How Xiaomi Redmi 8 works: a complete analysis of design and technical solutions

The Xiaomi Redmi 8, launched in 2019, has become one of the brand’s most popular budget devices. Despite its age, the model is still in demand due to its balanced performance, reliable hardware and thoughtful design. In this article, we will take a detailed look at how the Redmi 8 works – from the body and screen to the processor and cooling system, and find out what engineering solutions made it such a long-lived on the market.

The Redmi 8 is a combination of simplicity and functionality. Xiaomi managed to pack into the budget housing modern at the time of release of technology: 5000 mAh battery with support for fast charging 18W, Snapdragon 439 processor with 12-nm process technology, and dual main camera. the device remained repairable – many modules (display, battery, speakers) can be replaced without specialized equipment. Next, we will analyze each component separately to understand why the Redmi 8 is still relevant for users who value reliability and durability.

Body and materials: why is the Redmi 8 so durable?

The Redmi 8’s exterior is designed in a minimalist style typical of Xiaomi: a plastic body with a matte texture, rounded edges and compact dimensions (156.3 × 75.4 × 9.4 mm). The main difference from its predecessors is the use of hardened glass Gorilla Glass 5 on the front, which increased resistance to scratches and impacts. The back cover, despite the plastic, does not collect fingerprints due to the special coating.

The engineers have focused on dust and spray protection, and although the device does not have an official IP certificate, its design includes:

• 🔹 Rubber pads around power and volume buttons
• 🔹 Sealed tray for SIM- cards (hybrid, 2 nanoSIM + microSD)
• 🔹 Protected speakers with a mesh against dust

And it's important to note that the plastic case, despite the budget, doesn't creak or flex when pressed, and this is achieved by the internal stiffness ribs, which also improve the heat sink from the processor, and the only drawback is the weight of the device (188 g), which is heavier than the competition because of the massive battery.

⚠️ Warning: When disassembling the Redmi 8, be careful with the rear lid latches - they are brittle and can break if opened carelessly. Use a plastic blade and warm up the body with a hairdryer (up to 60°C) to soften the adhesive.

Display: technologies and features of the screen

The Redmi 8 is equipped with a IPS- inch 6.22 screen with a resolution of HD+ (1520×720) and an aspect ratio of 19:9. Despite its low resolution, the display is good color rendering (covering 84% of color space NTSC) and high brightness up to 400 nit. For the budget segment, this is rare: many competitors save on the screen from the sun, which the sun is poor.

Key features of the display:

• 📱 Support for Reading Mode (Blue Light Filtering)
• 🔄 Automatic Color Temperature Adjustment (Settings → Display → Color Tone)
• 🛡️ Oleophobic coating (although it wears off over time)
• 🔍 Dewdrop notch for front camera

Among the disadvantages are the lack of a high refresh rate (standard 60 Hz) and not the widest color gamut compared to the AMOLED- screens. However, for its price segment, the Redmi 8 offers one of the best IPS- displays. Interestingly, Xiaomi used the same panel here as in the Redmi Note 8T, but with adjusted color calibration.

Processor and performance: Snapdragon 439 in detail

The heart of Redmi 8 is the 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 processor, built on a 12nm process. It's a budget chipset, but with some interesting features:

• 🧠 Architecture Cortex-A53: 4 cores at 1.95 GHz (production) + 4 cores at 1.45 GHz (energy efficient)
• 🎮 Adreno 505 Graphics Accelerator (supports OpenGL ES 3.2 and Vulkan 1.1)
• 📡 X6 LTE modem with Cat.4 support (up to 150 Mbps download)
• 🔋 Optimized power consumption thanks to 12 nm process technology

In everyday tasks (social networks, instant messengers, video viewing), the Snapdragon 439 performs more than well. However, in heavy games (such as Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile), you will have to reduce graphics settings to a minimum, but the chipset is perfectly optimized for working with MIUI - the interface works smoothly even when multitasking is loaded.

By comparison, Redmi 7 used the Snapdragon 632, which was more powerful on paper, but in practice the difference in performance was only ~15% in synthetic tests. But the Redmi Note 8 with the Snapdragon 665 is already noticeably faster - almost 2 times in graphics tasks.

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If your Redmi 8 has started to “brake”, try turning off the interface animation. To do this, go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (press 5 times in a row), then open the Developer Settings → Window/Switch animation scale and set 0.5x or Disable.

Battery and charging: why 5,000 mAh is not the limit?

