Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T review

Introduction

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T is the European version of the popular Redmi Note 8 and the latest addition to the budget series.

The Redmi Note lineup needs no presentation - it has always delivered good smartphones with sustained performance and long-lasting battery life on a bargain price. The Redmi Note 8T is an enhanced version of the Redmi Note 8, and we very much believe the 8T will repeat the Note 8 success.

So, the Redmi Note 8T is a Note phone done by the book - it has a large 6.3 IPS LCD screen with a small notch, a promising Snapdragon 665 chip, some whooping camera count on the back, and a beefy 4,000 mAh battery within.

Naturally, the Redmi Note 8T uses a dual Gorilla Glass 5 shell and its back is painted in some trending gradient colors - Starscape Blue and Moonlight White, but you can also opt for a more traditional Moonshadow Grey that is not as casual and is easy on the eyes.

The Redmi Note 8T adds NFC option over the regular Note 8 and comes packed with an 18W fast charger (up from 10W). It runs on Android 9 with MIUI 10, and while MIUI 11 is coming at some point, it's not available just yet.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T specs

• Body: Gorilla Glass 5 front and back, plastic frame, splash-resistant nano-coating, 190g.
• Display: 6.3" IPS LCD, 1080 x 2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 409ppi.
• Rear camera: Primary: 48MP, f/1.8 aperture, 1/2" sensor size, 0.8µm pixel size, PDAF. Ultra wide: 8MP, f/2.2, 1/4", 1.12µm pixels. Macro camera: 2MP, f/2.4, 1/5", 1.75µm Depth sensor:2MP; 2160p@30fps, 1080p@120fps, 720p@960fps video recording.
• Front camera: 13MP, f/2.0 aperture, 1.12µm pixels. 1080p/30fps video recording.
• OS: Android 9 Pie; MIUI 10.
• Chipset: Snapdragon 665 (11nm): Octa-core (4x2.00 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver), Adreno 610 GPU.
• Memory: 3/4/6GB of RAM; 32/64/128GB storage; dedicated microSD slot.
• Battery: 4,000mAh; 18W fast charging.
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM; LTE-A, 4-Band carrier aggregation, LTE Cat-12/ Cat-13; USB-C; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; dual-band GPS; Bluetooth 4.2; FM radio; NFC.
• Misc: Rear-mounted fingerprint reader; 3.5mm jack; single down-firing speaker.

The Redmi Note 8T also offers basic splash-protection via the so-called special nano-coating, so there is nothing missing on the 8T. Realme also offers splash-resistant phones at the same price bracket, and it will be one very tough choice if it boils down to Redmi vs. Realme in the end.

Unboxing the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T

The Redmi Note 8T box contains the usual - the phone itself, a USB-C cable, and an 18W charger. This is a bit different from the Note 8 - it is bundled with a slower 10W adapter.

There is also a semi-transparent silicone case in the box, which is appreciated. What's not on the Redmi Note 8T is a factory-applied screen protector. Maybe it will come with extra shielding in some markets. Maybe it won't.