[Summary]
Xiaomi's strategy is very clear, I repeat it quite often, they want to flood the market by selling phones at all price ranges with sometimes only a few euros of difference between 2 models. The Redmi Note 8 comes 6 months after the Redmi Note 7 which is far from being obsolete. What is this new model worth? Should you buy the Redmi Note 7 or 8? Or another model? I will try to answer these questions with this new test.


Manufacturer web site: Mi.com

[device_intro device="smartphone" lg="en"]

Price Redmi Note 8

The list below shows the prices for the Redmi Note 8 from more than 50 sites around the world. If you are not satisfied with any price, you can subscribe to a price alert to be the first to be notified when the price drops. [pricelist keyword="138"]

Timeline

28/07/19: Purchase of the Redmi Note 8 on Gearbest
21/10/19 Receipt of the telephone without customs fees, the telephone arrived from Germany
21/10/19 Unpacking and first pictures


Why this phone?

I started testing phones with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, I then switched to other brands to come back to Xiaomi with the Redmi Note 7. The Redmi range has established itself as a benchmark in just two years. In this price range, they do not have many competitors, they offer an unbeatable quality/price ratio.

As I can't test all the phones that come out, I have to make choices and so far the Redmi range has always surprised me. So it was without much thought that I bought the Redmi Note 8 in the hope of making another great discovery.

Structure of my tests

I test the phones according to a pre-established structure (see below) to provide you with as much information as possible. Unfortunately, this takes a long time. Some tests like network performance tests take several days and for photo tests I sometimes have to wait until the weather is suitable to take pictures in good conditions. I am therefore obliged to publish the tests step by step, so I invite you to come back if the test is not complete at the time of your visit.

Unpacking

[specs product="xiaomi-redmi-note-8" category="body"] xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo 2
The Redmi Note 8 box contains the same thing as the other boxes from Xiaomi: the phone wrapped in plastic film, a pocket with manuals and the needle to open the SIM drawer, a wall charger and a USB cable. Unlike the Pro version, there was no earphone. The Redmi Note 8 screen is protected by a plastic film installed by Xiaomi, it's the first time I've seen it at Xiaomi and it's good news.


First configuration


The configuration of the Redmi Note 8 follows the same path as other Xiaomi phones under MUIU 10. You must first configure your account, either by creating a new one or by retrieving your previous account from your old phone or the latest backup on the cloud. Once this step is completed, the phone will start downloading your applications and data in the background to allow you to continue using the phone. Redmi Note 8 is powerful enough to be used during the update. You will also find the usual screens of Xiaomi and Google to encourage you to register for the various services these companies offer.

As usual, you will find applications that you didn't ask for, but some of them are really useful, such as the Gallery application to view your photos, the application to take screenshots or the remote control application.


Finish

xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo 6
The Redmi Note 8 has a simpler shape than the Redmi Note 8 Pro, it has a more rectangular shape, it does not have curved edges like the Pro version. I took it in black and it is really black, it may seem normal but the Redmi Note 8 Pro black is actually anthracite because it reflects light so much. The Redmi Note 8 is so dark that I felt like I had a stealth camera in my hands, it reflects light in a moderate way and it is uniformly constructed with only one type of good quality plastic. The phone does not look like a high-end phone, but the overall finish is very good.

The Redmi Note 8 is slightly smaller than the Redmi Note 8 Pro but the difference is not very significant. I took some pictures of the two phones next to each other so you can compare them. It is therefore not too much in terms of finish that the two devices will differ, the choice of one or the other is more of a subjective choice.

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Top xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo 11

The Redmi Note 8 has a very similar configuration to the Pro version, there is an infrared port at the top of the phone, the screen is interrupted by a notch for the camera and the speaker has a very thin and horizontal grid that allows good sound diffusion.


Bottom
xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo 7
At the bottom is a Jack port, a USB-C port and a mono audio output. The main block of the phone is therefore very similar to the Pro version and most other Xiaomi models in this price range. Redmi is a brand that is still looking for an identity because with each model there are small differences in the visual identity. For the Redmi Note 8, Xiaomi decided to display the Redmi mark at the very bottom of the screen as if they wanted to hide a slightly thicker edge. This is the first time I've seen the mark appear at this place


Sides xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo 13
The sides of the phone are designed in the same way as most phones today with the SIM drawer on the left and the on/off and volume buttons on the right. The size and position of the buttons are very similar to the other Xiaomi models and it's very good like that, only Samsung seems to be sailing against the current with its buttons on the left.


