Compare Redmi Note 9s and Note 8 Pro

Xiaomi and Redmi continue to bombard their users with fresh releases.Recently, on March 23, the Redmi Note 9s was unveiled

(aka Note 9 Pro), which replaced the Note 8 Pro, which became a hit in 2020.We'll compare these models to see if it makes sense to upgrade to the Note 9s, given that the price of the Note 8 Pro will beBelow, and what about the hardware in the novelty, whether it is as good as they say.

Redmi Note 9s or Note 8 Pro

I want to immediately indicate my opinion on this release. I am surprised. This is the case when a company tries to rekindle "wet brushwood" with the flame of the previous announcement. Straight "Samsung", knowledgeable people will understand me, this is a minor update. Yes, I think Note 8 pro is no worse, and in some ways more profitable than Note 9s. Below you will understand why I think so. Let's get it right.

Appearance. Dimensions

Redmi Note 9s weighs 200 grams with dimensions of 165.8 x 76.7 x 8.8 mm. Available in blue, white and black. Redmi Note 8 Pro weighs 208 grams with dimensions of 161.35 x 76.4 x 8.79 mm. Available in black, blue, red and green.

Note 9s with increased battery capacity andscreen, it became a little more compact and lighter, which, of course, gives me the opportunity to praise Xiaomi engineers. The fingerprint scanner was moved from the back of the smartphone to the Power button located on the side. It was good, and so good. The screen lost a drop-shaped cutout, the front camera was separated from the upper frame, due to which the useful area of ​​the screen increased slightly.

The design of the main camera has also changed in the “face”,now it’s not a “larva”, but a rectangular module in the manner .. without manners, it doesn’t matter anymore, it was good in 8 Pro and now it’s no worse. On the whole, it would be possible to end the comparisons at this stage as well, since there are very few positive changes, or they are under the sign of a question and are shorter-drawn.

CPU

The "engine" of the Redmi Note 9s is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC, built on an 8 nanometer process and consisting of 8 cores, 2 of which are Cortex A76 clocked at 2.3 GHz and 6 coresCortex A55 with a frequency of 1.8 GHz.Adreno 618 is responsible for the graphics, running at 750 MHz.

In turn, Note 8 Pro is equipped with a competitivea solution represented by the Mediatek Helio G90T, built on 12 nanometer process technology and also consisting of 8 cores, 2 of which Cortex A76 with a clock frequency of 2.05 GHz and 6 cores Cortex A55 with a clock frequency of 2 GHz. Arm Mali-G76 MC4 is responsible for the graphics subsystem, operating at an overclocked frequency of up to 800 MHz.

Both chipsets are positioned as gaming designed for the middle segment, well, you know the average graphics settings = middle segment, everything is OK.

In this regard, it will not be possible to play on the phone on the "Tsarski", this is still the prerogative of the flagship segment with top-end hardware, and even then the problem with overheating has not been solved everywhere.In synthetics, we see plus and minus equal results.The Note 9s is not worth it in comparison with its predecessor, of course, you can say "Qualcomm is all business, optimization, etc., etc.", but the G90T also showed itself from the best side, so stereotypes aside, here by default we observe the equals sign.

Display

Note 9s has a “frameless” IPS screen6.67 inches with a front camera built into the display in the manner of the Samsung A51. Screen resolution 2400 * 1080 px; 395 PPI and with an aspect ratio of 20: 9; maximum brightness 457 Nit. The module is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Note 8 Pro has an IPS screen with a diagonal of 6.53 inches with a resolution of 2340 * 1080 px; with a density of 395 PPI and an aspect ratio of 19: 5: 9. The screen is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

Earlier in the article, comparison of Realme X2 and Note 8 Pro,I told you that the 8 Pro has a very high screen brightness — 631 Nits, this is a record value in the mid-range segment. And this is one of the most important criteria in the display.

