Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro in China. Now, soon after the launch event, India head Manu Kumar Jain has announced that the phones will launch in India soon. Jain has taken to Twitter to confirm that the phones need to undergo testing and certification before they can be launched in the Indian market. He gave a rough timeline of eight weeks, suggesting a near two-month wait. To recall, the Redmi Note 7 Pro was launched in India first, and was then launched in China a few weeks later.
Jain took to Twitter to announce that Xiaomi will bring the phones to India soon. “We’ll do our best to bring them to India asap! However, certification [and] testing might take (approximately) 8 weeks. Will keep you posted,” his tweet reads, he then adds, “8 weeks for #RedmiNote8!”. An earlier tweet had given vaguer timeline of “soon.” In China, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is set to go on sale on September 3, while the first sale for Redmi Note 8 will take place on September 17. The predecessor Redmi Note 7 was launched in China in January, but its Pro variant was launched in India first. The Redmi Note 7 Pro was launched in China a few weeks later. The company hasn’t followed the same tradition this time around.
Nevertheless, the phones’ prices in India should be similar to its China pricing, barring the tax and government duties imposed. To recall, the Redmi Note 8 price has been set at CNY 999 (roughly Rs. 10,000) for the base 4GB + 64GB model, CNY 1,199 (roughly Rs. 12,000) for the 6GB + 64GB and CNY 1,399 (roughly Rs. 14,000) for the 6GB + 128GB variants. The Redmi Note 8 Pro will retail at CNY 1,399 (roughly Rs. 14,000), CNY 1,599 (roughly Rs. 16,000) and CNY 1,799 (roughly Rs. 18,000) for the 6GB + 64GB, 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB models respectively.
Redmi Note 8 specifications
The dual-SIM (Nano) Redmi Note 8 runs on MIUI 10, based on Android 9 Pie and features a 6.39-inch full-HD+ (1080×2340 pixels) screen, and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC, paired with up to 6GB of RAM.
On the imaging front, Redmi has added four rear cameras on the Redmi Note 8 – a 48-megapixel primary shooter, an 8-megapixel wide-angle shooter, and two 2-megapixel cameras. There is a 13-megapixel selfie camera on board as well. Additionally, Redmi Note 8 includes 4,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support, USB Type-C port, 3.5mm audio jack, and IR blaster.
Redmi Note 8 Pro specifications
Redmi Note 8 Pro supports dual-SIM, runs on Android Pie based MIUI 10, packs a 6.53-inch full-HD+ (1080×2340 pixels) screen, and is powered by MediaTek’s new gaming-focussed Helio G90T SoC, paired with up to 8GB of RAM. Xiaomi has also added liquid cooling support in the smartphone to improve the gaming experience for the Redmi Note 8 Pro users. Other gaming-centric features in the phone include the Game Turbo 2.0 mode. The company will also be selling a game controller for the phone.
The Pro variant is the company’s first phone with a 64-megapixel main camera. The main shooter is joined by the same camera setup as the Redmi Note 8 – 8-megapixel wide-angle shooter and two 2-megapixel cameras. On the front, there is a 20-megapixel selfie camera on board. It packs a 4,500mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging, NFC, USB Type-C port, 3.5mm audio jack, IR blaster. The Xiaomi smartphone is also IP52 certified.