Have you ever wondered how many phone models does exist in the world? It's a lot, do you think so?! And the Xiaomi production line does not stop. What model to choose? Which smartphone is better and which one is worse, more beautiful, which one is comfortable in the hand? Read our independent Xiaomi Redmi 8 review from the real user of this smartphone! Unforgettable 2 years using of this device.
All Xiaomi users exactly do not want to overpay. The main parameter for them is its low price. According to my observations, Xiaomi brand tries to create a quality smartphone with a fairly low price.
Appearance and design.
The manufacturer delivers this model in three colors: red, blue, black.
In our case, the phone have a nice blue color.
In my opinion, the phone is nice, pleasing to the eye, you can safely say that it is beautiful.
The back cover is glossy, so it gets dirty easily. This can only be seen in these photos when viewed in the sun or in flash light.
It is made of plastic, with a special paint that creates an interesting reflective optical effect called "aura-mirror". Normally, light is reflected in all directions. And with this effect, you can see something like " stripes of mirrored light" or a flickering of mirrored stripes. It's very beautiful, stylish and looks expensive and rich.
The photos was taken with a flash to demonstrate this effect:
The cover does not crisp, it is solid. During long and inaccurate use for some people the color can delaminate around the fingerprint scanner, which strongly damages the look of the smartphone. The scratch resistance of the cover is probably average. If you hide the phone in your pocket or put it on a rough surface, scratches will appear after a few months. But Redmi Note 8 have a cover made of glass, so the scratch resistance is higher. It is better to use a case, even though it will increase the overall thickness, but the device will have perfect look always.
The edges and sides are rounded everywhere, which makes this model elegant.
The display has a thin edgeband. In my hand the smartphone fits perfectly, even though it has a large 6.22-inch screen. Some users may find this parameter critical when choosing a smartphone.
Xiaomi Redmi 8 display
- Screen size: 6.22 inches, with liquid crystal IPS technology.
- Resolution: 1520×720, HD+, 270 dpi.
- Aspect ratio: 19:9.
The screen makes good impressions, my eyes do not get tired, there is no backlight flicker, the automatic brightness works well.
The resolution is a little low by modern standards: if you look attentively, the pixels are still a little visible comparing with Xiaomi Redmi Note 8, where the pixels are completely invisible to the eye. But it is not annoying and is quite normal for comfortable work.
Angles of view is wide enough. Brightness is enough even in direct sunlight. When the screen have completely black color in the dark, the glare is minimal.
Color reproduction is excellent. Colors are bright and vivid.
Pictures of the display in bright sunlight:
TouchScreen.
The Redmi 8 smartphone has a touchscreen with support for up to 10 taps at a time.
Responsiveness is good. It works quickly and taps exactly where it's supposed to. You can safely play those games where the speed and responsiveness of the sensor is critical, such as one of these, Fruit Ninja. Even a broken sensor on this model will continue to respond normally to a touch, and this is not the case with all models of smartphones.
The display glass has a good protection against scratches Gorilla Glass 5, which does not allow small scratches to appear even with careless use for a long time. But, it won't completely protect against all scratches. To prevent them from appearing, I recommend buying and gluing a protection glass.
Battery life
Here the device reveals all the fine side. Very pleased with the duration of the work without charging. Our phone is already 2 years old, which means that the battery in it is no longer new, but nevertheless the phone was able to lie on and without recharging just over a week. More than a week with minimal use: look at the time, go to the Internet for a couple of minutes. Wi-Fi was turned on.
This model is presented to users as one of the longest working. This is achieved due to the 5000 mAh battery capacity and energy-efficient components of the device. When playing games and resource-intensive applications, the new smartphone is able to work up to 5 hours.
Fast Charge and 18 watt charger supports. But it only comes with a charger for 10 watts of power.
The inside parts.
The device has the outdated Snapdragon 439 processor, which is about the level of the Snapdragon 625. Didn't you want more battery life? We will have to compromise on something.
No doubt, the pleasure is the availability of USB Type-C, in which the cable connects either side. There is OTG support. It is nice that FM-radio is available and can work without headphones, IR-port, a standard headphone jack in the phone itself is present. In the SIM-slot you can put two cards and a microSD card up to 512 GB and use everything together without fuss. LTE can be enabled with any SIM.
The phone does not heat up much even under full load, a little warm on a quick charge, which is undoubtedly very pleasing.
