Xiaomi’s 64MP Redmi Note 8 Pro arrives in Malaysia, alongside a host of mobile products

• Quad-camera Redmi Note 8 prices from US$142, has three variations
• Malaysia the first country outside of China to launch the Redmi Note 8

Can’t decide between Xiaomi’s Mi A3 or the more impressive Mi 9T? Perhaps the Redmi Note 8 can be the right middle ground. The latest smartphone under the company’s Redmi sub-brand (which serves more as a budget line) sees a quad-camera setup on a device that won’t bleed your wallet. It has just arrived in Malaysia. 

There are, in fact, two Redmi Note 8s launched in Malaysia: the basic Redmi Note 8 device, and a more powerful Redmi Note 8 Pro – the latter which touts a 64MP rear camera. Xiaomi Malaysia also saw fit to introduce a host of wireless earphones in the country which range in price and features.

The Redmi Note 8 devices arrive a mere 6 months or so after the arrival of the Redmi Note 7 in Malaysia. The differences between both devices can be quite significant – the Redmi Note 7 has a dual-camera setup, while the Redmi Note 8 has four rear shooters. Additionally, the Redmi Note 8 sports a Snapdragon 665 processor, as opposed to the Redmi Note 7’s Snapdragon 660.

Xiaomi Malaysia and Singapore country manager Allen An says that Malaysia is the first country outside of China to launch the Redmi Note 8, adding that the Redmi line of devices is the company’s most successful range of devices.

The mid-range all-star  

The Redmi Note 8 sports a 6.3-inch screen displaying at 1080 x 2340 pixels. It has a teardrop notch housing a 13MP selfie camera. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack in place as well as expandable memory of up to 256GB via microSD.

But the quad-camera is where it’s at. This entry sports a 48MP main shooter that is paired with an 8MP ultra-wide camera, a 2MP dedicated macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor for the nice bokeh shots.

Rounding up the specs is a 4,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging via USB-C, though the device ships with a 10W charger in-box. Prospective buyers can choose between three colours: Space Black, Neptune Blue (the nicest of the bunch) and Moonlight White.

There are three variations of the Redmi Note 8 to purchase: a 3GB+32GB model, a 4GB+64GB version and a 4GB+128GB one. They price at US$142.84 (RM599), US$190.53 (RM799) and US$214.38 (RM899) respectively.

Those in Malaysia who pre-order the Redmi Note 8 from 8 – 11 October 2019 will receive a pair of Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic, worth US$23.61 (RM99). The deal is available online at Shopee and Lazada, as well as authorised Mi retailers nationwide.

The Earbuds Basic is also available for purchase separately, though there are two other wireless earphones that Xiaomi has introduced to the country. The more expensive one is the Mi True Wireless Earphones, which has an auto-on, auto-connect feature alongside the ability to toggle “single ear mode”. It prices at US$85.61 (RM329).

There’s also the Mi True Wireless Earbuds (different from the Basic version), which promises 12 hours of battery life. This one goes for US$42.69 (RM179).

The Pro approach 

Users wanting something more can opt for the Redmi Note 8 Pro instead. It may share the same moniker, but it’s a vastly different device. For one, the 48MP shooter is replaced by a 64MP one.

Some may consider 64-megapixels images to be overkill for most situations, but An offers several useful things it can do, such as allowing for 3m-sized photos to be printed (it’s not a likely size for most people to print, but it’s nice to have?) as well as letting users obtain clear crop-outs from full-size images.

The Pro version retains the same 8MP + 2MP + 2MP cameras as with the base Redmi Note 8 device, but sports a 20MP selfie-camera instead. It also has a slightly larger screen – 6.53-inches at FHD+ resolutions. The teardrop notch remains, though.

The Pro version sports a MediaTek Helio G90T, an octa-core processor that An describes as a flagship chip from the processor makers. When asked why they opted for this particular MediaTek processor, An explains that it provides the best performance among others of its range.

It’s also a gaming-centric chip, clocked at 2.05GHz and features the Arm Mali-G76 3EEMC4 GPU with 800MHz of max frequency. This is all paired with a LiquidCool cooling system, making the Redmi Note 8 Pro quite the gaming device.

Its battery life is also larger than the base Redmi Note 8 – 4,500mAh compared to 4,000mAh. It similarly has 18W fast charging.

The 6GB+64GB version of the Redmi Note 8 Pro prices at US$262.07 (RM1,099), while the 6GB+128GB version goes for US$285.92 (RM1,199). The former version can be picked up for US$238.23 (RM999) through an online-only early bird promotion with Lazada or Shopee, which goes from 8-11 October 2019.

Pre-order the high-spec 6GB+128GB version instead and Xiaomi will bundle in the left side of the Black Shark gaming controller. (Note that the Black Shark has a left and right side gaming controller.)

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