Xiaomi Redmi 8A smartphone review with key features

September 2019 was notable for the quantitative release and presentation of budget and flagship smartphones of world brands. Xiaomi alone has released several devices, including the budgetary Xiaomi Redmi 8A, with a capacious battery, decent photographic capabilities and its own firmware of the latest version. What is good about the device, what are its shortcomings? Let's try to understand in detail.

About Xiaomi

The Chinese brand has been known in Russia since 2015. Svyaznoy was the official point of sale. In the market of world sales leaders, the Xiaomi brand is in the honorable 6th place, in China it takes the 4th place. The company produces two types of smartphones: on the “clean” Android operating system, on the Android OS with a shell of its own design MIUI.The MIUI shell pre-installed in the devices has competitive technical characteristics and a low price for the product. The firmware combines the style of Apple iOS with Samsung TouchWiz. The Redmi line was launched in 2016 and continues to evolve. Phones of this series are considered budget, with good technical characteristics and a capacious battery. Xiaomi Redmi 8A is a simplified version of the smartphone Redmi 8.

New September 2019

Model specifications

Design and appearance

The classic monoblock is made of durable plastic. The screen is equipped with protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5 version, it reliably protects the screen from drops, accidental scratches, mechanical damage, water and splashes. Around the screen is a wide metal frame. At the top of the screen in the center is a triangular bang with a front camera. On the back cover, a spectacular strip runs vertically in the center, on which the manufacturer placed the Redmi logo and the main camera. On the right side are the volume and power buttons, on the left - a card slot. Above is a microphone with active noise reduction and an infrared sensor, below are the other sockets: a multimedia speaker, a microphone, a Type-C power connector, a round port with a diameter of 3.5 mm for headphones.

A special feature of the model is a special coating of the case. A similar P2i nanocoating was performed on the model Xiaomi Redmi 7A. The coating is almost matte, successfully repels drops of liquid, allows you to use a smartphone without a protective glass, does not leave fingerprints on the surface, and does not allow the device to slip out of the owner's hand. A convenient practical solution for an inexpensive device. The device measures 156.5 x 75.4 x 9.4mm and weighs 188g. With such a solid size, the smartphone is comfortable to hold in your hand, manage it both with two hands and with one, without much difficulty.The store will offer one of three color options: Midnight Black, Ocean Blue, and Sunset Red.

Screen Specifications

Capacitive touch color screen with high contrast, supports 16 million colors, which provide natural color reproduction, shades are realistic. The screen size is 6.22 inches, the usable area is 95.9 sq. cm, the vertical-horizontal aspect ratio is standard - 19: 9. If we take the screen-to-body ratio of the phone, it is 81.3%.

Matrix type IPS LCD, with liquid crystal display. With a large size, a low resolution is used: 720 x 1520 pixels, a pixel density per inch unit of area is approximately 271 ppi, the output format is HD +. The naturalness of the picture is achieved due to the smoothed image. A matrix of this format has a significant plus: you can read and view the picture without stress in any weather conditions, even in bright sunlight. If you watch a movie, the picture will be like on a plasma TV.

When compared with AMOLED screens, IPS matrices are inferior to the first in the screen response time, which ranges from 5 to 8 ms. However, IPS has a good viewing angle of the picture, and the black color is transmitted in a deep range. At low resolution, the picture will not be distorted. Another disadvantage of the matrix is ​​that if a low-capacity battery is installed, the phone will quickly discharge, so manufacturers are trying to provide optimal conditions for using the device with an energy-efficient processor and a large battery capacity. The display is equipped with useful options: night mode, reading mode, sunlight mode, color temperature adjustment.

Memory, slots and SIM cards

The smartphone will appear in Russia in two versions. The internal memory of the device will be permanent and equal to 32 GB, operational 2 or 3 GB. The phone can use two Nano-SIM cards with dual standby mode or one Nano-SIM and a card with additional memory of 512 GB - microSD. Under it there is a dedicated slot. The card will allow you to expand the small built-in memory of the device and store more photos and videos.

