The Redmi 8A takes a leap forward compared to the Redmi 7A, but also a few steps back. I really like the new design, and the grippy back is fantastic to use even without a case.

You’ll definitely want to invest in a quality case. ... Following the Redmi 8A, the Redmi 8 ships with a large 5,000mAh cell. The battery paired with entry-level hardware lasts forever.

The Redmi 8A unsurprisingly comes with fairly basic packaging in terms of contents, ... but the Redmi XA devices have always excluded a case in the past, so this wasn't a surprise.