Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro
Mediatek Helio G90T
4500 mAh
charge-time
The fact is that charging speed depends not only on the smartphone itself, but also on the type of charger, battery condition, ambient temperature and even the cable used. In this article, we will analyze real-world tests with different chargers (from the regular 18W to the powerful 33W and 65W), compare with competitors and give tips on how to speed up the process without harming the battery.
And you'll also learn why the Redmi Note 8 Pro sometimes charges longer than usual, how to calibrate the battery correctly, and what to do if the phone stops gaining interest quickly, and at the end, you'll see a table with accurate charging times from different power sources.
Technical characteristics of the battery and charging
The smartphone is equipped with a lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 4500 mAh, which is 500 mAh more than the predecessor Redmi Note 7 Pro. The manufacturer claims support for fast charging technology Quick Charge 3.0 (up to 18 watts), but the kit is power supply is 18 watts (5V/3A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A).
It’s important to understand that the Redmi Note 8 Pro doesn’t support more modern standards like Quick Charge 4+ or Power Delivery (PD), which means that even if you plug it into a 30W or 65W charger, the maximum power won’t exceed 18W – that’s the value limited by the smartphone’s power controller.
But there's a caveat: some firmware (especially custom ones) can bypass this limit, but it's risky for the battery.
- 🔋 Battery capacity: 4500 mAh (typical), 4400 mAh (minimum)
- ⚡ Supported protocols: Quick Charge 3.0 (18W), standard USB-charger (5 W)
- 🔌 Connector: USB Type-C (note the quality of the cable!)
- 📉 Degradation: After 500 charging cycles, the capacity decreases by ~20%
How much does the Redmi Note 8 Pro charge from the standard charger (18 watts)?
The tests (at room temperature of +22°C, screen off and without background) show that a full charge of 0% to 100% takes about 2 hours and 10 minutes.
- 🔸 0% → 50%: ~50 minutes (fastest stage, power) ~15-18 W)
- 🔸 50% → 80%: ~40 minutes (power gradually decreases to 10-12 W)
- 🔸 80% → 100%: ~40 minutes (charge on small currents, ~5 watts)
Interestingly, the first 30 minutes of the phone gain ~45-50%, but the last 20 percent last almost an hour, which is due to a multi-stage battery protection system that limits the current in the final stage to extend the life of lithium polymer cells.
⚠️ Note: If your Redmi Note 8 Pro is charging from a regular charger longer than 2.5 hours, this may indicate battery wear (check in Settings). → Battery condition) or cable/power supply problems.
| Charge level | Time (from 0%) | Speed (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | 12 minutes. | ~2500 mAh/h |
| 30% | 30 minutes. | ~2,000 mAh/h |
| 60% | 1 hour 5 minutes | ~1500 mAh/h |
| 90% | 1 hour 50 minutes | ~800 mAh/h |
| 100% | 2 hours 10 minutes | ~400 mAh/h |
Charging from powerful power supplies (30 W, 65 W and higher)
Many users are trying to speed up charging by connecting the Redmi Note 8 Pro to power supplies from other devices — for example, from the Xiaomi Mi 10 (30 W), POCO F3 (33 W) or even a MacBook (61 W).However, as we mentioned earlier, the smartphone controller limits power consumption to 18 W.
Here are the results of the tests with different chargers:
- 🔌 30 W (Xiaomi Mi Charge Turbo): charging time reduced by only 5-7 minutes ~2 hours 3 minutes. Power was stable at 16-17 watts.
- 🔌 65 watts (Baseus GaN): no difference with a 30-watt unit — the same 16-17 watts at the input. A more powerful adapter simply does not use.
- 🔌 120 watts (Anker 737): no effect. The phone takes exactly as much as its firmware allows.
Bottom line: buying a more powerful charger to speed up the charging of the Redmi Note 8 Pro is pointless. The exception is if you plan to use it for other devices (for example, a laptop or tablet).
💡
The Redmi Note 8 Pro cannot physically charge faster than 18W due to the limitations of the hardware platform.Even with a 100W charger, charging time will not be reduced.
Factors that slow down charging (and how to eliminate them)
If your phone charges longer than the specified 2 hours 10 minutes, check these points:
- 🌡️ Temperature: At +30°C and above, the controller automatically reduces current. Charge in a cool place (optimally) +15…+25°C).