Back xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo 17

On the back we find the photo sensor positioned on the side like the Redmi Note 7 where the Redmi Note 8 Pro has sensors positioned in the middle of the upper part of the camera. The Redmi Note 8 offers 4 sensors against 3 on the Pro or Redmi Note 7 and the fingerprint sensor is placed in the middle of the back of the device. The 4 sensors occupy an important place and stand out quite strongly, I had noticed the same thing on the Redmi Note 7. The problem can be solved by buying a protective cover.


Screen xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo 9
The Redmi Note 8 has the same screen size as the Redmi Note 7 and with 6"3, it is quite impressive. The borders are thin enough except at the bottom where the border is large enough to affix the Redmi mark. Since both phones were launched 6 months apart, I wouldn't be surprised if it were the same screen as the Redmi Note 7.


Network/Radio performance

[specs product="xiaomi-redmi-note-8" category="radio"]

3G/4G support

The Redmi Note 8 offers a good frequency coverage, it is not the most universal phone but you can use it anywhere in Europe. Only the frequency B28 is missing to cover all European frequencies.


3G Frequencies:
B1, B2, B4, B5, B8

4G Frequencies:
B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B20, B38, B40

Signal 4G
The ability to pick up the network correctly is an essential element for a phone but it is only very rarely measured. To measure a phone's ability to pick up the network, I perform a large number of measurements on the same cells to be able to compare phones under similar conditions. The signal is measured in dBm, a value of -90dBm indicates a worse signal than -70dBm. These measurements are therefore taken under real conditions and not in a laboratory, they are not scientific but give a good indication of performance.

[short_signals]


Comparison Redmi Note 8 with another device

The graph below shows the comparison between the two devices. The best device should have the largest number of measurements close to the center. The comparison is made only on the cells common to both devices. The measurements were carried out under the same conditions.

Phone 1:
Redmi Note 8

Phone 2:
Redmi Note 7

Performance evaluation: xiaomi redmi note 7 network signal
The Redmi Note 8 is the fourth Redmi I buy. In testing these different models I noticed that every second version of the Redmi range represented only a slight evolution of the previous model. I suspected the Redmi Note 8 to be a very slightly improved version of the Redmi Note 7 but this network test strongly supports my theory. I have made more than 800 measurements and I found almost exactly the same result between the 2 devices. The Redmi Note 7 was in the low average of the devices I measured, the Redmi Note 8 follows exactly the same path. This does not mean that Redmi Note 8 is bad, but if you live in an area of poor coverage, Redmi Note 8 may not be right for you.



Number of measurements:
879

Average signal:
-97.06

Download max speed:
80 Mbps

Upload max speed:
60 Mbps

Performance evaluation: The Redmi Note 8 offers good performance for 4G downloads. It is not the fastest but with the speeds obtained you can easily play videos in streaming or play games.



Wifi signal
To test a phone's ability to receive the network properly, I take measurements near my router and then remotely (and always at the same place). This gives me an average in dBm where a value of -90 dBm indicates poorer performance than a value at -30 dBm.

Signal strength close to router:
-19 dBm

Signal strength away from router:
-66 dBm


Performance evaluation: The Redmi Note 8 provides a good performance in terms of wifi signal. Near the router, I get a signal of -19 dBm, one of the best scores I have ever had. At a distance I get a signal at -66 dBm, it is also one of the best performances.

redmi note 8 wifi test 1redmi note 8 wifi test 2


Download / Wifi
To test the speed in Wifi, I connect to my router in 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz (if available) and use the Ookla application to measure the speed.[specs product="xiaomi-redmi-note-8" category="measures"]
Max upload speed:
19 Mbits

Max download speed:
211 Mbps


Performance evaluation: The good performance of the wifi signal translates into a good performance in terms of download speed. With more than 200 Mbps, you can easily stream or download files. The Redmi Note 8 is much slower than the Pro version (More than 350 Mbps) but at this level of performance, the vast majority of users will not see any difference.

redmi note 8 speedtest 2redmi note 8 speedtest 1redmi note 8 speedtest 3


GPS signal
To test the quality of the GPS signal I use the Offline Maps application and I make the same train trip in pedestrian mode. Why? In pedestrian mode, the GPS does not artificially correct the signal to stick to the road, it has no markings, so you can see the actual position. The GPS signal test shows that the Redmi Note 8 offers an excellent positioning like the Redmi Note 7. The orientation changes without moving the phone and rarely points in the right direction, it was the same as the Redmi Note 7 as well. This does not affect the quality of monitoring, but it gives the impression of looking back and moving forward. I had a small loss of signal while passing through a tunnel but the phone quickly recovered the signal.




