Honor 9X vs Redmi Note 8 Pro Specs Comparison – Which Is the Better Gaming Phone?

One of the best affordable mid-range phones to date is Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 8 Pro. There’s almost no compromise when you opt-in for it. That said, how does it stack up when compared to Honor 9X? Does it still hold its value?

Honor 9X and Redmi Note 8 Pro Differences

Advantages of Honor 9X

1. slightly lighter at 196.8g
2. Kirin 710F
3. notch-less screen (pop-up selfie)
4. unique design

Advantages of Redmi Note 8 Pro

1. Gorilla Glass 5 (back and front)
2. splash-resistant design
3. 500 nits peak brightness
4. HDR display
5. Helio G90T
6. UFS 2.1 storage
7. 64MP quad-cameras
8. up to 4K video recording with EIS
9. 20MP f2.0 selfie camera
10. Bluetooth 5.0
11. 4500mAh battery
12. 18W fast charging
13. NFC
14. three color options

Honor 9X and Redmi Note 8 Similarities

1. IPS LCD
2. FHD+ resolution
3. 8.8mm thickness
4. Android 9 Pie
5. single selfie camera
6. USB-C
7. glass and metal build
8. Wi-Fi ac
9. audio jack
10. expandable microSD slot

Which is a better buy between the Honor 9X and Redmi Note 8 Pro?

Design and Display

Although Redmi Note 8 Pro is a mid-range gaming phone, in the design department, Honor 9X looks to be more suiting of that description. The “X” pattern on the back shows off a unique design in the sea of hue-centric phones. However, Xiaomi gets additional points in durability as it carries splash resistance and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides.

For the display, both are using FHD+ IPS LCD but Redmi has a clear advantage. It enables HDR playback and goes up to 500nits in brightness. One thing to take note of is the presence of a teardrop notch.

READ: Samsung Galaxy A50s vs OPPO A9 2020 – The Best Mid-Range Phone for $300?

Performance

Kirin 710F vs Helio G90T. MediaTek’s chipset is made for gaming and holds the lead in terms of fps numbers. But the company has a bad rep when it comes to battery efficiency and overheating. HiSilicon’s chipset, on the other hand, balances performance, battery, and heat very well. But before making a decision, you should also know that Redmi Note 8 Pro is using UFS 2.1 storage. This means loading times are notably faster.

Cameras

The number of cameras won’t matter that much as picking Honor 9X means missing out on a dedicated macro sensor. For the rest of the secondary sensors, you get the same ultrawide and depth lenses. However, there’s a significant difference in the main sensors — 48MP f1.8 vs 64MP f1.9. Honor is capped at FHD @ 60fps video recording (probably due to chipset limitation) while Redmi supports up to 4K @ 30fps with electronic image stabilization. Furthermore, the 64MP sensor outputs incredibly crisp photos as the number do matter (to some degree) when it comes to optics.

Moving to the selfie camera, Honor 9X is using a 16MP f2.2 pop-up mechanism that retracts automatically when it detects freefall. While Redmi Note 8 Pro has the higher MP in the 20MP f2.0 sensor, it’s worth noting that it outputs 5MP equivalent photos due to pixel binning.

Battery and Charging

Redmi Note 8 Pro easily wins the battery and charging department, thanks to 4500mAh capacity and 18W fast charging support. Honor 9X has a large capacity to start at 4000mAh, but the lack of fast charging spoils the experience.

Conclusion

Honor 9x is retailing for P12,490(6GB/128GB) while Redmi Note 8 Pro is selling for P11,490(6GB/64GB) and P12,990(128GB). No matter how you put it, Xiaomi’s device offers better value for money. MediaTek may have been suffering from poor battery efficiency for the last couple of years, but the company has made strides to fix this problem.

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