Buying a mobile phone is often a difficult decision-making process for many users. On one side is the budget and the financial amount we are willing to spend. On the other hand, there are several dozen different smartphones that are too similar to each other.
How do you just choose the right one to get the most for my money? See our following comparison.
TOP Xiaomi models up to 250 € / 6 500 CZK
In today's article, we looked at two representatives of the upper middle class. We compared Xiaomi Mi 9T a Redmi Note 8 Pro. Both phones belong to roughly the same category of middle-class smartphones.
What is attractive about the compared models is their price. Although it's hard to believe, both phones can be had for less than 250 €, approximately CZK 6. For this amount, you get quality (not equipment) worthy of a flagship. But which one to choose?
Comparison of basic specifications in the table:
| Xiaomi Mi 9T | Redmi Note 8 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| dimensions | 156.7 x 74.3 x 8.8 mm | 161.3 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm |
| Mass | 191 g | 199 g |
| Used material | Glass-Aluminum | Glass-plastic |
| Display | Super AMOLED / 6.39 inches | LTPS LCD / 6.53 inches |
| 1080 x 2340 px without cutout | 1080 x 2340 px | |
| Density 403 ppi | Density 395 ppi | |
| Gorilla Glass 5 | Gorilla Glass 5 | |
| Fingerprint sensor in the display 7. gen. | Fingerprint sensor on the back | |
| LED notifications | Yes | Yes |
| processor | Snapdragon 730 | Mediatek Helio G90T |
| 64 bit / 8 core | 64 bit / 8 core | |
| 2×2.2GHz Kryo 470 + 6×1.8GHz Kryo 470 | 2×2.05GHz ARM Cortex A76 + 6×1.95GHz ARM Cortex A55 | |
| Frequency 2.2 GHz | Frequency 2.05 GHz | |
| Graphics | Adreno 618 | Mali-G76MC4 |
| RAM | 6 GB LPDDR4X | 6 GB LPDDR4X |
| Measured power in AnTuT | 218 000 | 282 000 |
| 4G LTE B20 band support | Yes | Yes |
| Primary camera | 48 MPx Sony IMX582 Exmor RS | 64 MPx Samsung Bright GW1 |
| type CMOS BSI | type ISOCELL | |
| aperture f / 1.75 | sensor size 1/2 ″ | 0.8 µm | aperture f / 1.9 | sensor size 1/1.7 ″ | 0.8 µm | |
| Laser / PDAF focusing | Laser / PDAF focusing | |
| Secondary cameras | 8 MPx telephoto lens aperture f / 2.4 1.12 |m | 2x optical zoom | 8 MPx ultra widescreen aperture f / 2.2 1.12 |m | |
| 13 MPx ultra widescreen aperture f / 2.4 1.12 µm | 2 MPx macro | aperture f / 2.4 1.75 µm | |
| - | 2 MPx depth sensor aperture f / 2.4 1.75 µm | |
| Video capture | 2160p / 30fps | 2160p / 30fps |
| 1080p / 30/120 / 240fps | 1080p / 30/60 / 120fps | |
| 1080p / 960fps | 720p / 960fps | |
| Front camera | 20 MPx - retractable | 20 MPx in the display slot |
| Aperture f / 2.2 | 0.8 µm | Aperture f / 2.0 | 0.9 µm | |
| video 1080p / 30fps | video 1080p / 30fps | |
| 3.5 mm jack | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | Yes |
| Radio | Yes | Yes |
| Drums | Li-Pol 4000 mAh | Li-Pol 4500 mAh |
| Fast charging 18 W | Fast charging 18 W | |
| Wireless charging - NO | Wireless charging - NO |
The specifications are already clear to us, but let's discuss some parameters in more detail.
Dimensions and design
You will have to rely on yourself in this category. Both phones are almost the same in size and weight. Note 8 Pro is still a bit larger and heavier. The difference in the size of the phone and the display is most noticeable when both mobile phones are next to each other. Note 8 Pro seems subjectively lighter for larger dimensions.
Coatings resembling holographic flames on the Mi 9T have no competition, but it must be acknowledged that jade green on Note 8 Pro is also handsome. We can even find both models in the beautiful pearl white. The circumferential frame is made of metal in the case of the Mi 9T and plastic in the case of the Note 8 Pro. The back of both is made of glass.
We will also include the durability of both smartphones in this category. In both cases, the display is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. What is interesting, however, is that the Note 8 Pro has a P2i Nano protective coating and its durability is certified in the IP52 standard.
This means resistance only to splashing water or rain. The Mi 9T does not have such a certificate, but recently video from the guts Redmi K20 Pro elements of certain protection against water were discovered.
Here we will allow ourselves not to qualify the winner and we will leave the decision to individual taste.
Display
The phones being compared got completely different displays. As you learned from the table, the Mi 9T is a 6,39-inch Super AMOLED with Full HD + resolution. It has an integrated 7th generation fingerprint reader and no cutout for the front camera. In addition, AMOLED technology enables the function of ambiguous display of various data on the display when the device is "asleep".
