Xiaomi has eaten the forbidden fruit by using a MediaTek processor in Redmi Note 8 Pro. Fans of the brand are in shock and wondering why they’ve been so badly betrayed by the Chinese smartphone maker.
The Redmi Note 8 Pro was recently announced by Xiaomi, and the choice of Helio G90T for use in the phone has been a shocker to fans of the Chinese smartphone maker. But there has to be a pragmatic reason for this decision.
Go through a forum or blog where there is a large concentration of Xiaomi fans, and it won’t be long before you find someone diss MediaTek, the chipmaker. Statements like “MediaTek is crap” and “MediaTek is rubbish” are regular refrains among Xiaomi fans.
These statements are usually thrown around when speaking against Xiaomi’s Chinese competition, especially brands like TECNO, Infinix, itel, Gionee, and others. There is no love lost between fans of Xiaomi and lovers of TECNO especially. But now, Xiaomi fans may have to eat humble pie: their preferred brand has eaten the forbidden food.
As far as fans of Xiaomi are concerned, only 3rd rated smartphone brands use MediaTek chips, something that is supposedly beneath their beloved brand, Xiaomi. So, when the Redmi Note 8 Pro was announced as using the new MediaTek Helio G90T chipset, all hell broke loose. The table on which fans of the Xiaomi brands were standing was effectively broken, and its legs scattered into the four corners of the earth.
What would they say to TECNO fans now? How would they frame their taunts and jabs from this point? How would the eternal war between the fans of both brands be framed from now?
A Snapdragon processor was the holy grail for Xiaomi fans, and a MediaTek processor in a highly anticipated model like the Redmi Note 8 Pro was just unthinkable. The predecessor of the Note 8 Pro used a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor. The non-Pro Redmi Note 8 also uses a Qualcomm processor – Snapdragon 665. So why has Xiaomi shocked its fans by committing this sacrilege with the Pro?
Why Xiaomi put a MediaTek processor in Redmi Note 8 Pro
Helio G90T packs many cutting edge features, including advanced gaming capabilities. It trounced both the Snapdragon 710 and 730 in benchmark tests, and it is available at a better price point than its Snapdragon counterparts. That would be a key reason for it being Xiaomi’s choice.
The manufacturer sells its smartphones at very narrow margins and augments that with revenue from ads in MIUI. In recent times, there has been a backlash against ads on Xiaomi phones. If the company is to stay profitable, it has to find a way to keep producing value-packed phones while making greater margins. The Helio G90T offers Xiaomi that advantage.
Xiaomi fans in shock; but MediaTek is excited
While Xiaomi fans are in shock and have been critical of their beloved brand’s choice, MediaTek is very excited about Xiaomi’s choice of the Go9T. The CEO of MediaTek India has been quoted as saying that it would help change the perception that users have of MediaTek processors as inferior to their Qualcomm counterparts.
Was he subbing Xiaomi fans? Perhaps. Perhaps not. It is expected that some of them will have a change of heart towards the Chinese chipmaker. Where the shepherd goes, after all, the sheep follow.
On the first day of sale, Xiaomi sold 300,000 units of the Redmi Note 8 Pro. Not bad at all. No-one should be worried about the grumbling about the use of a MediaTek Helio processor. Xiaomi’s fans are putting their money where their hearts are.
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