Don't expect Snapdragon power for the Redmi Note 8 series (Update)

Update, August 26, 2019 (3:19AM ET): Xiaomi and MediaTek previously announced that the Helio G90T chipset will appear in the Redmi Note 8 series. Now, Xiaomi has taken to Weibo to reveal that the standard Redmi Note 8 model will offer the Snapdragon 665 processor.

This suggests that the Redmi Note 8 Pro will receive the Helio G90T then. The Snapdragon 665 is an incremental upgrade over the Snapdragon 660 used in the Redmi Note 7.

The new Snapdragon processor offers a couple of upgrades over the Snapdragon 660, including a smaller manufacturing process, an upgraded Hexagon digital signal processor (with a claimed 2x boost in AI capabilities), and a beefed-up GPU.

Xiaomi has also touted the Redmi Note 8 Pro’s durability in a new video, showing a weightlifter stepping on two phones and then lifting 90 kilograms (~198 pounds) of weight. Check it out below.

We don’t see the actual weights in the clip, nor do we get a proper close-up look at the phones after the feat is performed. But it seems like an interesting way to promote a phone’s durability anyway.

Original article, August 21, 2019 (2:05AM ET): The Redmi Note 7 set the bar high earlier this year, offering a 48MP rear camera at a great price. But if you thought 48MPs wasn’t enough, you might want to check out the Redmi Note 8 series launch later this month.

Xiaomi’s Redmi brand confirmed on Weibo that the Redmi Note 8 series will launch on August 29, adding that it will feature a 64MP rear camera. The attached event poster shows what appears to be a quad rear camera setup, featuring three cameras and a fingerprint sensor in one housing, and what could be a fourth sensor next to the flash. Check it out below:

It’s unclear whether the 64MP sensor and/or apparent quad camera setup only applies to the Redmi Note 8 Pro or to the Redmi Note 8 as well. In any event, you can likely expect an ultra-wide camera and a depth sensor as part of the quad camera setup.

We’ve also seen a trend for the likes of Realme and Honor to ditch telephoto cameras in favor of macro cameras on some of their cheaper quad camera phones. So don’t be surprised if Xiaomi does the same thing with the Redmi Note 8 series.

Xiaomi taps MediaTek power

MediaTek also announced on Weibo (h/t: FoneArena) that its newly announced Helio G90T chipset will power an entry or entries in the Redmi Note 8 series. The last time Xiaomi offered a MediaTek-powered Redmi Note was in the Chinese version of the Redmi Note 4.

MediaTek’s latest processor is a 12nm octa-core design (two Cortex-A76 cores and six Cortex-A55 cores), delivering a Mali-G76 GPU, up to 10GB of LPDDR4X RAM, an APU, and 64MP camera support. It’s unclear whether the camera supports 64MP shots with additional image processing (e.g. HDR or night mode) or if it’s just a standard snapshot.

The Redmi Note 8 series might not be the only new smartphones come August 29, as a low-end Redmi device (likely the Redmi 8) has surfaced online too. This device packs a 5,000mAh battery, 2GB to 4GB of RAM, 16GB to 64GB of storage, a 6.2-inch 720p display, and a pair of rear cameras.

News of a new Redmi Note family comes a day after Xiaomi confirmed that it sold 20 million Redmi Note 7 units worldwide since launch. Do you think the Redmi Note 8 will do better than the Note 7 series?