What processor in Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro: full analysis MediaTek Helio G90T

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro is still one of the most popular budget smartphones in the secondary market, despite the release of newer models. The main “highlight” of this device is a powerful gaming processor, which in 2019 was a real breakthrough for the segment up to 20,000 rubles. But what kind of chipset is hiding under the hood, and why it caused so much controversy? In this article, we will discuss in detail the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro processor, its architecture, real performance in games and everyday tasks, and compare with competitors of the time.

If you’re planning to buy this smartphone off the hook or just wondering about the history of mobile chips, this information will help you understand what the Helio G90T is capable of today — 5 years after its release. Spolier: it still pulls the Genshin Impact on medium settings, but with reservations. Next — all the technical details, tests and life hacks on optimization.

Technical characteristics of the Redmi Note 8 Pro processor

The heart of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro is the MediaTek Helio G90T 8-core 12nm processor, the first chip in the Helio G line specifically focused on gamers and multimedia tasks, and unlike its predecessors, it used a hybrid architecture of big.LITTLE, splitting cores into productive and energy efficient:

• 🔥 2 cores Cortex-A76 Up to 2.05 GHz – responsible for heavy tasks (games, rendering, multitasking).
• ⚡ 6 cores Cortex-A55 Up to 2.0 GHz – optimized for background processes and charge savings.
• 🎮 Graphic accelerator Mali-G76 MC4 800 MHz – a key difference from the standard Helio G90 (there Mali-G76 MC3).

It is important to note that Helio G90T supportive LPDDR4X-memory (up to 10 GB) and UFS 2.1-drives, which for 2019 was the top solution in the budget segment, but the 12-nm process was already considered obsolete against the background of 7-nm chips from Qualcomm (for example, Snapdragon 730), which affected power consumption and heating.

💡

If your Redmi Note 8 Pro is hot in games, try turning off the background synchronization of applications in Settings → Battery → Optimizing power consumption. This will reduce the load on the low-power Cortex-A55 cores.

Architecture and features of the Helio G90T

The Helio G90T chip is based on the ARM DynamIQ architecture, which allows flexible load sharing between the cores, such as when you run a game, both Cortex-A76s are used, and when you watch a video, only one Cortex-A55 is used.

⚠️ Warning: Due to the outdated 12nm process technology, the processor is prone to trottling (automatic frequency reduction) under prolonged loads, which means that after 15-20 minutes of intense play, FPS Maybe fall 10-15%.

Key features of the Helio G90T, which set it apart from the competition:

• 🖥️ Support for displays with resolution up to 2520×1080 frequency 90 Hz (although in Redmi Note) 8 Pro screen 60 Hz).
• 📱 Double. 4G-modem (Cat-12 DL / Cat-13 UL) for a stable internet in games.
• 🎥 Hardware codec support H.265 (HEVC) to record high quality video with minimum file weight.
• 🔋 MediaTek HyperEngine technology – optimizes the energy consumption in games (for example, disables background processes when running). PUBG Mobile).

Fun fact: The Helio G90T was the first MediaTek processor to officially support Google Camera (GCam) without modifications, which allowed owners of the Redmi Note 8 Pro to get photos at the flagship level thanks to the HDR+ and Night Sight algorithms.

Performance in Games and Benchmarks

In 2019, the Helio G90T overtook most competitors in the price segment to 20,000 rubles, including the Snapdragon 710 and Kirin 810. However, today its capabilities are evaluated differently.

As you can see from the table, Helio. G90T It's not the same as casual games or old projects like Clash Royale. AAA-Games like Honkai: Star Rail are no longer powerful enough, but there are ways to improve performance a little bit:

Disable animation in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (5 times tap) → Animation 0.5x

Install Game Turbo from Settings → More

Limit background processes in Settings → Battery → Performance mode

Use a cooling stand (reduces trottling by 10-15%)-->

MediaTek Helio G90T

Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G

Huawei Kirin 810

Samsung Exynos 9611

Another (write in the comments)-->

Comparison with competitors: who was the strongest?

In 2019, the Helio G90T competed with several popular chips. Let's take a look at what it looked like against their background and what has changed today:

• 🔹 vs Snapdragon 730G: In Helio games G90T It was 5 to 10 percent weaker, but cheaper. Today, the gap has grown to 20 to 25 percent because of better driver optimization at Qualcomm.
• 🔹 Kirin 810: Kirin 810 scored 15 percent higher on AnTuTu, but he warmed up harder.
• 🔹 Exynos 9611: Samsung lost in the graphics (Mali-G72 vs Mali-G76), It had better energy efficiency.
• 🔹 vs Helio G95: Newer chip (2020) with frequency GPU 900 MHz instead of 800 MHz, but the difference in games is minimal (~5%).

The main advantage of the Helio G90T over its competitors is the support of MediaTek HyperEngine technologies, which improve the response in games due to:

• 🎯 Intelligent Speed Booster – Speed up games by 30%.
• 📶 Network Latency Optimizer – Reducing ping online.
• 🔋 Power Efficiency Manager – Load distribution between cores to save charge.

⚠️ Note: If you buy the Redmi Note 8 Pro in 2026, please note that MediaTek no longer releases driver updates for Helio G90T. This means that new games may work worse than at the time of the release of the smartphone.

Problems and disadvantages of the Helio G90T

Despite the impressive performance for its time, the Helio G90T has a number of critical drawbacks that should be considered:

1. Overheating: During prolonged loads, the chip temperature can reach 70–75°C, leading to trottling. In some cases, the phone even automatically lowers the screen brightness to reduce the load.
2. Power consumption: Due to the 12nm process technology, the battery runs down 20-30 percent faster than its competitors at 8nm (for example, the Snapdragon 730).
3. 5G: The chip only supports 4G LTE, making the smartphone less future-proof.
4. Custom firmware problems: Due to MediaTek’s closed architecture, many custom ROMs (like LineageOS) are unstable.

Another common problem is lags in multitasking, where 6GB of RAM (in the base version) is quickly clogged with background processes, and the phone starts to hang when switching between applications.

• 🧹 Hand-cleaning the cache (Settings) → Warehouse → Clear the cache).
• 🔄 Disabling Autoboot of Unnecessary Applications (Settings) → Annexes → Auto-start).
• 📱 Using light versions of programs (for example, Facebook Lite instead of regular Facebook).

What processor in the Redmi Note 8 Pro: myths and reality

There's a lot of rumors going around around the Helio G90T, especially among gamers.

Myth 1: “Helio G90T is more powerful than Snapdragon 845”

Reality: In AnTuTu, the G90T can actually outperform the SD 845 by 5-10%, but in real games (for example, Fortnite) loses due to poor optimization of the Mali-G76 drivers.

Myth 2: “This processor does not support custom cores”

Reality: Supports, but only through informal firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience).However, due to MediaTek's closed source, many features (e.g. Wi-Fi 6) may not work properly.

Myth 3: “Redmi Note 8 Pro can be overclocked”

Reality: Technically yes, but this requires root rights and modifications to the kernel, which will void the warranty (if it is still valid) and can lead to overheating above 80°C.

💡

The Helio G90T is a great chip for its time, but today it’s only suitable for undemanding tasks.If you want a smartphone for modern gaming, consider models with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 or later.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the Redmi Note processor 8 Pro