Of course the new Note 9s module with smaller frames anda hole for a camera may seem like a fresh and interesting solution to some, but what’s the point if, apart from design, it has no advantages over its predecessor. You know, this is like criticism towards the iPhone, they say that competitors are already “waterfalls” of everything, but “these” are stuck in the past. Well, how to look… design is a subjective thing, but the fact that iPhone screens are high-tech and the best on the market (like everything else) is an indisputable fact.

Spit on "waterfalls", "infinity", if itnot practical. The main thing is the high quality of the picture, and this: brightness, contrast, the correct display of colors, viewing angles and a bunch of factors. In general, the display module in Note 9s was slightly saved, here the advantage is clearly in favor of the Note 8 Pro.

Camera

Note 9sI received a main camera with 4 modules, this is:

  • 48 MP module with f/1.79 aperture; — digital stabilization. Eat
    ability to record slow-motion video at 960 FPS. Recording in 4K ( 30
    k/s )
  • 8MP wide-angle module, with f / 2.2 aperture;
  • Macro lens 5 MP
  • 2 MP portrait module
  • 16 MP front camera (1 micron), with f / 2.0 aperture

Main cameraNote 8 prosimilarly consists of 4 lenses, these are:

  • 64 MP module (Samsung S5KGW1 sensor), with f/1.9 aperture; — digital stabilization. It is possible to record slow-motion video at 960 FPS. Recording in 4K (30 fps)
  • Ultra-wide module 8 MP, with aperture f / 2.2;
  • Macro lens 2 MP, with aperture f / 2.4;
  • 2 MP portrait module, with f / 2.4 aperture;
  • Front camera 20 MP (0.9 microns), with aperture f / 2.0

Again I throw up my hands… Here "- where exactlyprogression, no, I understand, the aperture of the main module has increased by 1.01, while the number of pixels on the matrix has decreased, which is logical, but how will this affect the quality of the images — dont clear.

The situation is similar with the front module.I hope that increasing each pixel individually while reducing the total number will have a positive effect. We need to test it. Macro has been upgraded from 2 to 5 megapixels, apparently fans of shooting insects — cockroaches this time “on horseback”.

Memory. Periphery

Redmi Note 9s in stock will ship with 64 GBbuilt-in and 4 GB of RAM on board. There is also a version of 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal memory. Type of built-in drives UFS 2.1. The speed of RAM is 2133 MHz, like its predecessor. But Note 8 Pro has in stock 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory. What again makes it in the basic configuration more profitable purchase.

Further..I really don’t understand why they removed NFC… Yes, the Note 9s doesn’t have it, but the 8 Pro does, and to the question — Why? your inner voice in Chinese will answer you 如此必要 (this is how it should be). Maybe they just forgot... in short, you won’t be able to make contactless payments with your Redmi Note 9s phone.

The battery capacity has increased by 520 mAh, this5020 mAh versus 4500 mAh for the predecessor. You can now charge your smartphone faster, 40 minutes = 50%, which saves up to 10 minutes on charging compared to the previous generation.

Total

Reasons to opt for Note 9s are::

  • Lack of experience of comparison and critical thinking (after reading
    article, if you wish, you can cross out this criterion for yourself)
  • Increased battery capacity in conjunction with a more energy-efficient
    CPU.
  • Updated design.

Reasons to choose Note 8 Pro is:

  • The screen is 42% brighter, it is much brighter than freshly squeezed.
  • In the basic version, 50% more RAM (6 GB)
  • NFC (contactless payment option)
  • Profitable price

I respect Xiaomi / Redmi for the opportunityuse interesting, high-quality products at an affordable price compared to competitors. Note 9s — This is a good smartphone for the money, but it’s not the next generation in the Note line; in my opinion, it’s a step back.

Had:

  • Increase the FPS value on the screen from 60 to 90 GHz, despite the fact that the single-chip Helio G90T system supports this function.
  • At the same time, maintaining a record screen brightness (for the middle segment).
  • Refine the cooling system.
  • Leave NFC alone.

But no. Due to the circumstances, my choice is Note 8 Pro. Redmi turned out to be very good last year, and we need to take it.