, which lose integers precisely because of the focal aperture of the sensor and its resolution . All in all, Xiaomi's decision to opt for a sensor of these characteristics seems to us more than correct.

Quaternary sensor for Portrait mode photos

The fourth and last sensor, made up of the same characteristics as the previous one, is not a separate sensor, but a camera whose sole function is limited to collecting information from the background in the images taken with Portrait mode.

The result in this type of photograph is quite worthy, especially if the light accompanies. The trimming is successful and the blurring of areas such as hair or clothes is correct , although sometimes erratic if we separate certain parts of the body. Thanks to the camera options of the Xiaomi application, we can change the aperture level of the sensor, which allows us to play with the focus of the lens in real time .

This same adjustment is also applicable to pets and inert objects, although the result is not as worthy when compared to the result of images of people .

Front sensor

If we move to the front of the device we find a sensor with 20 megapixel resolution and focal aperture f / 2.0. The results, broadly speaking, are very similar to those of the last iteration: enough for a casual selfie or making video calls .

Unfortunately, the width of its lens does not allow us to use it as a camera for group selfies. What is worthy of praise is the different modes that Xiaomi integrates into the Camera application, such as Portrait mode or various light modes that allow us to play with studio lights .

The result, surprisingly, is more than correct, although we will have to reduce the beauty effect that Xiaomi establishes by default if we want to provide textures to the skin. So is the facial unlocking system that drinks from it: fast and wide in terms of recognition range. Comparable even to the recognition of OnePlus mobiles.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro camera modes

• Slow motion (120, 240 and 960 FPS)
• Short video
• Video (720p at 30 FPS, 1080p at 30 FPS, 1080p at 60 FPS, and 4K at 30 FPS)
• Photo
• 64M (64 megapixels)
• Portrait
• Night
• Panorama
• Pro
• Artificial intelligence
• Macro
• HDR

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro camera options

• Image quality (High, Standard and Low)
• Anti Banding (50 Hz and 60 Hz)
• Time lapse
• Volume button actions
• Pocket mode
• Save previous mode
• Front camera mirror
• Watermark
• Show grid
• Notify about orientation
• Correct distortion in ultra-large shots
• Focus and shoot
• Scan QR codes
• Press and hold the shutter button

The best autonomy in a mid-range mobile

We come to what is probably the strong point of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8: autonomy. With a 4,500 mAh battery, the phone delivers results that are far from average by far.

The average hours of screen during the month of use has exceeded 10 and even 11 in some cases . In others where the demand for the processor has been higher, the phone has remained at 9 and a half hours, this being a figure well ahead of the rest of mid-range phones. It should be added that daily use has been limited to applications such as WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Call of Duty Mobile, Slack, Feedly, Google Chrome, Gmail and Spotify, in addition to the camera and the radio.

When it comes to fast charging, the phone supports charges of up to 18W, the same amount that the charger included in the box supports. The average charging time, in any case, has exceeded an hour and a half ; nothing crazy if we take into account its capacity. If we choose to charge the phone to half its capacity, the charging time will be extended to 40 minutes .

Connectivity: you will not miss anything

And when we say nothing is nothing. For the first time in its history, Xiaomi has decided to integrate NFC into one of its Redmi Note series phones, which makes it possible to use applications such as Android Pay or ImaginBank to pay with the device without the need for a physical piggy card or debit.

The headphone jack is another of the points of the phone worth highlighting , as well as the implementation of the USB type C standard. The rest of the features that come to complete the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 specification sheet are made up of Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi connections 802.11 (compatible with all bands), FM radio and infrared sensor for remote control functions.

The behavior of all the connections has been more than correct, as well as the scope when it comes to interactions with other devices. The only exception is found precisely in the infrared sensor, which is limited by the tiny size of the emitter, forcing us to get closer to the device we are pointing at to interact with it.

Poor sound and insufficient volume

The general experience of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro is clouded by one of the aspects that day after day acquire more and more importance. We talk, how could it be otherwise, about sound.

The overall quality of it is quite poor at the most disparate frequencies. The highest and lowest frequencies are overlaid by a flat sound that does not stand out for its nuance . The maximum volume is also not something that Xiaomi's Note 8 Pro can boast of: without distorting, the level is well below what other competing phones offer in these price ranges.

If we opt for headphones with a wired or wireless connection, the general conception is totally different, which does not remove the deficiencies of the sound emitted by the only speaker that integrates in its lower part. In this sense, we miss the implementation of a second speaker compatible with stereo sound .

Conclusions

After seeing all the points of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro, it is time to draw conclusions, which are largely determined by the price.

The cheapest version of the phone is today at a price of 250 euros, with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage . Is it worth paying this amount for Xiaomi's proposal for this 2019?

Without fear of being wrong, we can say yes. Broadly speaking, the company's proposal is one of the most complete today , and sections such as autonomy or connectivity are clearly superior to those of any other competing phone. The main enemy of the telephone is found precisely inside the house.

We are talking about the Xiaomi Mi 9T and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T. If we opt for a somewhat contained phone in size and our budget is somewhat limited, the Redmi Note 8T may be more than enough . In the event that our starting budget is close to 300 euros, the smartest option is found in the Mi 9T .

All in all, the phone launched by the Asian firm seems to us, by far, the best option in the mid-range if we do not prioritize aspects such as sound quality or screen size.