Four cameras, an NFC sensor for contactless payments, a large bright screen, a powerful processor. It might seem that this is a description of the flagship. But no, such characteristics are possessed by Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro, a representative of the middle segment. And if you buy a Redmi Note 8 Pro smartphone with Aliexpress, then the savings will be more significant. Read on for a full review of this “people’s favorite”.
Design
In the best traditions of Xiaomi phones, this model is made of Glass 5. The glass looks great, shimmers pleasantly in the light and at the same time withstands light mechanical damage and is scratch-resistant. On the back there is a block with cameras and a fingerprint scanner. They stick out a little, but this does not spoil the tactile sensations. In addition, dust accumulates around the protrusion of the camera and needs to be cleaned periodically. The side frame is made of plastic, but here the manufacturer has tried – outwardly, it does not differ from metal. But in the cold it does not cool the hand, which is convenient.
The Note 8 Pro is similar in size to the Galaxy Note 9 (161.4×76.4×8.8 mm), but half a millimeter shorter. Outwardly, the device looks good. Looking at it, you will not immediately understand that the device belongs to the inexpensive segment. At the same time, the product weighs as much as 199 grams. For comparison, a Galaxy A50 with similar dimensions weighs 166 grams, and this difference is noticeable.
A protective case is included with the device. It does not spoil the appearance of the device, and is also equipped with a plug for the charging connector.
Screen
Despite the average size, the Note 8 Pro has a 6.53-inch screen with a resolution of 2340 x 1080. The pixel density is 395 dpi. Watching YouTube videos on your phone or launching games is very convenient. But it is difficult to operate the gadget with one hand (especially in rainy weather).
The screen is produced using IPS technology, has wide viewing angles and realistic color reproduction. By the way, about the viewing angles. The image does not change in quality and detail when viewed from anywhere. Of course, the brightness margin is not too large, but it is quite enough to correspond in instant messengers or watch videos on the street.
There is a teardrop notch in the middle of the screen. In it, the developer has placed not only the front-end, but also a notification indicator with an LED.
Camera
The device is equipped with a rear camera consisting of four modules. Three sensors are placed vertically in the center, and the fourth is mounted next to the flash. The main lens supports a resolution of 64 megapixels and has a viewing angle of 79 degrees, as well as an aperture of f / 1.89. Thanks to this resolution of the module, the manufacturer was able to implement a 10x digital zoom without reducing detail. To improve the quality of images, SuperPixel technology is used, which combines 4 neighboring pixels into one.
The second sensor is represented by an ultra-wide-angle lens with a resolution of 8 megapixels. It is designed for panoramic shooting, the viewing angle is 120 degrees. Also on the back there are separate 2 MP modules for macro photography (taking small objects close) and assessing the depth of the frame.
Aliexpress users in reviews of the camera praise Note 8 Pro for the quality of the recording. The rear camera supports 4K shooting at 30fps. The image is clear, but there is no normal optical or software stabilization here.
The front camera received 20 megapixels and f / 2.0 aperture. AI technologies are used for shooting.
Performance and memory
In terms of performance, the reviewed model is in complete order. Note 8 Pro is equipped with a built-in 12nm processor from MediaTek-HelioG90T (this is an eight-core solution). The distribution of nuclei is carried out according to the formula 2 + 6. Two Cortex-A76 cores are overclocked to 2.05 GHz, while the remaining 6 Cortex-A55 cores run at 2.00 GHz. Graphics processing here is provided by the Mali-G76MC4 accelerator.
The smartphone is positioned as a gaming solution, so it pulls modern games at medium settings (and some at maximum settings without slowdowns). It also supports a display refresh rate of 90 Hz, with which the picture will be smooth, without harshness. The amount of RAM is 6 GB, but there is also a modification with 8 gigabytes of RAM. The device performed well in multitasking mode, it did not freeze when launching several applications and dozens of links in the browser at the same time. The built-in memory is 64 and 128 GB. But there is also a slot for a micro SD card.
Autonomy
For autonomy in Xiaomi Note 8 Pro, a powerful battery with a capacity of 4500 mAh is responsible. It is designed to provide long battery life, but it is reduced by the high power consumption IPS display.
According to the results of tests, the Note 8 Pro played video in airplane mode for 16 hours without interruption. A similar situation is with games. In WOTBlitz, the device lasted for 8 hours at maximum graphics settings and with a display brightness of 50%. Such indicators of autonomy are inherent in flagships. So you don’t have to recharge your Note 8 Pro often.
In addition, the model is equipped with support for fast charging, the adapter for which is already included in the box (big hello to Apple). In half an hour, the gadget is charged from 0 to 40%. Then the charge rate drops noticeably, and the last interest has to wait a long time.
Communications
The phone is equipped with an LTE module with a maximum speed of 300 Mbps. The connection is also in order: Bluetooth 5.0, infrared port, NFC sensor, Wi-Fi 802.11. It is worth talking about NFC separately, tk. with it, you can pay for purchases with your phone instead of a card in the Google Pay application. The navigation system is supported by GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou.
Output
If you take into account the cost of 200 USD (for October 2020), Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro can be considered the top for your money. The device is assembled from high-quality materials, equipped with a large colorful screen and demonstrates good performance in games. And a display refresh rate of 90 Hz is rarely found on low-end smartphones.
