Review of the smartphone Xiaomi Redmi 8A with the main characteristics

September 2019 was distinguished by the quantitative release and presentation of budget and flagship smartphones of world brands. Xiaomi alone has released several devices, including the state-owned Xiaomi Redmi 8A, with a capacious battery, decent photographic capabilities and its own firmware of the latest version. What is the device good for, what are its disadvantages? Let's try to figure it out in detail.

About the manufacturer Xiaomi

The Chinese brand has been known in Russia since 2015. The official point of sale was Svyaznoy. In the market of world leaders in sales, 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 "pure" Android operating system, on the Android OS with its own MIUI shell. The MIUI shell pre-installed in the devices has competitive technical characteristics and a low price for the product. The firmware combines the Apple iOS style with Samsung TouchWiz. The Redmi line was launched in 2016 and continues to evolve. Phones of this series are considered budgetary, 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 candy bar is made of durable plastic. The screen is equipped with a protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5 version, it reliably protects the screen from drops, accidental scratches, mechanical damage, water and splashes. There is a wide metal frame around the screen. At the top of the screen in the center is a triangular fringe with a front camera. On the back cover, a spectacular strip runs vertically in the center, on which the manufacturer has placed the Redmi corporate logo and the main camera. On the right side there are volume control and power buttons, on the left - a slot for cards.Above is a microphone with active noise cancellation and an infrared sensor, below are the remaining jacks: a multimedia speaker, a conversational microphone, a Type-C power connector, a round 3.5 mm port for placing headphones.

A special feature of the model is the 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 the 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. Convenient practical solution for an inexpensive device. The device measures 156.5 x 75.4 x 9.4 mm and weighs 188 grams. With such a solid size, the smartphone is comfortable to hold in the hand, to operate it with both hands and one, without any particular difficulties. The store will offer one of three color options: Midnight Black, Ocean Blue, Sunset Red.

Screen characteristics

High contrast capacitive color touch screen, supports 16 million colors, which provide natural color reproduction, the shades are realistic. The screen size is 6.22 inches, the usable area is 95.9 square centimeters, the vertical-to-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, the pixel density per inch unit of area is approximately 271 ppi, the output format is HD +. The naturalness of the picture is achieved through a smoothed image. A matrix of this format has a significant plus: you can read and watch a picture without stress in any weather conditions, even in bright sunlight. If you watch a video, the picture will be like on a plasma TV.

When compared with AMOLED screens, IPS matrices are inferior to the first in terms of screen response time, which ranges from 5 to 8 ms. However, IPS has a good viewing angle, and blacks are reproduced in a deep range. At low resolution, the picture will not be distorted. Another drawback of the matrix is ​​that if a low-capacity battery is installed, the phone will quickly run out of power, so manufacturers try 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 constant and equal to 32 GB, RAM 2 or 3 GB. The phone is allowed to use two Nano-SIM cards with dual standby or one Nano-SIM and a card with additional 512 GB memory - microSD. A dedicated slot is provided for it. The card will expand the small built-in memory of the device and save more photos and videos.

Interface, its capabilities

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

CPU

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

Cameras and shooting modes

Single units of the main and front cameras can take photos and videos. Maximum HD + video size, 1080 x 30fps. The main camera works on the following characteristics: resolution 12 MP, aperture f / 1.8, with two pixel PDAF autofocus. From the functions of the camera, an LED flash is noted, high-quality HDR shooting. The camera takes pictures clearly at 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 downside 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.

Communication, communications and sound

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

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

Additional functions

A 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 function of fast charging at 18 W works, which will charge the device by 50% in half an hour, to 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, operating instructions, and a warranty card. There is no protective case 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 strong enough, 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 body with a pleasant texture;
• fingerprints on the case are not visible;
• does not slip out of hand;
• excellent photos in different shooting modes with and without lighting;
• comfortable 6.22-inch screen diagonal;
• 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;
• hardly heats up under heavy loads;
• the possibility of expanding memory by 512 GB;
• high autonomy;
• capacious battery;
• there is an IR sensor;
• connector with a diameter of 3.5mm.

• low amount of RAM (2 and 3 GB);
• medium performance chipset;
• no cover included;
• missing NFC function and fingerprint scanner:
• there is no gyroscope.

Conclusion

Should you buy a device? Yes. Along with the low cost, the device is equipped with decent characteristics. 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 sun, the user will see the screen, which 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 for a long time in autonomous mode.