It"s been almost two years since the debut of the Redmi Note 8 (along with the Pro version), a mid-range smartphone powered by Qualcomm"s 665 SoC. Today, Xiaomi unveiled the 2021 edition of the device with a new processor.
The Redmi Note 8 (2021) is powered by MediaTek"s Helio G85 SoC comprising a Mali-G52 MP2 GPU and an octa-core CPU with a clock speed of up to 2GHz. It should be noted that the same processor is used to power last year"s Redmi Note 9.
The Helio G85 was announced last year with a focus on gaming. Its improved HyperEngine system, in particular, provides dynamic management between the CPU, GPU, and the RAM based on power and thermals.
Apart from the new chipset, the latest Redmi Note 8 edition keeps all of the features from its original version. It sports the same 6.3-inch Full HD+ Dot Drop display protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 5. It also features a quad-camera on the back consisting of a 48MP main sensor, 8MP ultra-wide angle camera, 2MP macro sensor, and 2MP depth sensor. On the front, there"s a 13MP selfie snapper.
The device packs a 4,000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. It also comes with a 22.5W charger inside the box. Its fingerprint sensor is mounted on the back and there"s a 3.5mm headphone jack as well. The phone runs MIUI 12.5 based on Android 11.
As for the availability and pricing, the Redmi Note 8 (2021) will be priced at $169 for the 4GB/64GB configuration and $189 for the same RAM but with 128GB of internal storage. It will be up for grabs from May 25, available in Moonlight White, Neptune Blue, and Space Black.