One of the big things about Redmi 8 was the 5,000mAh battery, which is a record for a budget smartphone at the time of release, but it's not just the quantity that matters, it's the quality of the power management. Xiaomi has used a few key solutions here:

1. Optimized Charging Controller: Supports Quick Charge 3.0 (18W), but comes with a 10W power supply. Full charging takes ~2.5 hours.
2. Ultra-low consumption mode: when activated (Settings → Battery → Power saving mode) turns off background processes, increasing autonomy up to 3 days.
3. Overheat protection: The battery has thermal sensors that limit current at temperatures above 45°C.

In practice, the Redmi 8 holds the charge as follows:

• 📞 Calls: Up to 32 hours
• 🎵 Music playback: up to 120 hours
• 🎬 Video viewing (YouTube): Up to 18 hours
• 🎮 Games (PUBG Mobile): ~6-7 hours

Interestingly, despite the large capacity, the battery does not inflate over time thanks to the use of lithium polymer cells from ATL (Amperex Technology Limited), one of the best manufacturers of batteries for smartphones, but after 500 charging cycles, the capacity still decreases by ~20%, which is the norm.

⚠️ Warning: If your Redmi 8 suddenly starts to turn off at 20-30% charge, this is a sign of battery wear. In this case, a replacement is required - the original battery costs ~1500 rubles, and the analogue (for example, from ZOP Power) will cost 800-1000 rubles.

Open Settings → Battery → Battery condition

Check the number of charging cycles (normal to 500)

Check the battery temperature in simple (should be ≤35°C)

Use the AccuBattery app for detailed diagnostics-->

Cameras: dual module on a budget smartphone

Redmi 8 is based on a dual core module:

• 📷 Main camera: 12 MP, aperture f/1.8, pixel size 1.25 μm, phase autofocus (PDAF)
• 🔍 Additional camera: 2 MP, depth of field (for portrait mode)

The front camera is 8 MP with f/2.0 aperture and HDR support. Despite its modest performance, Redmi 8 cameras show good results in daylight:

• 🌞 Daytime snapshots: detailed, with natural color rendering (thanks to Xiaomi algorithms)
• 🌃 Night shooting: noisy, but Night Mode partially fixes the situation
• 👥 Portrait mode: works well, but sometimes "sits" the edges of objects

For comparison, Redmi 7 had a single camera 12 MP without PDAF, and Redmi Note 8 already received 48-MP sensor Sony IMX586. However, in Redmi 8 Xiaomi has made a bet on software optimization – for example, there is an AI mode Scene Detection, which automatically selects the settings for 27 types of scenes (food, sunset, text, etc.).

Memory, communication and additional modules

Redmi 8 is available in three memory options:

• 💾 3/32 GB (basic version)
• 💾 4/64 GB (optimum selection)
• 💾 4/128 GB (for multimedia enthusiasts)

It is important that the slot for microSD (up to 512 GB) hybrid — you have to choose between the second SIM- card and memory card.

• 📶 4G LTE (ranges: B1/3/5/7/8/20/38/40)
• 📡 Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz)
• 📍 GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou (precise navigation even in cities)
• 🔌 Bluetooth 4.2 (support A2DP, LE)

Of the "chips" it is worth noting:

• 🔊 Stereodynamics: lower speaker + upper (conversational), which gives a more volumetric sound
• 🎧 3.5mm audio jack (with support for high-omnipotent headphones)
• 🔋 Type-C connector USB (rare for public sector employees in 2019)
• 📶 FM- Radio (opts without internet but requires connected headphones as antennas)

One of the hidden advantages is support for OTG (USB On-The-Go), which allows you to connect flash drives, keyboards or even game controllers (for example, Xbox Wireless Controller) without additional adapters.

Refrigeration system and maintainability

Despite the budget position, the Redmi 8 received a passive cooling system:

• 🔥 Graphite gasket between the processor and the back cover (discharges heat)
• 🌀 Copper tracks on motherboard for heat distribution
• 📉 Thermosensors that limit overheating performance (>65°C)

In real conditions, the device is heated as follows:

• 📞 Calls: up to 40°C (norm)
• 🎬 Video viewing: up to 45°C
• 🎮 Games (30+ minutes): up to 55-60°C (Critical but not dangerous)

In terms of repair, Redmi 8 is one of Xiaomi’s friendliest smartphones.

• 🔧 Removable battery (stick-on but easily detachable)
• 🛠️ Modular design: display, cameras and speakers are mounted on latches
• 🔌 Available parts: the screen costs ~3000 rubles, the camera - ~1200 rubles

The only difficulty is the plumes, which are thin and can break when you're not getting them properly, like the fingerprint sensor plume (under the battery) that's often damaged when you disassemble it.

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The Redmi 8 is one of Xiaomi’s latest smartphones with a fully removable battery (no soldered contacts) that makes it easier to replace, but requires caution when disconnecting the power plume.

FAQ: answers to frequent questions about Xiaomi Redmi 8