Redmi The Note 8 Pro is a bit "worse" with the display. Although the display diagonal is 0,14 inches (0,35 cm) longer and the resolution is the same, it is only LTPS LCD technology. Color display is not as contrasty as AMOLED.
In addition, in its upper part there is a cutout for the front camera, which takes away from the space of the notification panel. In this case, an ambiguous display is not possible.
Redmi The Note 8 Pro has a fingerprint reader located on the back panel and not under the display. However, we do not consider this as a minus, because such a location suits many users.
Nevertheless, the clear winner is the Mi 9T. Super AMOLED panel without cutouts simply has no competition.
Performance
V Redmi after several failures with Mediatek, they again bet on this brand's processor. They took a risk with the new Helio G90T, because this type has not yet been used in any device. Redmi Note 8 Pro is the first smartphone ever with this chip.
Helio G90T is referred to as gaming and is also indicated by the integrated liquid cooling. This will help especially for more demanding data operations, where it should reduce the temperature by 4 to 6 degrees Celsius.
When comparing the performance of both phones in the AnTuTu score measurement, it is clearly better Redmi Note 8 Pro. It scored up to 282 points, which is a clear difference from the Mi 000T with 9 points.
However, it has been confirmed many times that such score testing may not reflect reality, for example when playing games. Both phones use software optimization to play Game Turbo 2.0 games. Both run on Android 9 Pie with MIUI 10 extension and an update to MIUI 11 and Android 10 is planned.
You should not feel any difference in performance when using your mobile phone normally. However, it doesn't seem to have it even when playing more demanding games Redmi Note 8 Pro significantly on top. Their real performance is at a very similar level.
Take photos and videos
This is where we got into trouble. Redmi The Note 8 Pro has the latest 64 MPx Samsung GW1 sensor, but we have been convinced more than once that high resolution is not everything and does not automatically mean better photos.
Note 8 Pro also has one extra macro camera, but its use in common situations is questionable. However, when we examine the specifications of the individual sensors and the overall configuration of the cameras, it turns out that The Mi 9T is a bit better.
The primary sensor in the Note 8 Pro has a much higher resolution and can capture more detailed details. However, we do not find a secondary telephoto lens on the Mi 9T with double optical zoom at all on Note 8 Pro at all.
When comparing ultra-wide-angle lenses, the Mi 9T is also better. With this phone, the sensor has a resolution of 13 MPx and a viewing angle of 124 °. Note 8 Pro has 8 megapixels with a viewing angle of 120 °.
Differences in video recording are also recorded by the Mi 9T. It has more perfect image stabilization and can handle slow-motion video at a frequency of 960 fps in 1080p resolution. Redmi The Note 8 Pro is a bit worse with video stabilization and captures slow-motion video in 720p/960fps format.
The front cameras are almost the same. The difference is in their location and we must confirm that the slide-out module in the Mi 9T has no error.
From our point of view, the winner is the Mi 9T, especially for the use of the Sony IMX582 Exmor RS sensor, a complete combination of cameras, also thanks to the retractable front camera.
Battery and endurance
At the outset, we will write that even in this category it is better on paper Redmi Note 8 Pro. Its battery has a capacity of 4500 mAh. The Mi 9T has a battery capacity of 4000 mAh, but they reached almost the same values when testing each other.
It's hard to say whether it was caused by a larger LTPS LCD display or a Mediatek processor. However, we must state that Redmi The Note 8 Pro has almost the same battery life as the Xiaomi Mi 9T.
Both phones support 18 W fast charging and cannot be charged with wireless technology. In this category we can boldly declare a draw.
Current prices
Since we mentioned in the beginning that these are phones in the category up to 250 € / CZK 6, their prices will no longer be a surprise. Through our sister shopping site DealPlanet you can get both global versions of the compared smartphones.
Redmi Note 8 Pro with 6 GB RAM and 64 GB storage is currently available for a price 238 € / 6 CZK. Xiaomi Mi 9T with the same memory can be purchased at exactly the same price.
Prices last updated on 13.10.2019 at 11:15.
Xiaomi Mi 9T
Price from: 237,96 € / CZK 6114
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Price from: 219,66 € / 5675 CZK
Our decision in conclusion
Traditionally, we will not decide for you at the end, but we will write what decided for us. Although we only compared the Xiaomi Mi 9T model, we have to state this for both twins. Xiaomi brand (Redmi), the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro and Xiaomi Mi 9T have done so well that it's hard to find phones that can beat them. The ratio of the offered equipment, design and price simply did not find a competitor in 2019.
Compared opponent Redmi The Note 8 Pro didn't give us any reason to choose it over the two. It's not even the price tag that weighs many times. Both phones have a lot in common and if one of them excels at something, it's the Mi 9T and that's why it's our winner.
