Everyone loves updates – be it something new and exciting in their daily life or a software upgrade in their phones. Hammering the button to check for updates is another level of idée fixe, but let’s stop right there!

system-update-animation-new
(Image credit: Android Police)

Back to our regular coverage of Xiaomi firmware and their update news, we have two new candidates to talk about: Mi 8 Lite and Redmi Note 7.

Mi 8 Lite (codename: platina) was launched back in 2018’s September. It can be thought as a budget conscious variant in Mi 8 family (which already contains so many variations to confuse average consumers).

mi_8_lite
AI makeup on Mi 8 Lite

It’s the only one carrying the ‘Mi 8’ moniker and sporting the midranger Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC. The configuration are sufficient to do day-to-day tasks. Moreover, the camera supports phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and ‘AI’ portrait mode.

ai_research
(Image credit: xkcd #1696)

Initially launched with Android 8.1 based MIUI 10, it got the upgrade of Android 9 Pie via China (closed) Beta channel last December. Now the public channel for China Beta is updated to Android 9 as well, while the Global branches are still on Oreo.

  • Device: Mi 8 Lite
  • Channel: China Beta
  • Version: 9.1.17
  • Android: 9.0
  • Type: Recovery
  • Download: Link
  • MD5: b013e0358e6f571ae9794b85e99fd36f

Another interesting piece of phone is the recently announced Redmi Note 7 (codename: lavender). This is the first product after Redmi separated from Xiaomi and considered itself as a separate brand.

Like previous years’ Redmi Note lineup, Note 7 continues the heritage of bang-for-the-buck. Notable upgrades include Type-C port, Samsung’s ISOCELL camera sensor with a whopping 48 MP mark and the new gradient colour scheme.

Redmi Note 7 runs MIUI 10 based on Android 9 Pie which is a notable improvement from last few years. Regarding firmware, we have spotted references of initial MIUI V10.2.3.0.PFGCNXM China Stable earlier, courtesy to the devs behind xiaomi.eu project.

Associated xiaomi.eu rom for Redmi Note 7 AKA HMNote7 was uploaded later (mirror) (16th January), but we were waiting for the official firmware to be live. And now with the help of Xiaomi Firmware Updater, here are they:

  • Device: Redmi Note 7
  • Channel: China Stable
  • Version: V10.2.3.0.PFGCNXM
  • Android: 9.0
    • Type: Fastboot
      • Download: Link
      • MD5: 9f8f427fb40fd8d1c12c02e1034906f3
    • Type: Recovery
      • Download: Link
      • MD5: 2ed0f498ec4584371a6a18dbac1c4a3d

Just a word of caution: we have examined Redmi Note 7’s firmware package and can ensure that it does come with Xiaomi’s weird implementation of anti-rollback (ARB) protection. Thus users are advised to do some research on the possible consequences (even brick!) and proceed with tinkering.

lavender_arb
Click to enlarge

Though Mi 8 Lite has already seen a global/European release, Redmi Note 7 is still exclusive to China. We will keep an eye on the availability of the global firmware, which is a strong indication of Indian and/or global release.

Tracking these updates is not an easy task; thanks yshalsager for the continuous support and assistance.

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Kingshuk De
896 Posts

I came from a mixed background of Statistics and Computer Science. My research domains included embedded computer systems, mobile computing and delay tolerant networks in post-disaster scenarios. Apart from tinkering with gadgets or building hackintosh, I like to hop on various subreddits and forums like MyDigitalLife and XDA.

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