Xiaomi increases prices of Redmi Note 8, Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A Dual in India

Xiaomi has made its way to the top of India’s smartphone market with strong offerings in the country’s budget segment. However, the recent GST hike saw prices of the company’s budget Redmi phones go up. Now, it looks like some entry-level Redmi phones have received yet another price hike.

According to a Gadget360 report, Xiaomi increased the prices of the Redmi Note 8 by Rs 500 and the cost of the Redmi 8 and 8A Dual by Rs 300 each. The Redmi Note 8 (4GB/64GB) now costs Rs 11,499 rather than Rs 10,999, while the 6GB/128GB Note 8 remains the same at Rs 13,999. Over the course of two months, the price of the Redmi Note 8 has gone up by Rs 1,500.

The Redmi 8 (4GB/64GB) now costs Rs 9,299, up from Rs 8,999, while the Redmi 8A Dual (2GB/32GB) is now available for Rs 7,299, previously Rs 6,999, The Redmi 8 launched at Rs 6,999, while the Redmi 8A Dual featured a Rs 6,499 launch price.

The GST price hike was directly responsible for the previous price hike, but Xiaomi has not confirmed the reason for the second price increase. However, it can be also be attributed to the coronavirus pandemic, which saw Indian smartphones sales slump to zero in the month of April.

The new pricing is already reflected on Mi.com, Flipkart, and Amazon India. The new price hikes are quite substantial for entry-level devices but seem unavoidable given the current circumstances.