The Redmi Note 8 series has just been launched in Malaysia, and both the standard Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro are brought into our market. Packing respectable hardware and competitive price tags, these two products are ideal for those who are looking to get an affordable smartphone.

Out of the two phones, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is the most interesting one. After all, its quad camera system features a 64MP main shooter, which should be able to capture a lot of detail. Complementing that camera is an 8MP ultra-wide angle sensor, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. There’s no telephoto shooter here, but most consumers will probably find more use out of the wide angle camera.

Powering the Redmi Note 8 Pro is a MediaTek Helio G90T processor. While MediaTek chipsets are not quite as attractive as Qualcomm’s offerings, the G90T is a very respectable chip. According to MediaTek, this processor is up to 26% faster than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 730 SoC.

While I’ve only spent a brief time with the Redmi Note 8 Pro – so I couldn’t really get a feel for the phone’s overall level of performance – it seems to be a zippy, responsive smartphone. Rest assured, I’ll put the phone through its paces (especially when it comes to gaming) once the device is in for a full review.

And then there’s the Redmi Note 8 Pro’s 6.53-inch 2340 x 1080 IPS display. Now, I’m not thrilled about the notch at the top of the screen, but at least it’s not a particularly wide one. As for the screen quality itself, it’s a reasonably bright display with vibrant colours and good viewing angles.

Other specifications of the Redmi Note 8 Pro include 6GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, a 20MP selfie camera, a capacitive fingerprint sensor right below the quad camera system on the back, and a generous 4,500mAh battery.

Next is the more affordable Redmi Note 8. Unlike the Pro model, this standard variant is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset. It’s not quite as powerful as the Pro’s G90T SoC, but if you prefer Qualcomm’s processor over MediaTek, you’ve got this regular model as an alternative.

Another noteworthy difference between the Pro and the Redmi Note 8 is the camera system. It is still a quad camera configuration, but instead of a 64MP sensor, the main shooter is a 48MP unit. The other three sensors, on the other hand, are similar to the Pro’s 8MP (ultra-wide angle) + 2MP (macro) + 2MP (depth) setup.

Rounding out the specifications of the Redmi Note 8 are a 6.3-inch 1080p display (still with a notch at the top), 3GB or 4GB of RAM, three choices of internal storage – 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB – a 13MP front-facing shooter, and a 4,000mAh battery.

So how much does the Redmi Note 8 series cost in Malaysia? Well, the higher-end Redmi Note 8 Pro retails at RM1,099 and RM1,199 for the 64GB and 128GB variants respectively. If you pre-order the 64GB model on Shopee or Lazada from today until 11 October, you can get for only RM999 instead.

What about the 128GB Redmi Note 8 Pro? Of course, it has its own promotion: those who placed their pre-orders for this particular variant until 11 October will receive a complimentary Black Shark gaming controller worth RM169.

As for the standard Redmi Note 8, as many as three different models are offered in Malaysia: the base model with 32GB of storage and 3GB goes for only RM599, while the 64GB and 128GB variants with 4GB of RAM are priced at RM799 and RM899 respectively. Do note that the 32GB and 128GB models will only be available in Malaysia from 18 October onwards.

Just like the Pro model, there is also a pre-order deal for the regular Redmi Note 8, although this is only offered for the 64GB variant. Pre-orders of the device on Shopee and Lazada will get a Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic worth RM99 – that’s a pretty good deal.

Speaking of which, the Redmi Note 8 smartphones weren’t the only products launched today: Xiaomi also introduced three different audio products for the Malaysian market. The Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic is one of them (RM99), while the other two products are the Mi True Wireless Earbuds (RM179) and Mi True Wireless Earphones (RM329).

That’s not all: now that the Redmi Note 8 series is available in Malaysia, it’s only a matter of time before the new Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A smartphones make their way here. I’ve reached out to Xiaomi regarding this, and the company confirmed that these two devices will in fact be available here in the near future.

The Redmi Note 8 smartphones are really the most refined devices in the series yet, bringing a number of improvements over the well-received Redmi Note 7. Those who are looking to get an affordable mid-range smartphone should definitely consider these two options.