[Update 4: Liquid cooling and Gamepad] Redmi Note 8 series and 70-inch Redmi 4K smart TV to launch on August 29th

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Update 4 (8/23/19 @ 03:30 AM ET): Redmi has teased that the Redmi Note 8 will come with “liquid cooling”, as well as come with its own set of exclusive accessories like a Gamepad. Update 3 (8/21/19 @ 11:10 AM ET): MediaTek has confirmed that Redmi Note 8 series will be powered by its new gaming-centric Helio G90/G90T. Update 2 (8/21/19 @ 01:00 AM ET): Redmi reveals the first official look of the Redmi Note 8 Pro, confirming its 64MP quad-camera setup. Update 1 (8/20/19 @ 00:15 AM ET): Redmi announced that the Redmi Note 8 series will be launched in China tomorrow i.e. on August 21st.

Xiaomi’s spin-off brand, Redmi, has been pulling off one feat after another. While it was earlier confined to the budget segment, Redmi entered the premium segment with its refined flagship killer i.e. the Redmi K20 Pro besides launching its own lineup of accessories such as wireless earbuds and power banks. Redmi is now planning another major move and will be following Xiaomi’s footsteps to enter the market for smart TVs. Taking to Weibo, Redmi’s CEO Lu Weibing announced that they will be launching an enormously sized 70-inch smart TV in China at an event later this month and it may be accompanied by the Redmi Note 8 series.

Weibing’s announcement on Weibo primarily conveyed the 70-inch 4K smart TV’s launch date, which has been set to August 29. Just like the lineup of Mi smart TVs by Xiaomi, the Redmi smart TV could run the PatchWall interface with (hopefully) Android Pie as the base. At present, the largest TV that Xiaomi sells in China measures at 65 inches.

While Redmi talks about the magnificent screen and the smart features of the upcoming TV in the teaser, there is no mention of the display technology. Since the brand Redmi is associated with relatively more affordable products compared to Xiaomi, we may get to see an IPS panel instead of the LED-backlit LED panel that the Mi TVs usually come with.

Redmi Note 8 series launching on August 29th too

Redmi’s CEO has been refuting claims and leaks about the expected Redmi Note 8 series but his Weibo updates are being posted by a “Note8Android” device, which is a piece of decent evidence suggesting the smartphone may launch very soon. To confirm this conjecture, Xiaomi co-founder Lei Jun replied with a thumbs-up emoji to comment on Weibing’s post asking if the Note 8 series will be launched on the same day. While this is not a very assuring response, we do expect at least a teaser of the Redmi Note 8 series even if is not launched at the event.

In an unverified leak yesterday, we saw the leaked side and the bottom views of the purported Redmi Note 8. The alleged device has appears to have four cameras in a linear assembly on the back and a USB-C port on the bottom. However, since these leaks are not verified, we cannot be too confident about them. Other rumors suggest that the Note 8/Note 8 Pro may be the first smartphone with a 64MP sensor, which Xiaomi showcased a couple of weeks ago, along with MediaTek MTK G90T. The device is also likely to support faster charging than what we saw on the Note 7 Pro. The smartphone may be among the earliest recipients of feature Xiaomi Android Q-based MIUI update.

MIUI 11 speculations

The teaser shared by the Redmi executive shows two displays positioned face-to-face in an orientation that looks like a disguised “11.” This hints that alongside the smart TV and the Note 8 series, Xiaomi might also throw some light on its upcoming MIUI 11 Android skin. The much-awaited update to MIUI brings functional and aesthetic improvements to the MIUI interface.

As per Xiaomi’s Product Director and MIUI Experience General Manager known by the alias MIUI Xiaofan on Weibo, the MIUI 11 conference is scheduled for sometime soon. They are holding a giveaway for 2 tickets to the conference and the results will be announced on September 5th. This means that the final unveiling may not be before that date.

Xiaomi has been projecting the OS as a “unique OS” and has been very quiet about it so far. So, it may use the event on August 29th to break its silence and probably share some information about the update.

Update: Redmi Note 8 series launch announced as Note 7 series clocks 20 million sales

Taking to Weibo, Redmi announced that the Note 7 series has sold more than 20 million units worldwide. The post also revealed the launch date for the Redmi Note 8 series and that has been set to August 21st. On the same day, Xiaomi India will launch the Mi A3 in India.

Only yesterday, we came across a Redmi smartphone most likely to be the Redmi Note 8 being passed through the FCC and the listing also reveals how it may look like. The alleged device carries four cameras on the back and a teardrop notch display on the front. This listing suggests that the purported Note 8 may launch in the U.S.

Meanwhile, the speculations for the Redmi Note 8 Pro include the utilization of the 64MP camera setup, which they announced a couple of weeks ago.

Source: Weibo

Update 2: Redmi Note 8 Pro first look revealed, 64MP camera confirmed

While we were expecting Redmi to bare it all today, the company barely spoke of anything except the 64MP camera. The company shared a teaser of Weibo, with the first official image of the Note 8 Pro, showing its quad-camera setup in a T-shaped orientation. The setup also includes a 64MP primary camera as confirmed by the text etched on the body below the camera setup. The fingerprint scanner is also present on the camera bump which means the smartphone will come with an LCD display.

The Redmi Note 8 series will indeed be launching in China on August 29th alongside the Redmi TV. Meanwhile, since Xiaomi India’s MD Manu Jain has already confirmed that the 64MP camera will be coming to India, we feel confident that the Redmi Note 8 Pro will be launching in India very soon. This might allow Xiaomi and Redmi to keep its horns locked with Realme which will also be launching its 64MP camera smartphone i.e. the Realme XT in early October.

Source 1: Mi.com / Souce 2: Weibo

Update 3: MediaTek confirms Helio G90/G90T for the Redmi Note 8 series

In a Weibo post, chipmaker MediaTek confirmed that the Redmi Note 8 and the Note 8 Pro will be powered by its latest lineup of Helio G90/G90T chipsets, which are fabricated with a 12nm process and are optimized for gaming. While launching these two chipsets in New Delhi, India, MediaTek claimed better performance than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 730G mobile platform. At the event, MediaTek had also announced that these chipsets would soon be launched on then-upcoming Xiaomi devices. Redmi also confirmed the same.

This information also concurs with the alleged TENAA listing of the Redmi Note 8, which apparently has an octa-core 2GHz chipset. For context, the MediaTek G90 also comes with eight cores with a maximum frequency of 2GHz per core.

Source: Weibo

Update 4: Redmi Note 8 series to come with Liquid Cooling, and Gamepad accessory

On its Weibo page, Redmi has teased that the upcoming Redmi Note 8 series will come with liquid cooling, claiming that this will keep the phone cooler by a good 4°C – 6°C.

Unlike desktops, the liquid cooling mentioned over here is unlikely to be active liquid cooling. Passive liquid cooling in this context will help spread the heat quicker over a larger and distributed area, which also should help out the phone in maintaining its cool during intensive tasks. Curiously, the device used in this representation has a different camera setup than what we have observed in previous leaks and teasers.

Redmi has also confirmed that the Redmi Note 8 series will come its own set of accessories, the highlight of which is this gamepad. Based on previous trends across the industry, the gamepad will very likely be sold separately and not be included with every purchase.

The presence of the gaming-focused MediaTek G90T, liquid cooling, and a gamepad accessory plainly indicates where Redmi is pitching this device. Being a member of the Redmi Note family, the phone is also expected to be budget-friendly.

Source: Weibo (1), (2)