Battery range

[specs product="xiaomi-redmi-note-8" category="battery"] The Redmi Note 8 4000 mAh battery is already present in other models of the brand. It can last two to three days in normal use and you should reach 75% of the charge in just over an hour.


CPU / GPU Performance

[specs product="xiaomi-redmi-note-8" category="hardware"]
CPU/GPU type
The Redmi Note 8 uses the same configuration as the Xiaomi Mi A3, they both use a Snapdragon 665 CPU and an Adreno 610 GPU. On the Xiaomi Mi A3, I performed well in play despite an Antutu score in the average. This performance is explained by the use of a lower resolution and therefore less greedy. The Redmi Note 8 uses a higher resolution than the Xiaomi Mi A3, so it should offer lower performance in games because its GPU must provide images in a higher resolution.


Benchmark 3DMark
With 3Dmark, I get a score at the Xiaomi Mi A3 and that's normal because they both use the same CPU/GPU combination. As for Antutu, the Pro version far exceeds Redmi Note 8.


Benchmark Antutu[specs product="xiaomi-redmi-note-8" category="benchmark"] I got a score of 172000 points with Antutu, it's 20% more than the Redmi Note 7 and 33% less than the Redmi Note 8 Pro. The Redmi Note 8 is therefore logically positioned between the previous model and the model in the upper range. With such a score, you will not encounter any problems on a daily basis and even if you want to play games like PUBG Mobile, you can do so under good conditions. The Antutu score reveals that it is mainly at the GPU level that the Redmi Note 8 is outperformed by the Pro version. For the rest, the Redmi Note 8 gets a very good score for memory, which is quite rare for a Xiaomi because it is usually at the memory level that Xiaomis lose points compared to the competition. This should allow you to switch from one application to another smoothly.
redmi note 8 3Dmarkredmi note 8 antutu 3redmi note 8 antutu 2redmi note 8 antutu 1


Gaming
To test the performance in game, I download the mobile PUBG game and evaluate the in-game experience, graphics level and depth of vision. This game is quite demanding and should help you evaluating the performance of a phone. For the mobile PUBG test I was surprised to see that the game launches into the lowest graphics mode when with a score of 172000 points, it should be able to run the game with the highest graphics. The experience in game is quite correct, I noticed some slowdowns at startup but during the game I didn't notice any problems.




Photo camera test

[specs product="xiaomi-redmi-note-8" category="camera"]
Default app

The default photo application of Redmi Note 8 is very complete, Xiaomi installs this default application on many models and adds/removes only a few elements when necessary. The Redmi Note 8 has a slow motion mode, short video, video, photo, 48M, portrait, night, panorama and pro mode. It is possible to use the 3 zoom levels in almost every menu. You can also change the shape of the photo from 4:3 to 9:16 or 1:1 which will occupy the entire screen. In 1:1 mode, you can see through the menus but it is not necessarily very readable.



This application from Xiaomi is one of the best photo applications installed by default.


Hardware

The Redmi Note 8 is equipped with the same Samsung S5KGM1 sensor as the Redmi Note 7 but differs from the previous model by offering 4 sensors at the rear against 2 on the previous model. On the software side, the Redmi Note 8 also comes with some new features.

Photo test / studio
For this studio test I took a picture from the same position using all available picture modes. I started with the normal mode by taking a picture with the 3 different focal lengths, then I tried the HDR mode followed by the AI mode. Then I went through the menus with 48M mode, portrait mode, night mode and finally pro mode.

What do we see in these pictures? The first thing is the lack of brightness, I have the same problem on almost all the devices I test and it was also the case for the Redmi Note 8 Pro. This lack of brightness is specific to studio photography because under normal conditions, this problem no longer arises. It is possible to correct this type of problem directly from the device and the handling does not require technical knowledge.

The image sharpness is good, this was already the case with the previous model. Apart from the lack of brightness, the colors are correct except in certain modes such as macro mode where the colors seem to follow a different treatment.

The main lens has a focal length of 4.74mm, the ultra wide angle lens has a focal length of 1.66m and the zoom lens has a focal length of 4.74mm. This means that the zoom is not an optical zoom but a digital zoom.

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Photo test / sunny
I haven't had the opportunity to test the camera in very good conditions yet, but rather than wait for the weather to get better, I'm already going to post some pictures taken under a partially veiled sky.

