The Xiaomi factory continues to churn. And honestly, I doubt the company is anywhere close to stopping yet this final quarter of the year. Following the success of the Redmi Note 7, the #4 smartphone maker in the world today launched the Redmi Note 8 in . For the first time ever, Xiaomi is also bringing the “Pro” model.

At the launch, Xiaomi first took the wraps off a range of true wireless earphones. The range-topping Mi True Wireless Earphones boast a USB-C charge case and up to 10 hours of battery life. Higher up the range there’s the Mi True Wireless Earbuds retailing for MYR179 and the most affordable Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic go for MYR99.

Redmi Note 8

Right off the bat, the Redmi Note 8 further builds upon the solid foundation that was the Redmi Note 7. In case you haven’t, check out the review here. Xiaomi calls its new device “The Mid-range All-Star” and it’s going to be hard to contest that.

The phone packs a 6.3-inch FHD+ Dot Drop display, the same panel as its predecessor, housed in a glass body protected by Gorilla Glass 5. It comes in three dazzling colours: Space Black, Neptune Blue, and Moonlight White.

Aesthetically, the phone features a 2.5D curved glass design protected by Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides.

Xiaomi has retained the much-loved IR blaster and 3.5mm headphone jack on its mid-range champion, which also comes with a large 4,000mAh battery that charges via USB-C. What’s great is that it supports 18W fast charge although only a 10W charger is bundled in the box.

Under the hood, it is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 AIE processor, a slight step up from the Snapdragon 660 of old. This is paired with up to 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of storage.

The Redmi Note 8 gets an impressive quad-camera system consisting of a 48MP f/1.79 wide angle primary lens with 1.6 micron pixel 4-in-1 Super Pixel and PDAF; 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens; 2MP f/2.4 macro lens with 2-10cm focus distance; and 2MP f/2.4 depth lens. The AI-assisted camera offers AI portraits, AI scene detetion, AI ultra-wide angle with distortion correction, night mode, and macro photography.

On the front, the phone packs a 13MP AI-assisted camera that also supports Face Unlock.

The dual-SIM, dual 4G, dual standby device also has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Redmi Note 8 Pro

Malaysia has been missing the “Pro” all this while, but not any longer. Xiaomi, this time around, is bringing its flagship Redmi device to Malaysia—the Redmi Note 8 Pro. It’s the first smartphone to sport a 64MP camera—the latest Samsung GW1 sensor with ISOCELL Plus technology. And what a whopper it is.

With the mind-blowing resolution, the 64MP sensor can deliver photos that can be printed on medium as tall as over 3m in height.

The 64MP f/1.89 main shooter is complemented by an 8MP ultra-wide angel camera (120-degree FOV), 2MP macro camera (2cm autofocus), and 2MP depth camera. The main sensor also supports 960fps slow-motion video.

Over on the front, a 20MP f/2.0 camera takes of selfies and is also used for face authentication.

Xiaomi is positioning the Redmi Note 8 Pro as a gaming-focused phone, packing some serious hardware into its mid-ranger.

Under the hood, the Redmi Note 8 Pro ditches the Snapdragon for a MediaTek Helio G90T, a powerful new octa-core chip from MediaTek. The phone is also equipped with LiquidCool technology—Xiaomi’s proprietary liquid cooling system.

In terms of memory and storage, the device packs up to 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM and up to 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage. Performance is further boosted by Game Turbo 2.0 software.

Xiaomi is also packing a massive battery into the Redmi Note 8 Pro—a 4,500mAh cell that supports 18W fast charging. The great thing is, an 18W charger is bundled in the box.

The phone also gets a 3.5mm headphone jack and for the first time NFC.

In the display stakes, the device features a 6.53-inch FHD+ Dot Drop display (2340×1080) which boasts 84% NTSC colour gamut and 500 nit brightness.

Design-wise, it’s a pretty good looking device, offered in Mineral Grey, Pearl White, and Forest Green colourways.

The dual-SIM, dual 4G standby device also features a Wi-Fi X antenna design, optimised for gaming.

Elsewhere, it packs a rear fingerprint scanner and also offers AI Face Unlock.

Pricing and availability

The Redmi Note 8 is priced as follows:

3GB RAM + 32GB storage – MYR599
4GB RAM + 64GB storage – MYR799 – Buy from Lazada | Buy from Shopee
4GB RAM + 128GB storage – MYR899

In comparison, the previous generation Redmi Note 7 was MYR679, MYR799, and MYR949 respectively.

The Redmi Note 8 is available for pre-order from 8-11 October 2019 at Lazada Malaysia, Shopee and authorised Mi Stores. Early birds will receive a free Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic worth MYR99.

Meanwhile, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is priced as follows:

6GB RAM + 64GB storage – MYR1,099 – Buy from Shopee
6GB RAM + 128GB storage – MYR1,199 – Buy from Lazada

Xiaomi is offering an early bird price promo for the 64GB model, at only MYR999, valid for online orders at Lazada Malaysia and Shopee, from 8-11 October 2019.

Also, for the 128GB model, pre-orders run from 8-11 October and early birds will receive a free Black Shark Gaming Controller Left (worth MYR169).

Incredibly aggressive pricing from the #4 smartphone maker in the world, and these should fly off the shelves, so to speak.

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