After several rumors and leaks, Xiaomi has finally launched its flagship smartphone Mi 8 at a launch event in China. This is Xiaomi’s 8th-anniversary event and apart from Mi 8 smartphone, it has also launched many products including two other phones in the series dubbed as Mi 8 SE and Mi 8 Explorer Edition.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 is a flagship device with all the high-end specs you can expect in 2018’s flagship devices. The Mi 8 SE is a lighter version and special edition of the flagship while the Mi 8 Explorer is a high-end version with features like an in-display fingerprint sensor, 3D face unlock and a transparent back.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Specifications
The Xiaomi Mi 8 features a premium metal and glass body with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. The smartphone features infrared face unlock just like the Apple iPhone X and claims to unlock the smartphone with face recognition even in the dark. It runs on the MIUI 9 based on Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. Xiaomi has introduced the MIUI 10 in the same event today with a fully refreshed user interface and features.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 comes with a 6.21 inches Super AMOLED display with 18.7:9 aspect ratio, 2248 x 1080 resolution, and a notch. The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC which is the best mobile processor from Qualcomm. Xiaomi also flaunts an impressive AnTuTu benchmark score of 301,472 which is the highest of all the smartphones running the Snapdragon 845 SoC.
The smartphone comes with two 12MP sensors at the back in a vertical orientation and LED flash in the middle. The camera comes with four axis OIS, Dual Pixel autofocus, AI portrait mode, and AI scene detection. The Mi 8 also received an impressive score of 105 on DxO Mark benchmarking test. The smartphone features a 20MP camera for selfies with AI portrait selfie and AI beauty mode.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 comes with the world’s first dual-band L1-L5 GPS which decreases signal delays and increases navigation accuracy. The smartphone comes with 4G LTE, VoLTE dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC and Type C as connectivity options. The Mi 8 is powered by a 3,400mAh battery with Quick Charge 4.0 fast charging support.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition
Xiaomi has released the Mi 8 Explorer edition which comes with similar hardware as the Mi 8 but with some extra features and design overhaul. The Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition comes with a transparent back panel which looks gorgeous and an in-display fingerprint sensor. The Explorer edition also comes with more secure 3D face unlock support.
Xiaomi Mi 8 SE Specifications
The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is a toned down variant of the Xiaomi Mi 8 which comes with a 5.88 inches Super AMOLED display with a notch. The smartphone comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset with 6GB RAM and 64GB internal memory. The MI 8 SE is the first smartphone to feature this chipset from Qualcomm.
Coming to Optics, the smartphone comes with 12MP + 5MP dual camera setup at the back with AI scene detection and f/1.9 aperture size. The front-facing camera is a 20MP single shooter with AI smart beauty and 1080p video capture capability. The smartphone features 3,120mAh battery.
Pricing and Availability
The Xiaomi Mi 8 has been priced at CNY 2,699 which is roughly Rs. 28,500 for the 64GB variant. The 128GB storage variant is priced at CNY 2,999 which is approximately Rs. 31,600, and the 256GB option is available for CNY 3,299 which is roughly Rs. 34,800.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE comes in four colors – Golden, Dark Grey, Bright Red and Bright Blue. The price of the 4GB+64GB variant of Mi 8 SE is CNY 1,799 which is approximately Rs. 18,958 and the 6GB+64GB variant is priced at CNY 1,999 which is approximately Rs. 21,066.
