Redmi 8 vs Redmi 7: Price and Specs comparison

India's leading smartphone brand Xiaomi launched on Wednesday the budget-centric Redmi 8 smartphone as the successor to the Redmi 7 which was launched back in April 2019.

The main highlights of the Redmi 8 are Aura Mirror design, HD+ Dot Notch Display, AI Dual rear camera system and 5000mAh High-capacity battery with fast-charging support. 

Let's take a look at how the newly-launched device stacks up against its predecessor, the Redmi 7.

Design and Display

The Redmi 8 comes with the stunning Aura Mirror design while the Redmi 7 comes with Aura Smoke design and a stylish gradient back. Both the phones are protected by splash-proof nano-coating by P2i and Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

The Redmi 8 features a 6.22-inch (15.8cm) HD+ Dot Notch Display with 720 x 1520-pixels resolution while the Redmi 7 sports a 6.26-inch (15.9cm) HD+ Dot Notch display with 720 x 1520-pixels resolution.

Both the phones come with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and AI Face Unlock feature for a quick unlocking experience.

Processor and OS

The Redmi 8 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 mobile platform along with Adreno 505 650MHz GPU coupled with up to 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage while the Redmi 7 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 chipset along with Adreno 506 725MHz GPU coupled with up to 3GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage. 

Both the models operate on Android 9 Pie with custom MIUI 10 skin on top and come with a dedicated microSD card slot that supports storage expansion up to 512GB.

Camera

The Redmi 8 houses an 8-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture and a dual-camera setup on the back that includes a 12-megapixel primary lens with 1.4μm large pixels, dual PD, powered by Sony IMX 363 sensor with f/1.8 aperture and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. 

The Redmi 7 is also equipped with an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture and a 12-megapixel primary shooter with 1.25μm large pixels and f/2.2 aperture and a 2-megapixel depth sensor same as in the Redmi 8.

Additional camera features on both the phones include AI Portrait Mode and AI scene detection feature that can detect up to 33 scenes, including 6 India-specific categories.

Battery and Connectivity

The Redmi 8 packs a 5000mAh battery with 18W fast charging via Type-C port which gives up to 2 days of battery life while the Redmi 7 houses a 4000mAh two-day battery that supports 10W fast charging via a Micro USB port.

Connectivity options on both the phones are very similar that include: WiFi 802.11b/g/n; Bluetooth v4.2; GPS/AGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an IR blaster.

Price 

The Redmi 8 comes in three color options: Sapphire Blue, Onyx Black, and Ruby Red, and two memory configurations: 3GB+32GB and 4GB+64 GB priced at Rs 7,999 and Rs 8,999 respectively. However, the first 5 million buyers will get the 4GB+64GB variant for Rs 7,999 and those ordering the 3GB storage variant will get upgraded to the 4GB variant.

The Redmi 7 also offers three gorgeous color options: Eclipse Black, Comet Blue, and Lunar Red, and was launched at a starting price of Rs 7,999 for the 2GB+32GB base model and Rs 8,999 for the 3GB+32GB storage model. Currently, the 2GB model is priced at Rs 7,499 (excluding discounts) and the 3GB model is priced at Rs 8,499.