First example: ƒ/1.79 1/2395 4.74 mm 100 ISO
xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo sun 4
I took this picture with the main sensor (Samsung) which has a focal length of 4.74mm. The sun was present but partially hidden by clouds. The picture is rich in details, you can clearly see the sand texture. The coloring is neutral enough, neither too warm nor too cold but the photo lacks a little saturation. The exposure is correct. The sharpness is generally good but when you zoom the photo to 100% you see sharpness flaws appear.

Second example: ƒ/1.89 1/2198 5.43 mm 100 ISO
xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo sun 4 pro
This picture was taken with the Redmi Note 8 Pro, this model uses another Samsung sensor. The EXIF is quite similar and the photo is apparently quite similar but if you look at the photo in detail, quite significant differences appear. The processing of the Redmi Note 8 Pro offers greater sharpness to the photo, the details are more precise. This is one of the strengths of the Redmi Note 8 Pro, the test of this phone is also available on this site.

Third example: ƒ/2.2 1/6769 1.66 mm 107 ISO
xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo sun 3
The EXIF of this picture looks weird, the shutter speed is completely unrealistic for a phone and the light did not justify such a speed anyway. This picture was taken with the ultra wide angle sensor. With 1.66mm the angle of the sensor is enormous. As with the Redmi Note 8 Pro, the ultra wide angle sensor provides good sharpness in the center but degrades on the sides. This photo is the result of an HDR assembly, it allows to obtain a more dynamic photo but blurred areas appear and digital noise is present at sky level. Overall it's not very serious but if you want to look at your photos on a 4k computer screen, these defects will be more visible. The color temperature is a little warmer on the ultra wide angle sensor but if you don't compare the pictures next to each other, it doesn't show.

Fourth example: ƒ/1.79 1/19164 4.74 mm 250 ISO
xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo sun 1
The EXIF is again incorrect, I suspect that it is the use of HDR that causes this. This picture was taken at sunset, so the light is shallow and very orange. Overall the picture is well detailed but the HDR shows noise in the sky when the picture is strongly enlarged.

I took a picture at the same time with a Samsung Galaxy S10+
xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo sun 1 samsung
There was a minute between the Redmi Note 8 and Samsung photos and yet the coloring is totally different. The Samsung's picture is darker overall, the colours are warmer and the level of detail is more important. The Samsung has a more aggressive HDR treatment that gives a completely different look to the photo.

The HDR treatment of Redmi Note 8 is less effective than that of Samsung because the sky is more veiled and noisier, this kind of treatment allows to save photos when the conditions are less good but we deviate from reality. The reality lies somewhere in between the two devices because neither of them was able to capture the landscape as it really was.

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The Redmi Note 8 produces photos of acceptable quality but I don't see any big changes from the previous model. Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 7 use the same sensor but the processing applied to the photo is different. The sharpness is less pronounced on the Redmi Note 8 and the colors seem a little warmer.


Photo test / cloudy
On cloudy days, Redmi Note 8 does well as long as it uses HDR. I have the impression that the phone captures pictures with an underexposure step to capture as much detail as possible. This is what I do when I use my DSLR, but it forces me to correct the brightness after I take the picture.

First example: ƒ/1.79 1/13689 4.74 mm 100 ISO
xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo cloud 1
The use of HDR allows us to obtain a correct picture despite the cloud cover and the absence of light. Without HDR you get a completely uniform sky and a more contrasting picture overall. With this kind of treatment you deviate from reality but I suppose it doesn't matter for a large majority of users. The sharpness of static objects is quite good, if you zoom in 100% on the buildings in the background, you will easily distinguish the windows despite the distance.

Second example: f/2.2 1/4654 1.66 mm 105 ISO
xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo cloud 6
It was quite dark and the rain had started to fall. With HDR, I get a clearer and more contrasting picture than reality. Unfortunately, HDR has its limits, the sky has become completely unrealistic. When the conditions are not good, you will have to play with the HRD to see if it offers a better result than a photo without HDR. This is a bit of a problem with all phones that offer this mode, the result is not always up to the task.

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Test photo / night
To test night photography, I took pictures in environments with large differences in brightness to see how the phone performs in poor conditions. I took the same picture with the base sensor, then with the wide angle and finally with the night mode which uses the base sensor.

