I have brought you several compatible GCam Port for Redmi Note 8 running on Android 9 Pie and later OS version in my recommended downloads list. These builds of GCam for the phone has almost all the features working.
It comes with a quad camera setup, out of which the primary camera is 48MP, an 8MP ultrawide, a 2MP macro and a 2MP depth shooter. The stock camera captures decent photos but not like this Redmi Note 8 GCam port APK.
In this article I will tell you how to install the correct GCam port on your Redmi Note 8 to get the best image quality. I will also include any xml or agc config files if anything is available for the respective gcam app.
Stock MIUI Camera vs GCam Port on Redmi Note 8
The default MI camera that comes on your phone and the Google Camera port has significant differences! Here I have listed down all the similarities and/or differences between these two camera apps so that you can take a wise decision to use which camera app on what kind of lighting and scenic conditions.
Take a look at the below detailed section so that you can understand things in a better way.
What’s better on the MI camera?
It is important for you to know that the default camera app that comes on your phone is equally good and provides several features that the GCam does not have.
Let’s have a look at the below features that is available on Redmi Note 8’s MIUI Camera but not on GCam:
- Pro mode that provides TRUE pro level features such as focus peaking, LOG profile, Exposure verification etc.
- The 960 fps super slow motion
- Access to all camera sensors
- Voice shutter (only available on latest MI Camera app)
- Allows to capture in 48MP
Advantages of Google camera / GCam on Redmi Note 8
People know the GCam app several years from now since when it had the HDR+. And then the camera app has evolved significantly.
Below are some of the extra features that you can expect to enhance your existing camera setup on the Redmi Note 8:
- Night Sight mode that gets you better exposed images in low light.
- Astrophotography mode used to capture the sky and celestial bodies in the dark. Not for everyone, but worth mentioning in this features list.
- Multi-mode video stabilization
- HDR+ captures a natural looking image in a condition where you have much brighter or darker regions in the scene.
- DSLR like bokeh effect in the portrait mode.
- RAW image capture so that it can be edited in the post
Disadvantages of GCam
- Finding the right gcam port for Redmi Note 8 is neither a straight forward task nor easy
- Not all compatible mods available are specifically tuned for the Redmi Note 8. It is possible that some or other features of GCam might be working might not be working as intended.
- The stock MIUI camera apps has a pro mode, which does not exist on Google Camera mod.
- Stock MI camera has a 960 super slow motion which simply does not exist on Redmi Note 8.
- Sometimes not all cameras available to use.
- May require advanced settings to use the high resolution mode on the primary camera.
Available GCam versions for Redmi Note 8
Based on what I have tested on the phone, below are the available compatible GCam ports for Redmi Note 8 phone.
Along with the available gcam apks, I have also marked the Latest version and RECOMMENDED next to the version number which will help you straight in choosing the correct gcam port without going through the whole list.
- GCam 9.2 (Latest Version)
- GCam 8.7
- GCam 8.4
- GCam 8.2
- GCam 8.1
- GCam 7.4
- GCam 7.3
- GCam 7.0
- GCam 6.2
The GCam 8.9 has brought multi mode stabilization, seamless zoom feature, built-in Google Lens and seamless slow motion, audio zoom etc.
The older version of Google camera 6.1 that brings you the night sight and the GCam 7.4 has brought Astrophotography mode for your Redmi Note 8.
Compatibility Status of GCam on Redmi Note 8
I have tried all of the gcam ports listed here on my Redmi Note 8 phone and based on that below are some of the working or non-working status of the same.
What’s working
- Portrait mode, Night Sight mode etc.
- All other basic features
What’s not working?
- No access to auxiliary camera sensors (Wide angle and Zoom or Macro)
Where to Download the Redmi Note 8 GCam port for your phone?
As mentioned in the list of compatible Google Camera apks for Redmi Note 8, below are the direct download links for you.
If you face any problem while downloading any of the GCam port APK, please use the comment box to inform me and I will fix it as soon as possible.
| File name | GCam APK |
| Latest version | 9.2 |
| Requirements | Android 9 and later |
| Config support | YES |
| Last updated | Today |
How to Install Google Camera on Redmi Note 8?
- Download a compatible GCam APK port for Redmi Note 8 from the below download link(s).
- To install apps from a third party app other than Play Store you need to enable app install from Unknown Sources on your Android device.
- For Android Oreo or Pie version, enable Install Unknown Apps from the app from which you are going to install the Google Camera APK.
- For example: if you have downloaded the Google Camera apk file on Google chrome or firefox browser on your phone.
- Or you have downloaded and copied the apk file to the file browser and you want to install it from there.
- Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Open the app (Chrome, Firefox or file manager app etc) > Install unknown apps and enable Allow from this source
- See the below screenshots that enables to install unknown apps on Oreo for Chrome app (you need to enable on the app from where you want to install the apk):
- Once enabled, click on the downloaded app to install.
- Once you have successfully installed the GCam port on your Redmi Note 8 phone, you can clear the app data before you open and enjoy the camera app.
How to enable Astro Photography mode on Redmi Note 8 Google Camera 7.x
By default the astro photography mode is enabled on this GCam 7 for Redmi Note 8. In case you still want to change the setting, follow the below instructions to enable or disable the astrophotography mode.
- Go to GCam Settings
- Scroll down and go to Advanced settings
- Then scroll down almost to the end till you get Use astrophotography Mode under Night Sight settings.
How to shoot in astrophotography mode on GCam 7.0 onwards?
Once the Astrophotography mode is enabled, there are certain conditions to be met to capture photos in that mode.
Following conditions must be met to capture in Astrophotography mode (known as cuttlefish in Google Camera ports like this):
– It can be enabled on Night Sight mode (only)
– The phone must be kept static (use a tripod or keep the phone somewhere to keep it static)
– There must be low light condition
– It may take few seconds for this mode to come up when the above conditions are met
When the display shows something like “Astrophotography on” or “Phone is steady” or “Capturing cuttlefish” while capturing photo in Night Sight mode, then most likely it is shooting in astrophotography mode otherwise not.
When I kept my phone static in front of a good light source, the Astrophotography mode did not turn on no matter how longer I waited.
So, make sure it is a low light environment.
Troubleshooting GCam issues
In case you have found any issue with the given Google Camera mod then leave a comment so that we can find out a solution for you!
You can also visit our known issues list for google camera which lists some known issues on this Gcam port, which might be helpful as well.
Conclusion
Of course GCam is good but that does not mean the MI camera is bad. GCam provides better image quality, it has several features of its own which out performs the stock camera app.
But Xiaomi’s stock camera also has some good features which cannot be overlooked such as the Pro features, Vlogging features, and better hardware compatibility.
Summarizing it all, GCam will not replace the MIUI camera rather both the camera apps can be installed on the same phone and you can use each app for which it better suits to your needs.
New features and updates of the GCam APK keep coming, hence there could be many versions of the GCam ports available for the Redmi Note 8 today and in future. This page will always list all the compatible Google Camera versions for the phone.
Visit the Xiaomi Redmi gcam ports page to download compatible google camera ports for other Xiaomi phones as well.