Marketed as the ‘Smart Desh ko Dumdaar Smartphone’ (that’s Nepali for ‘Smart Country’s Powerhouse’ for all you non-Nepali speaking folks out there), Xiaomi’s New Redmi 8A Dual seems to be making a bit of stir in our Nepali market as well. Following its release on the first of March, this entry-level powerhouse has been quite well received by Mi fans nationwide. Coming in with dual rear cameras now, and the new improved Aura Xgrip design, this phone is the new kid in the block right now and definitely looks like it has something to prove.
As for us, let’s dive deeper to see if this proof is something actually worth considering!
Deep dive into the Redmi 8A Dual:
Well, let’s start with the name. The shiny ‘Dual’ in the Redmi 8a Dual comes from the fact that this budget level phone sports a dual-camera setup. This dual setup featuring a 13MP primary lens and a 2MP depth sensor is something new for the Redmi A-line. What’s more, this hardware is coupled with Xiaomi’s capable AI Scene Detection and AI Portrait mode. On the front, selfies, video calls and AI face unlock are facilitated by the 8MP front snapper. This capable selfie snapper makes sure that your malnourished wallet won’t hamper your selfie needs very much.
Design and display:
The screen on this smartphone is a 6.2” Dot Notch HD+ IPS display, protected under the loving care of Gorilla Glass 5 and P2i’s protective nano-coating. The 19:9 wide aspect ratio results in an immersive experience for its users. The Aura X Grip Design on the front and back ensures that your phone stays smudge-proof, and prevents accidental drops and slips as well. This design’s mesh pattern is not only very useful but quite cool to look at as well and adds a bit of a premium vibe to the overall design.
On the hardware side of things, we have the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 439 octa-core chipset with an Adreno 505 GPU under the hood, which is okay for the price point. This is the same processor as the 7A though, so don’t expect a performance boost if you’re looking to upgrade from the Redmi 7A.
This gizmo is available in a 3GB+32GB variant, with a 2+1 dual SIM slot. The dedicated microSD card further provides a storage expansion of up to 512GB. There is no fingerprint sensor present, but the AI face sensor is pretty okay and should cover up for the absence of a fingerprint sensor for the most part.
The phone comes with MIUI 11 on top of Android Pie 9.0. No upgrades have been promised for Android Q, so you’ll have to hold your expectations for a platform upgrade.
Battery:
Okay folks, perk up your ears because this is where the phone really shines. This dumdaar smartphone sports a pretty hefty 5000mAh battery, which supports 18W fast charging. This fast charging option is pretty rare for a budget-level phone. But only a 10W charger is included in the box, so you’ll have to invest in a separate fast-charger to catch some of the 18W goodness. Also, the type-C port supports reverse charging, which is interesting to see as well.
Pricing and availability:
As previously mentioned, the Redmi 8A Dual has been made available in Nepal from March 1st through various offline and online stores like Daraz and Sastodeal. The price of the 3+32 GB variant, which is the only one available at the moment, is set at NPR 12,999, which is the same price as the original Redmi 8A. It is available in three color options: Sea Blue, Sky White, and Midnight Grey color.
