Xiaomi always knows where his target user base and market position are. So publish competitive entry-level and mid-range phones from start to finish. I have done a review of Redmi 7A earlier. It is a very stable mobile phone and also keeps up with mainstream mobile phone functions.
Now that Redmi 8A is coming, it is said that it is coming because China has not yet listed, but in fact the Redmi 8A has been released in the Indian market. Let’s see if Redmi 8A is a mobile phone worth buying?
brand new design
First of all, Redmi 8A is a low-cost mobile phone, but Xiaomi has not let its design lag behind the mainstream trend. A drop-shaped gap was left on the 6.2-inch screen, and of course, the bottom also retained a bit of chin. This design is also understandable considering the nature of its entry-level phone.
However, the drop-shaped notch cuts into the display depth, which may have some effect when watching the video. The brightness and contrast of the IPS LCD screen is not bad at all, and there is no problem when it is taken outdoors. Due to the low resolution of 720 x 1520, a closer look reveals that the screen is a little softer, and again, this is the price of low cost.
Compared to the Redmi 7A, Xiaomi has increased the size of the display, and the phone is no longer so small. Coupled with a bit of a big border, the Redmi 8A may look awkward and not easy to use with one hand. The phone is quite fat, but this may be due to its huge battery. To be honest, despite the large battery, the Redmi 8A weighs only 188g.
The feel of the button is very good, you really can’t see this is an entry-level phone. Although the Redmi 8A supports fast charging, it comes standard with a 10W charger. If you want to use the 18W fast charging, you need to purchase another charger.
The 3.5mm headphone jack is still widely available on entry-level phones, and the Redmi 8A is no exception. The speakers are located on both sides of the USB-C connector. There are occasional clicks when using headphones, and there is a lack of clear sound levels, but the overall feeling is fairly clear. The real deficiency is that the speaker sound is small, the music sound is low, and the bass and midrange are almost indistinguishable.
The Redmi 8A back shell is made of polycarbonate material with a wavy texture and adds some friction. The gradient’s color gradually changes from bright red to almost orange. The most exciting thing is that it won’t be as easy to leave fingerprints or scratches as Redmi 7A.
Hardware and performance
The Redmi 8A is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 chipset, which is the same as the Redmi 7A, so performance is not far off. In the actual use process, there has not been too many stuck. Of course, it takes a long time to launch the app, but you have to face the reality that this is an entry-level phone. Multitasking is obviously not what Redmi 8A is pursuing, and 2GB of RAM is not enough. Fortunately, there are 3GB options, and it is recommended that people who might purchase choose 3GB.
Although the CPU performance has been greatly improved, the graphics capabilities of this phone are obviously insufficient, especially when playing games. While running the stimulus battlefield, although the Redmi 8A provides a runnable frame rate, there is significant frame loss, not to mention switching to HD. If you are playing a simple 2D game, the effect should be good.
The Redmi 8A system uses MIUI 10 based on Android Pie. The software and hardware are well matched, but the old problem is that Xiaomo pre-installs too many applications. Probably calculated, there are more than 20 pre-installed applications, I don’t know if these applications will take up a lot of system resources. The MIUI on Redmi 8A is smooth, but when you start setting up your phone, the upgrade of various applications begins, and the experience is very poor.
The Redmi 8A’s speakers and handsets have a clear voice, and although the touch screen is not as accurate as expected, texting is still satisfactory. The WiFi connection was somewhat unstable, and the phone was disconnected when downloading a large number of files. In addition, 5Ghz WiFi is not supported, so WiFi can only use 2.4G.
battery
The real highlight of the Redmi 8A is the battery, which is a huge 5,000mAh battery. This should be the most important improvement in Redmi 8A. For users who are often on a business trip, such as me, it is easy to use for three days when fully charged. Therefore, I think that even if you use your mobile phone frequently, the Redmi 8A will last for one day or even two days.
camera
The Redmi 8A uses a 12 megapixel IMX363 sensor. In terms of model, this is the same as Google’s Pixel 3a series sensor. However, only sensors do not necessarily produce excellent images, and Redmi 8A is an example.
Even if HDR is turned on, the dynamic range is limited. The image is too soft, and it is often difficult to focus stably even in the case of sufficient light.
Shooting in low light conditions is not bad, but overexposure still exists. The Redmi 8A can dramatically reduce noise, making the lens look too soft.
The 8 megapixel front camera captures normal selfies. By default, a stiff beauty filter is used, and you are advised to turn it off.
Other features of the camera include portrait mode. Since the phone uses a single camera to achieve this function, the blurring effect between the subject and the background is not very good.
The video can support up to 1080p of 30FPS. You can shoot pretty good video clips in a well-lit environment, but you won’t want to shoot in low light conditions.
to sum up
Redmi 8A 2GB RAM, 32GB storage price 113.99 US dollars
Compared to the Redmi 7A, the Redmi 8A has taken a step forward and it feels good even without a protective cover. If the display can be brighter, it looks good. The battery life is very long and should be easy to use for two days for most users.
It is a pity that the camera feels more backward than the Redmi 7A. When using 7A to shoot a scene with normal exposure and clear images, Redmi 8A seems to be unable to find the correct exposure and focus mode. However, Xiaomi’s software update frequency is very high, so I hope to improve it through software updates.
In terms of price, Redmi 8A is the ideal mobile phone. 32GB of storage is a really useful upgrade compared to 7A. If the budget is limited, Redmi 8A may be a good fit.