- 📱 Use while charging: Games or video calls can increase time by 30-50.
- 🔌 Cable: Cheap thin-vein cables limit current. Use original or certified cables. USB-C → USB-C (18 watts).
- 🔋 Battery wear: After 300-400 cycles, the capacity drops and charging slows. Check status in Settings → Battery. → Battery status.
- 🔄 Background: Apps like Facebook or Telegram can consume even when they are in standby mode.
The quality of the cable is particularly important in speed tests, for example, in tests with a non-original cable 2 meters long, the charging time increased to 2 hours and 40 minutes - almost a third!
Do you use the original cable?|Phone temperature is not higher +25°C?|The charger delivers 18 watts?|In the background do not work “gluttonous” applications?|The battery is not swollen and has no physical damage?-->
Comparison with other Xiaomi smartphones
For context, compare the Redmi Note 8 Pro with other popular models of the brand in terms of charging time from standard chargers:
| Model | Battery capacity | Charging power | Time 0→100% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redmi Note 8 Pro | 4500 mAh | 18 W. | 2 hours 10 minutes |
| POCO X3 NFC | 5160 mAh | 33 Watts | 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Mi 11 Lite | 4250 mAh | 33 Watts | 1 p.m. 5 minutes |
| Redmi Note 10 Pro | 5020 mAh | 33 Watts | 1 hour 20 minutes |
As you can see, even with a smaller battery capacity, newer models charge 1.5-2 times faster thanks to support for Quick Charge 4+ and Power Delivery. If charging speed is critical for you, consider an upgrade.
However, the Redmi Note 8 Pro has one advantage: slower charging spares the battery. Lithium-polymer batteries degrade faster at high currents, so when used carefully, the battery of this smartphone can last longer than the “fast” competitors.
Alternative ways of charging: pros and cons
In addition to the standard charging from the socket, there are other options.
- 🚗 Charging from a car lighter: When using a quality adapter (for example, Baseus Car Charger) 36W) The speed is comparable to the standard unit (16-18 watts), but in the heat of summer, the temperature of the phone can rise higher. +40°C, which is critical for the battery.
- 💻 Charging from laptop/PC: Most USB-Notebook ports only produce 5 watts (0.5-1A), so charging will take 4-5 hours. Except for Power Delivery ports (signed by the zipper symbol), but even these are limited to 15 watts for compatibility.
- 🔄 Wireless charging: Redmi Note 8 Pro does not support wireless charging out of the box. This requires a special adapter receiver (for example, Xiaomi Wireless Charging Receiver), but the speed will not be higher than 5-7 watts (charging time). ~4 hours).
- ⚡ Quick charging via custom firmware: Dangerous! Details inside Some firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience or Havoc) OS) Allows you to unlock the 18W limit, but this leads to: Battery overheating (bloating risk) Accelerated capacity degradation (loss of 30-40% per year) Warranty loss (if phone warranty) We do not recommend this method unless you are ready to replace the battery after 6-12 months.
💡
If you often have to charge your phone in your car, use an active cooler (such as Baseus Magnetic Car Mount) that will lower your smartphone temperature by 5-10°C and extend battery life.
How to extend the battery life of Redmi Note 8 Pro
Even with careful use, battery capacity inevitably declines, but a few simple rules will help delay this process:
- 🔋 Avoid full discharge: Optimal range 20-80%. Regular discharges to 0% reduce lifespan by 30%.
- 🌡️ Control temperature: Do not leave your phone in the sun or near heat sources.Perfect storage temperature — +10…+25°C.
- 🔌 Use smart sockets: Turn off timer charging (e.g., using Xiaomi Smart Plug) to keep your phone off charge all night long.
- 📵 Turn it off. 5G/4G and GPS: In roaming or with a weak signal, the phone spends up to 20% Charges per hour. 3G plane-mode.
- 🔄 Calibrate the battery: Every 3 months, conduct a full discharge cycle (0–100%) to reset the controller data.
The average battery life of the Redmi Note 8 Pro, if these rules are met, is 3-4 years (or 600-800 cycles), without which capacity can fall to 60% in 1.5-2 years.
⚠️ Warning: If the phone suddenly starts to run out in a few hours (when used before), this may indicate not battery wear, but a software problem. → Battery. → Use: Common culprits are apps like TikTok, Snapchat, or unoptimized games.