There is a fingerprint scanner on the cover. Works fairly accurately and quickly for a budget model. There is a function of unlocking by face with the front camera without the use of other sensors. But it is not quite reliable.
The phone comes with 32GB or 64GB of storage.
It's better to pay a little extra and get more memory - apps are constantly being updated and increased in size.
Communication
Data transfer over Wi-Fi is not very fast, but it is quite enough. Not yet up to 5 GHz - only 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n.
Bluetooth is 4.2.
Tracking location technology are GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Beidou and SBAS. The accuracy is quite normal - as a navigator in the car will do.
The phone can be connected to the TV.
The quality of communication for calls, I suppose, is standard. I would have liked a little more sensitive microphone. VoLTE is supported.
LTE is very fast. Do not forget: the Chinese versions of Xiaomi do not support some LTE frequencies!
Recording calls can only be set up through the installation of applications.
Ah, but there is no NFC, the model is a budget model.
Sound
Through headphones and Bluetooth sound is pleasant, deep, high-quality. Speaker multimedia only one. Loud enough to hear the call even when you have been asleep. The sound from it, in general, acceptable, but not as bassy. As for a budget model - just about excellent.
Camera
- Is 12 megapixel main, Sony IMX363 sensor, f/1.8, 1/2.55, 1.4 microns, 2 megapixel depth sensor
- 8 megapixel front sensor Omnivision 8856, f/2.0, 1.12 micron
The main camera does its job. We can call the quality of photos good only if we talk about a budget smartphone. Photos are very detailed, with satisfactory color depth. Focusing works fast enough and correctly.
In the dark, things are much worse. The focus slows down a lot and the photos are blurry. The built-in flash does help, but not always.
If everything is quite clear with the main camera, then the question is why there is a second camera on the back. Xiaomi presents it as a depth sensor. However, in practice, the difference is not perceptible, both with it and without it. It is better to use a third-party photography app, such as the camera from Google, to improve the quality of photos.
video recording : the standard 1080p at 30 frames per second, without stabilization. Quite tolerably.
The front camera does its job very well. In a dark room or in low light, the quality of photography worsens. The phone will please who often takes selfies.
What's included?
- 10 watt charger
- data cable
- SIM eject tool
- Silicone case
Reliability. 2 years in use...
This smartphone was a durable device. Used without protection glass and case. There have been many different falls from different heights and, much to my surprise, the screen neither cracked nor broken, which shows the high quality of the screen and the glass itself. But the cover let me down - it broke and cracked at the edges. But, this is no problem! Its cost is much lower than the cost of the screen. What else would you expect from careless use of this device, which is low cost?
People know that batteries have a lifetime of use. The battery is of high quality. Its life has only decreased by 3% in 2 years of use. You can check the condition of the battery by using the app, but you can do it more accurately with a USB tester.
The secrets of use:
The smartphone became slower: the time to open and load apps increased. This was easily solved by a complete factory reset.
It seems that this device is able to work reliably for a long time, despite the company's own statements about the service life of 2 years.
Redmi 8 specifications:
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 439
- RAM: 3/32 or 4/64 GB;
- Display: 6.22 inches with Gorrlla Glass 5, IPS, 1520x720 HD+, 270 dpi.
- Battery: 5000 mAh
- Camera: 12MP main camera, 8MP front
- Color: blue, black, red. Cover of the case with a reflective effect.
- Size: 156.48 × 75.41 × 9.4 mm;
- Weight: 188 g.
Conclusions
Overall, the smartphone turned out very good for its money. Beautiful, stylish body with an interesting reflective effect. But, over a long period of use without protection glass, the paint around the fingerprint sensor can disappear.
It is an excellent option for those who forget to charge or can not charge often, because inside there is a powerful battery and energy efficient hardware.
Unfortunately, the processor is from the past. So the phone will be a good buy for the older generation and those who need a phone for work, serfing Internet and other usual tasks. It's perfect for those who rarely has playing on a cell phone.
The device was very reliable and its screen has not even cracked in 2 years of use with several falls. Battery wear and tear during this time is minor.
Xiaomi has managed to make a quality and inexpensive.
Advantages:
- Battery life.
- Nice design
- Shock resistance and reliability
- Comfortable in your hand
- USB Type-C with fast charging
- Can insert 2 SIM and 1 microSD
Disadvantages:
- Fingerprints remain on the lid, the paint fades
- For demanding games is weak.