Interface, its features

The model is equipped with Android 9 Pie OS with MIUI 10 firmware. The latest MIUI 2019 firmware contains native applications with an accessible and easy menu, which are similar to IOS and Android solutions and provide improved device operation.

CPU

The performance of the phone is provided by an 8-core Octa-core 2 + 6 processor, in which a Qualcomm SDM439 Snapdragon 439 chip is installed using a 12 nm process technology. The processor chipset operates at the following frequencies: a cluster of two Cortex-A53 cores at a frequency of 1.95 GHz, 6 Cortex A53 cores at a frequency of 1.45 GHz. The Adreno 505 graphics accelerator is responsible for the smooth scrolling of menu and page transitions in applications.

Cameras and shooting modes

Single blocks of the main and front cameras can take photos and videos. Maximum HD+ video size, 1080 x 30 fps. The main camera works according to the following characteristics: 12 MP resolution, f / 1.8 aperture, with PDAF dual-pixel autofocus. Of the functions of the camera, an LED flash, high-quality HDR shooting are noted. The camera takes clear pictures in different light levels. The front camera is installed in a block with a lens resolution of 8 MP, f / 2.0 aperture. HDR mode works. The minus of the model is that there is no image stabilizer on the cameras.If the user likes to shoot videos, a model with a gyroscope should be purchased.

Connectivity, communications and sound

The smartphone will operate in the following modes: 2G GSM band at frequencies 850/900/1800/1900; 3G HSPA band with 850/900/1900/2100 features; 4G LTE bands, with bands for India and China. Among the wireless communications are Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, LE, single band Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n, Wi-Fi Direct with password protection, hotspot, infrared port. Navigation is carried out using GPS modules with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS. There is also a built-in antenna for using the FM radio.

Wired communications include a 3.5mm mini-jack for headphone use, USB 2.0, reversible Type-C 1.0, and USB On-The-Go fast charging. In terms of sound, it should be noted the average volume level, special clarity due to the use of high frequencies, shallow and slightly saturated.

Additional functions

Proximity sensor, accelerometer and compass are installed. In low light, Face ID technology works with the “artificial intelligence” option, which unlocks the smartphone after accurately and quickly determining the outlines of the owner’s face.

Battery

The smartphone is equipped with a powerful non-removable Li-Po battery with a capacity of 5000 mAh. The device should be charged via the USB Type-C connector. The 18W fast charging function works, which will charge the device by 50% in half an hour, by 100% in 2-2.5 hours. With intensive use, the smartphone will work for 1.5 days, in normal charging mode it will last for 3-4 days thanks to the impressive battery capacity.

Equipment

The branded cardboard box contains the device itself, a USB Type-C cable, a key-clip for removing the SIM card, an 18-watt fast charger, an instruction manual, and a warranty card. A protective case is not included in the kit, you will have to buy it separately if necessary. Perhaps this is due to the peculiarity of the plastic case: the plastic is quite durable, and its texture allows you to protect the surface from scratches and fingerprints.

Advantages and disadvantages

• classic design;
• budget apparatus;
• extensive functionality;
• the screen has a protective glass;
• has protection against moisture;
• plastic case with a pleasant texture;
• fingerprints on the case are not visible;
• does not slip out of the hand;
• excellent photos in different shooting modes with and without lighting;
• convenient screen diagonal of 6.22 inches;
• HD+ resolution;
• high color rendering and wide viewing angle;
• with a medium performance chipset, you can play games at medium settings;
• the picture on the screen is visible even in sunny weather;
• almost does not heat up under heavy loads;
• expandable memory up to 512 GB;
• high autonomy;
• capacious battery;
• there is an IR sensor;
• 3.5mm jack.

• low amount of RAM (2 and 3 GB);
• mid-range chipset;
• no case included;
• missing NFC function and fingerprint scanner:
• no gyroscope.

Conclusion

Should I buy a device? Yes. Along with the low cost, the device is equipped with decent features. The smartphone allows you to get excellent (for its value) photos at any time of the day or night with good colors, you can play games on it. In bright sunlight, the user will see a screen that is protected by durable glass.On a plastic case with a certain texture, fingerprints will be invisible, it will not slip out of your hands. A capacious battery will work offline for a long time.