Xiaomi Redmi 8A review

Rate this smartphone

3.59 / 5

(17)

Intro

The Redmi 8A offers the basics you want from a budget device - a practical body, a normal screen and a long-lasting battery. The manufacturer has tried to improve all the features while keeping the price low. 

Before reading the full review, you can familiarize yourself with the detailed Xiaomi Redmi 8A specs or watch the video below the article.

Specifications

• Release date: 2019, September
• Colors: Midnight Black, Ocean Blue, Sunset Red
• Dimensions: 156.5 x 75.4 x 9.4 mm.
• Weight: 188 g.
• Screen: 6.2" inc, 720 x 1520, IPS LCD
• Camera : Single, 12MP
• Chipset: Qualcomm SDM439 Snapdragon 439 (12 nm)
• CPU: Octa-core (2x1.95 GHz Cortex-A53 & 6x1.45 GHz Cortex A53)
• Memory: 32GB 2GB RAM, 32GB 3GB RAM
• Battery: 5000,  Non-removable Li-Po
• Network: GSM / HSPA / LTE
• Operating system: Android 9.0 (Pie)
• Sensors: Accelerometer, proximity, compass

Design

Xiaomi has been looking more at competing models lately and using ideas from them. An example of this is the flagship Mi Note 10, which largely copies the Huawei P30 Pro. As for the Redmi 8A, it is reminiscent of the Oppo Reno2. The smartphone comes in bright colours - blue and orange, and the classic black. 

Logically, the Redmi 8A doesn't offer a fingerprint scanner. In its place, facial recognition technology is offered. It functions brilliantly during daylight hours. At night, it creates a slight lag. At these times, it's better to rely on entering a numeric code or a graphical password. 

The manufacturer did offer a USB Type-C port. 

Display

The screen size of the Redmi 8A is 6.22 inches. An IPS panel has been used which has a resolution of 1520 x 720 pixels. The image quality is decent. The color rendering is of a high level. The maximum brightness is 400 nits. When using the model outside in sunny weather, you may experience some discomfort in reading the information. Indoors there is no such problem. 

As a bonus, the developers have protected the screen with tempered Gorilla Glass 5. They have taken care of a quality oleophobic coating, as well as the presence of automatic brightness adjustment. 

Performance

Almost nothing in the Redmi 8A sets it apart from the Redmi 7A. It uses a base level Snapdragon 439 processor coupled with 2 GB of RAM. 

Despite the modest specs, the interface runs smoothly and without any animation lag. The phone is responsive. The internal memory is 32 GB. This is the minimum comfortable indicator for using a smartphone in 2019. The card slot is triple - you can put two SIM cards and microSD there. 

Cameras 

In the Redmi 8A, the manufacturer has relied on a single 12 MP main camera with a Sony IMX486 sensor and an aperture of f/1.8. Artificial intelligence is supported which helps to artificially enhance the photos with the help of smart algorithms. 

During the day, Redmi 8A will delight you with gorgeous photos. For more complex scenes, artificial intelligence intervenes. In the dark, the aggressive action of noise cancellation is noticeable.

The front camera is an 8-megapixel camera. 

With the Redmi 8A in hand, you can record Full HD video at 30 frames per second. The quality isn't bad, but you can detect the lack of stabilization.  

Autonomous operation 

Redmi 8A has a battery with a capacity of 5000 mAh. Its autonomy is at the level of 4-5 days. In this mode, the screen will work for an average of 5 hours - a decent benchmark for any modern device. With more intensive use, the user can count on 6-7 hours of glowing screen and two days of interaction. 

Conclusion

Redmi 8A is an excellent representative of the budget class. It is a potential hit among users who do not insist on flagship features. The device offers a beautiful design and impressive autonomous performance. The absence of a fingerprint scanner is not much of a pain. 

Pros:

• Excellent autonomous performance; 
• Quality sound;
• Decent main camera;
• Ample RAM.

Minuses:

• Display brightness could have been higher. 

Xiaomi Redmi 8A video review

Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is based on our team's personal experience with the Xiaomi Redmi 8A and third-party sources. While every effort has been made to provide accurate and reliable information, readers should keep in mind that this is a subjective assessment. The writing of this article was not paid for or sponsored by Xiaomi.