Redmi Note 9 Pro vs Redmi Note 8 Pro: Which phone offers better performance?

Months ago, when it was revealed that the Redmi Note 9 would be powered by a MediaTek Helio G80-series chipset, we pointed out that the phone would likely not offer considerably better performance than its predecessor, the Redmi Note 8. Apparently, though, that's an issue that carries over to the Pro models.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 720G. The last-gen phone, the Redmi Note 8 Pro, however, features a MediaTek Helio G90T. Rather amusingly, the Redmi Note 8 went with a Snapdragon 665, while the Redmi Note 9 opts for a MediaTek Helio G85. So how does the Redmi Note 9 Pro compare to the Redmi Note 8 Pro?

On Geekbench, the Redmi Note 9 Pro records a single-core score of 568. On the other hand, the Redmi Note 8 Pro typically earns a score of right about 491. That suggests a 15% advantage to the Redmi Note 9 Pro. In the multi-core test, the Redmi Note 9 Pro earns a score of 1735. The Redmi Note 8 Pro makes do with a score of 1615. That's a smaller 7% advantage this time around.

AnTuTu offers similar numbers, as the Redmi Note 9 Pro records a CPU score of 100679 versus the Redmi Note 8 Pro's 96037. That's just a 5% advantage to the newer phone. 

GPU is where the Redmi Note 8 Pro shines, however, as its 80306 score depicts a 12% advantage over the Redmi Note 9 Pro and its 71510 score in the GPU category.

As such, it's easy to see that things aren't quite as clearcut as one would expect. The Snapdragon 720G-powered Redmi Note 9 Pro does deliver CPU performance that's about 8% better than the Helio G90T-powered Redmi Note 8 Pro. GPU performance sees roles reversed, however, with the older phone having a similar advantage in that department.