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Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 8 Pro, the company’s smartphone sporting four cameras at the back which includes a 64MP sensor, has officially been announced for India. Redmi Note 8 Pro was first launched in China back in August this year. Xiaomi also announced the Redmi Note 8 in India, which also has four cameras at the back with a 48MP main sensor. The Redmi Note series has been one of the major drivers for Xiaomi’s smartphone volumes in India, helping it cement its number one position in the market. The refresh cycle is currently around eight months for the Redmi Note series and the earlier Redmi Note 7 Pro was launched back in February.
Xiaomi also announced a new Mi Air Purifier 2C for India at a price of Rs 6,499. The main difference is that it does not come with a real-time screen for tracking PM2.5 level unlike the Mi Air Purifier 2S, which has a higher price tag. The Mi Air Purifier 2C is being sold on Mi.com from 4pm today onward. It will be made available on Flipkart, Amazon and Croma later on.
The company’s custom OS MIUI 11 was also announced, which also comes with a new Dark Mode. It has a new Dynamic clock on the lockscreen, along with the option to personalise it further. For notifications, the entire screen will come alive to alert users of an incoming message or email. Xiaomi will also let users customise the lock screen to show personalise images, based on user preferences. MIUI also brings dynamic video wallpaper, where users will have the option of setting a video as a wallpaper.
The Redmi Note 8 will cost Rs 9,999 for 4GB RAM+64GB storage. The 6GB RAM and 128GB version will cost Rs 12,999. The Redmi Note 8 Pro starts at Rs 14,999 for 6GB RAM+64GB storage. The 6GB RAM and 128GB version will cost Rs 15,999. The most expensive variant will cost Rs 17,999 for 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Sale will begin on Amazon and Mi.com from October 21 at 12 noon. Airtel users will get double data.
The Redmi Note 8 Pro sports the Aura design, though it has a more curved back compared to the Redmi Note 7 Pro, which was flatter. The phone has a bigger 6.53-inch display at Full HD+ display with 2340 x 1080 pixels and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. There’s Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the front and back of the device. This is also the first Redmi Note 8 Pro to come with an HDR ready display.
With the Redmi Note 8 Pro, Xiaomi is also introducing new colours, which are the Halo white, a colour quite similar to the one on the Mi A3, a new Gamma Green which has a dark tinge at the back and a more staid Shadow Black.
The Redmi Note 8 Pro has a vertical camera module at the back, which juts out quite prominently. Interestingly Xiaomi has placed the fingerprint sensor at the bottom of the camera module, which has three sensors. The fourth macro sensor is placed to the right with the LED flash on top. The camera specifications are 64MP main sensor, 8MP ultrawide-angle lens, 2MP macro lens and 2MP depth sensor for improvements to portrait. The front camera is 20MP.
Redmi Note 8 Pro runs the MediaTek Helio G90T, which is designed for gaming. This is the first Redmi Note phone in India to sport a MediaTek chipset and not a Qualcomm one. Xiaomi claims they worked closely in partnership with MediaTek to ensure the best gaming performance on the phone. This time Redmi Note 8 Pro comes in only 6GB or 8GB RAM. There’s no 4GB RAM option this time. The storage options are 64GB or 128GB. With the Redmi Note 8 Pro, the phone also has liquid cooling to keep the temperature lower while gaming on the phone.
Xiaomi also introduced a dedicated microSD slot along with two SIM slots, which is a first on the Redmi Note series. The maximum storage supported is 512GB. The phone also comes with IP52 rating for dust and water-resistance.
Also read | Redmi Note 8 Pro first impressions, hands-on in China: We tried the 64MP camera
The Redmi Note 8 Pro has a 4,500mAh battery, compared to Redmi Note 7 Pro’s 4000mAh battery. The device also supports 18W fast charging via USB Type-C. Xiaomi is putting an 18W fast charger in the box this time. Redmi Note 8 Pro runs MIUI 10 based on Android 9 Pie.
Redmi Note 8 comes with a 6.3-inch dot notch display, which is also full HD resolution. This one has a 48MP primary sensor compared to the 64MP primary camera on Redmi Note 8 Pro. The other three cameras on Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro will are same, including the 8MP ultra-wide lens, 2MP macro lens, and a fourth 2MP camera for depth. However all four camera sensors on the Redmi Note 8 are arrange vertically on the left edge, one under the other.
The Redmi Note 8 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, like the Mi A3. This one also comes with a dedicated microSD slot and dual SIM slots. This one has an Aura Fluid design with an S holographic curve at the back. It will come in Neptune Blue, Moonlight White, Space Black, and in a Cosmic purple version as well. Redmi Note 8 is backed by a 4,000mAh battery and supports 18w fast charging and the fast charger is being provided inside the box. It uses a USB Type-C port at the bottom.
In MIUI, there’s a new system wide Dark Mode. For notifications, the entire screen will come alive to alert users of an incoming message or email. Xiaomi will also let users customise the lock screen to show personalise images, based on user preferences. MIUI also brings dynamic video wallpaper, where users will have the option of setting a video as a wallpaper.
The Files manager app will now show thumnails of all file type similar to how it looks on Windows or Mac laptops. Users will also be able to preview any document without the need of any additional app within the File manager app itself. The Document viewer will support a number of formats from PDF to Excel.
MIUI also comes with a new Tasks function integrated into the native Notes app. Users will be able to add reminders to their tasks as well. The feature also adds a Voice task where in users can just rely on voice to add their tasks as well. There’s also a new floating calculator, which can appear as a picture-in-picture over any app. It can also calculate EMI, etc.
Xiaomi has also introduced a new Steps Tracker as part of the App Vault. It has also added the option for tracking women’s menstruation cycles, which can sync with the calendar. A new feature will also let users take a call without exiting or having to leave a video they are watching. The call will work in landscape scenario as well. Xiaomi is also adding Quick Replies for messages, where a small picture-in-picture opens within the video and one can reply to this without exiting their video. Xiaomi says users can choose on which apps this functionality should work.
MIUI 11 also brings a new Mint keyboard, where Xiaomi has partnered with Bobble to create a keyword that supports 25 regional languages. It will also support translation within transliteration feature. It also has a real-time emoji suggestions for indic languages. The rollout for MIUI 11 will start from October 22, while the Redmi Note 8 Pro will get this some time in December.
