Redmi Note 7 was one of the best-selling smartphones of 2019 and the absolute best-seller in several countries. Now, Xiaomi’s sub-brand is getting ready to launch its successor: the Redmi Note 8, which will also come in a Pro variant. Given the importance of this upcoming smartphone, a lot of leaks and rumors surfaced in the past couple of weeks, which bared all of its main specifications. That why we decided to make a rumor roundup ahead of the launch which is due in a couple of days.
In this Redmi Note 8 Pro specs and features rumor roundup, you will find everything you need to know about the Pro version and the standard version before launch.
Design
According to the official renders published by Xiaomi, the Redmi Note 8 will have a completely renewed design compared to its predecessor. Its back cover has an uncanny resemblance to OPPO Reno devices due to several design elements. And it’s not just the colors and the gradient hues but also the way everything is arranged at the back.
The Redmi logo will be placed vertically just like the Oppo logo on the Reno devices, and the rear camera department will be placed at the center instead of the upper left corner like the Redmi Note 7. The handset will have a special arrangement for the antennas which will be suitable for gamers who often hold their device in landscape mode. Yes, the Redmi Note 8 will also be a phone focused on the gaming experience. Redmi Note 8 might come in three color options: Meteorite Black, Fantasy Blue, and White, while the Note 8 Pro is rumored to come in Ice Jade, Fritillaria White and Electro-optic Ash. The front should house a waterdrop notch on the Note 8 Pro and Note 8.
Display
We do not expect revolutionary displays on the Redmi Note 8 and 8 Pro. They are supposed to come with a classic IPS LCD panel carrying a Full HD+ resolution and a waterdrop notch, just like the display on the Redmi Note 7. The presence of a rear-mounted fingerprint reader is a further confirmation of an IPS display instead of an AMOLED panel.
In addition to this, a 90Hz screen would be perfect for gaming, right? And guess what, the Helio G90T does support 90Hz panels. However, that’s highly unlikely, so we are almost sure that won’t happen.
Specs & Software
Unlike the Redmi Note 6 and 7 line-ups, the Redmi Note 8 Pro will be powered by a MediaTek chipset. The chipmaker already confirmed that Redmi Note 8 Pro will be equipped with an Helio G90T while the Note 8 will come with a Snapdragon 665. As the letter “G” in its name suggests, the G90T is specifically made for gamers.
The Helio G90T is built on 12 nm and comes with 8 cores including two Cortex A76 running at 2.05 GHz frequency and six Cortex A55 with a 2 GHz frequency. The chip supports HyperEngine and Dual Wi-Fi connection which allows the user to connect to two WiFi networks at the same time. Indeed very useful tech for gamers.
Redmi Note 8 should come in three variants: 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, 6/64 GB, and 6/128 GB. The Pro variant should come in a configuration with 6/64 GB, one with 6/128 GB, 8/128 GB and the most expensive one with 10 GB of RAM and UFS 2.1 internal storage. The score obtained by Mediatek Helio G90T on AnTuTu benchmark is almost on par with the Kirin 810 found on the Honor 9X. Note that the Kirin 810 is built at 7 nm, so this is definitely an outstanding result. There will also be liquid cooling on board, just like a lot of valid gaming phones. It is able to reduce the phone’s temperature by 4-6°C.
Camera
It is already confirmed that both the Redmi Note 8 and 8 Pro will be equipped with a quad-camera setup on the rear side. On the Redmi Note 8 Pro, the primary sensor will be a Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 with a 64 MP resolution, which is nearly double of 8K’s resolution (9248 x 6936 pixels). The Redmi Note 8 Pro is also tipped to come with 25x zoom capability and 4-to-1 pixel billing (tetracell) which will allow producing 16 MP photos with bigger pixels, more light and a stunning level of detail. The fourth sensor of the Redmi Note 8 Pro will be placed on the right of the other three ones, just below the LED flash.
Unlike popular belief, the fourth sensor of the Redmi Note 8 is not a TOF sensor, but it will probably be a super macro camera. The secondary sensor is an ultrawide lens, while the third one is a depth sensor. The camera module of the Redmi Note 8 will include at least one different sensor when compared to the Note 8 Pro.
The camera arrangement remains the same but it’s placed differently in the two models. Redmi Note 8 will have a quad camera placed on the top left corner (as seen above), while on the Pro variant it will be placed centrally.
While Redmi Note 8 Pro will boast a 64 MP main sensor, the vanilla Note 8 is supposed to sport a 48 MP lens as the primary sensor. The first camera samples surfaced are simply impressive.
Battery
Redmi Note devices always had big batteries, and the trend will not change with the Redmi Note 8 line-up. The Pro version is already confirmed to sport a huge 4500 mAh battery with a charger faster than 10W. We expect to see a smaller battery onboard the vanilla Redmi Note 8, but it should be no less than 4000 mAh. Note that while the battery will be big, the processors will not be the most efficient ones, considering that they are built at 12 nm / 11 nm. Just to make an example, the Kirin 810 found on the rival Honor 9X is built at 7 nm, so it consumes a lot less energy.
Redmi Note 8 Launch Date, Price, and Availability
Redmi Note 8 and 8 Pro will be officially announced on August 29, alongside a new Redmi TV with a 70-inch screen. The initial launch will take place in China, but unfortunately, we still do not know the listing price.
