Femiexe
When shopping for budget phones, you’ll very likely be offered a Redmi model. The phone maker is increasingly becoming an attractive option, thanks to the features crammed into their offerings. The Redmi 8A is no different.
Redmi 8A offers users a good performance phone at a relatively low price. Particularly notable are the device’s design, its 5000 mAh battery which surpasses expectations and above-average performance. Read on for a breakdown of the Redmi’s features and price.
Standout Features
- Great Price
- Sturdy yet beautiful design
- Great battery
Design
We have to say, this device does not look like an entry-level phone. The design is hip and modern, keeping up with the day’s design trends. In front, the lack of bezels on either side of the phone is apparent, giving it an expensive look.
At the bottom, there’s a considerable chin, but that’s to be expected at this price point. A waterdrop notch sits front and center of the device, housing the camera cutout.
The phone does have a bit of weight at 188 grams; this is probably because of its pretty large battery. Impressively, the phone comes with a USB-C port, compatible with the 10W charger that it comes with. It also supports fast charging, although you’d have to buy a separate 18W charger.
The speaker which flanks the charging port isn’t very loud but that’s a fair trade-off. At the back, the camera is positioned laterally, just above the LED flashlight. The Redmi 8A sports a polycarbonate finish which gives it a solid grip and a nice-looking exterior that doesn’t scratch or smudge easily.
Display
Redmi picks the IPS LCD screen for the 8A. It delivers a good-enough performance, but its 750X1520 resolution betrays the device’s price. Colours aren’t as bright as you’d like but, hey, it’s an entry-level phone.
The 6.2-inch display is pretty large, making it a phone to consider if you watch movies and videos a lot. The tactile response is pretty impressive, responding promptly to touches. The device doesn’t brighten up as much as the 7A, so you might find it a bit difficult to use outdoors.
Performance
If you want a device to game with, you should probably look elsewhere. The device inherits the Snapdragon 439 chipset, the same SoC in the Redmi 7A. For general use, it performs quite well and switching between apps is smooth enough.
Playing memory-intensive games such as PUBG might be a less-than-enjoyable experience, with dropped framerates and all.
The 2GB RAM variant suffers slightly when it comes to multitasking, so we advise you to opt for the 3GB version of the Redmi 8A. The variant juggles apps easily without any lag.
Camera
The camera is one of the areas Redmi opted to scale back cost. On paper, the 12MP camera should provide a great performance. Unfortunately, you also need good software to back up a great camera.
Images come out soft-looking and overexposed. Even with HDR mode, the device gives you average-looking photos. Depth sensing is quite poor as well. Then again, it’s an entry-level phone, so this is expected.
The front camera fairs better than the rear. The selfies come out decent, although a beauty-filter makes pictures look over-processed. You definitely want to turn off the beauty filter.
Battery
This is one of the strongest points of the Redmi 8A. Seriously, it’s really good. With 5,000mAh of power, you can push this device to the limits. Our tests proved that the device could easily last 3 days without needing a recharge. It’s ideal if you experience poor power supply or are constantly on the road. Even with heavy use, you can take this device all over town for more than a day. Quite impressive.
Price of the Redmi 8A in Nigeria
Given its very impressive design, battery, and decent performance N45,000 is a very great deal for the Redmi 8A, available on Jumia and Konga.
Verdict
I like the Redmi 8A. It’s functional, sleek and carries a powerful battery. The screen is large enough to make video watching enjoyable and the battery can last about three days. Its performance leaves a little to be desired, however, it’s overall a great device.
| Display | 6.2-inch IPS LCD 720 x 1,520 resolution Gorilla Glass 519:9 aspect ratio |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (12 nm)Octa-core CPU (4x 1.95GHz + 4x 1.45GHz) |
| GPU | Adreno 505 |
| RAM | 2GB/3GB RAM |
| Storage | 32GB/64GB Expandable with microSD card (up to 256GB) |
| Cameras | 8MP front camera with face unlock Rear camera:12MP sensor (Sony IMX363, 1.4μm pixel sizef/1.8 aperture) LED flash |
| Battery | 5,000mAh non-removable18W charging (10W charger included)USB-C |
| Software | Android 9.0 Pie with MIUI 10 |
| Dimensions and weight | 156.6 x 75.4 x 9.4mm188 grams |