First example: ƒ/1.79 1/15 4.74 mm 2500 ISO
xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo night 1
The Redmi Note 8 seems to prefer decreasing the shutter speed than increasing ISO. With 1/15, the slightest movement will generate a blurry picture but with 2500 ISO the image is noisy but remains of an acceptable quality. The picture as a whole is okay. You will probably find many sites that will criticize quality but you have to put this phone in context, the Redmi Note 8 is sold for less than 200€ and in this price range, you will not find many phones able to deliver this level of quality with such ease.

Second example: ƒ/2.2 1/10 1.66mm 6341 ISO
xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo night 2
Using the ultra wide angle sensor causes the phone to rise sharply in ISO and digital noise is therefore more visible. The shutter also drops one notch and increases the risk of blurring. The color temperature is also very different from that used with the basic sensor. The ultra wide angle sensor is clearly not made for night photography.

Third example: ƒ/1.79 1/15 4.74 mm 2500 ISO (night mode)
xiaomi redmi note 8 test review revision recensione beoordeling photo night 1
The night mode combines several photos taken at different exposures to bring out as much detail as possible. The Redmi Note 7 impressed me with the quality of the night photo processing, the Redmi Note 8 does well but does not do better. In this photo, the night mode allows you to highlight details that are not visible in the other two photos and overall the treatment is not bad. Digital noise is visible but not annoying.

I took the following pictures according to the same methodology by taking a picture with the basic sensor, a picture with the ultra wide angle sensor and a picture in night mode. The remarks of the three previous photos also apply to the following photos. The night mode seems worse than the one on Redmi Note 7, the photos show more digital noise but the result is still acceptable.

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Video quality

The Redmi Note 8 is equipped with the same sensor as the Redmi Note 7 which allows you to shoot in 4k and activate video stabilization. Even if the sensor is the same, differences may appear in the processing of the video. In the examples below you will see that Redmi Note 8 is able to produce good quality videos but stabilization cannot completely erase vibrations.


Stabilisation
As for each of my tests, I start with a video made under the same conditions to be able to compare the quality and stabilization with the other devices. Redmi Note 8 has a stabilization enabled by default for video. I tested it by walking on the sand at the beach and you can see that the phone reduces the vibrations caused by footsteps but these vibrations are not completely erased.




Video normale conditions

The Redmi Note 8 allows you to shoot in 720p, 1080p and 4k. The following video was shot in 4K, the light conditions were not ideal but the phone is doing well. The sharpness is good up to a certain distance, transitions between light and dark areas are visible but the passage is quite fast. The colours are quite faithful to reality. The microphone is obviously not very well protected from the wind because the wind masks all the noise on the beach.




Video low light
I also made a panoramic video at sunset and the result is quite successful too because when I move from the sun to the rest of the horizon, the adaptation is very fast despite the difference in brightness. Stabilization is not very fluid, however, and the jerks of movement are quite visible.




Screen quality

To test the screen, I use a colorimetric probe that measures the color accuracy of a screen, as well as other parameters to see if a screen is able to correctly reproduce an image. I also test the brightness level to determine if the screen will be able to display an image in full sunlight.
[specs product="xiaomi-redmi-note-8" category="screen"]
Colorimetry
redmi note 8 pro screen calibration

When I turned on the Redmi Note 8 the first time, it made a good impression, the colors seemed right. I was right because the probe confirms my first impression, the Redmi Note 8 has a really good colorimetry, it is one of the best results I have obtained so far. I measured a dE of 1.41, I didn't get a better result with the Samsung Galaxy. The colour performance is stable, there are no big differences in the colours, only cyan deviates a little from the norm. To obtain this result I had to adapt the basic configuration of the screen to keep a constant contrast ratio because with the factory settings the dE was around 4 (which is not bad either).


Brightness

I measured a maximum brightness of 570 cd/m² with the probe, it is a very good score that far exceeds what the Redmi Note 7 was able to do. You can easily use this phone in bright sunlight.


Contrast
With a contrast of 1500:0 the Redmi Note 8 is in the average range. Blacks will not be perfectly black, but by playing with the backlight you can reduce this problem. To obtain a better contrast, it is necessary to orient yourself towards an Amoled screen such as the Xiaomi Mi A3 for example.


Audio quality

To test the quality of the phone's audio output, I connect the device's audio output to a measuring tool, then play sounds on all frequencies and measure the differences between the original sound and the sound produced by the phone. In this way I measure the phone's ability to correctly reproduce all sounds.
[specs product="%product_life%" category="sound"]
When I test the sound of a smartphone, I start with a subjective listening to get an idea of the sound quality before doing a technical test. For this first listening, I was positively surprised by the high frequencies, they seemed quite clear to me. The lower frequencies were also quite well rendered but the device lacked a little power compared to other devices I was able to test. When I passed the technical test, these elements were confirmed because the Redmi Note 8 has a very good sound reproduction over a very wide frequency range but it delivers a less powerful sound than the Redmi Note 8 Pro. This shortfall turns out to be an advantage in the end because when you push the Redmi Note 8 Pro to the limit, the sound is very powerful but difficult to listen to and the sound is subject to a big distortion. With Redmi Note 8, the distortion is very low even with the volume at maximum.

I never mentioned it in my tests but Xiaomi has integrated a default equalizer in the device. It allows you to better control the type of sound and make adjustments depending on the type of earphone or headset you use.


Frequency Response
This test is intended to test the device's ability to correctly reproduce all frequencies. The white line in the middle of the graph is the ideal situation and the other colors come from tests on different phones. A deviation from the reference line indicates a deviation from the ideal situation. To see good sound at all frequencies, it is therefore necessary to get as close as possible to the reference line redmi note 8 noise level

The Redmi Note 8 reproduces most frequencies well and compared to the Pro version, its performance is much more stable even with maximum volume. It's one of the closest phones to the standard and it confirms my first impression. I don't have a good enough ear to define what distinguishes a good device from an exceptional one but the Redmi Note 8 gave me a very good impression.


Dynamic Range
This test is designed to test a phone's ability to play sounds at different volume levels. Here too, the phones must be as close as possible to the reference redmi note 8 dynamic range

In terms of volume, we see that the Redmi Note 8 offers a lower performance than the pro version but as I wrote above, we must not stop at that because yes the Redmi Note 8 Pro offers a more powerful sound but this is at the expense of quality.


Noise Level
This test aims to identify if the device under test is able to reproduce sounds without too much noise. A high score indicates a low parasite rate, a lower score indicates a higher presence of parasites. redmi note 8 frequency response

Redmi Note 8 does not have any interference problems, it offers a slightly worse performance than the Pro version but the differences are minimal.


Biometry

Redmi Note 8 allows you to unlock the phone by reading a fingerprint or 2D facial recognition. The fingerprint unlocking is done from the back of the phone, the sensor is very small but it reacts very quickly.


Operating system




Redmi Note 8 uses MUIU 10 by default, so the experience is the same as on other Xiaomis using the same version of MIUI. The experience remains very pleasant overall and everything is well designed but Xiaomi has accumulated so much functionality that the settings menu has become more complicated to use because it is not always easy to find what you are looking for. It is possible to use a search engine but you have to enter the exact keyword of the section you are looking for and here again, Xiaomi did not always choose the right keywords. If you take the time to explore the settings, you will find that Xiaomi has added many new features in MIUI 10, they have probably been inspired by Samsung for some things like the "health" part where you can see how often you use your phone and how you use it.


Home screen
On the screen you will find the usual configuration with shortcuts to the browser, camera, message box and phone. You can also configure the page according to your wishes.


Up
The top screen shows the notification center where you can access the most frequently used shortcuts and view all notifications from the phone or applications you use. If you are bothered by an application you can block notifications directly from this screen.


Down
At the bottom you access a Google search page that allows you to search for a page on the internet or find an application in your phone.


Right
To the right you can access all your applications installed on the phone.


Encoutered bugs

I have not encountered any bugs so far.


Accessories Redmi Note 8

[accessoires type="smartphone" product="xiaomi-redmi-note-8" lg="en"]

Compare Redmi Note 8 with the others

[ranks type="smartphone" device="Redmi Note 8"]

Test / Review conclusion



The Redmi Note 8 arrived just a few months after the Redmi Note 7 while the latter was still on sale. Xiaomi's territory occupation strategy is beginning to make things difficult to understand. This is not the first Redmi I have tested and I found that the RN6 was a simple evolution of the RN5, the RN7 on the other hand made a big change from the RN5. The RN8 follows exactly the same trend, it is very similar to the RN7 and this is reflected in several points of this test. We will probably have to wait for a Redmi Note 9 to take a big step forward.

The Redmi Note 8 is a slightly improved Redmi Note 7. Is that a bad thing? Not really because the Redmi Note 7 is one of the best devices in its price range, the Redmi Note 8 will naturally occupy this position by taking the same strengths and weaknesses as the previous version while offering a higher level of finish.


Strengths
- versatile camera
- speed, performance
- gps signal
- finishing touch


Weaknesses
- average 4G signal
- HDR sometimes unpredictable