The Xiaomi Mi 8 has just been announced in Shenzhen as the company’s all-new flagship smartphone. The device was originally supposed to be called the Mi 7, but Xiaomi decided to skip the “Mi 7” branding altogether, as the company claims that the Mi 8 is a considerable improvement over the Mi 6. The fact it has been 8 years since the company was founded may have something to do with that as well, though. In any case, the XIaomi Mi 8 is a premium phone, it’s made out of metal and glass, and it’s the second flagship Xiaomi introduced this year, following the Mi MIX 2S which launched last month, actually. The Xiaomi Mi 8 comes with high-end specifications, and it even sports an Infrared Face Unlock technology, similar to the one Apple utilized in the iPhone X. All in all, there’s plenty to talk about when it comes to the Mi 8, so let’s get started, starting with the phone’s specifications.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Specs
The Xiaomi Mi 8 is fueled by one of the most powerful mobile SoCs out there, the Snapdragon 845 64-bit octa-core processor, while the device sports a 6.21-inch fullHD+ (2248 x 1080) AMOLED display, and that display has been manufactured by Samsung. A display notch is located at the top of the phone’s display, while we’re looking at an 18.7:9 display aspect ratio here. The Xiaomi Mi 8 sports an 88.5-percent screen to body ratio, and its display’s brightness goes all the way up to 600 nits. The Xiaomi Mi 8 comes with 6GB of RAM (LPDDR4X), while 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage (UFS 2.1) options are available. Android 8.1 Oreo comes pre-installed on the Xiaomi Mi 8, with MIUI 9 installed on top of it.
Xiaomi has decided to include two 12-megapixel cameras on the back of the phone, one of them comes with a 26mm wide-angle lens, Sony’s IMX363 sensor, f/1.8 aperture lens, 4-axis OIS, and a 1.4um pixel size, while the other one features Samsung’s S5K3M3 sensor, f/2.4 aperture, 1.0um pixel size, and 2x optical zoom. A 20-megapixel camera (f/2.0 aperture, 1.8um pixel size) is included on the front side of the device, and it helps other front-facing sensors to scan your face, much like on the iPhone X. The Xiaomi Mi 8 also comes with a dual-frequency GPS, which reduces signal delays. A 3,400mAh battery is included in the Mi 8, and it supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4+ fast charging, while Bluetooth 5.0 is also a part of the package. The device measures 154.9 x 74.8 x 7.6mm, while it weighs 175 grams.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Design
The Xiaomi Mi 8 is made out of metal and glass, its glass panel is quite reflective, and depending on from which side light hits it, it changes colors. This is something we’ve seen in a number of phones out there, but it makes the device look quite premium. That back panel is also curved on the sides, for a better grip, while a fingerprint scanner sits on the back of the Mi 8, along with a dual camera setup. Those two cameras protrude on the back a bit, and the company’s branding is also located on the back of the Mi 8. The device’s bezels are quite thin, though it does have a thin “chin” below the display, and a rather wide notch at the top of its display. Avoiding that notch was next to impossible for Xiaomi as the company had to fit a number of sensors in there for 3D facial scanning. All the physical keys are included on the right-hand side of the Mi 8, while its SIM card tray can be accessed from the left. A Type-C USB port is included on the bottom of the Mi 8, along with the phone’s loudspeaker.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Cameras
The Xiaomi Mi 8 features two cameras on its back, and a single camera on its front side. On the back of the device, you will find two 12-megapixel cameras, which Xiaomi refers to as “AI dual cameras”. Both of those cameras feature 4-axis OIS, and both of them come with 1.4um size pixels. “Dual Pixel” autofocus is also a part of the package, while those two cameras can shoot AI portrait shots with bokeh effect, just like the phone’s front-facing camera. The company’s main cameras come with scene detection features, they can figure out what you’re planning to take a picture of, and boost that image accordingly. As far as the phone’s front-facing camera is concerned, Xiaomi opted for a 20-megapixel sensor (f/2.0 aperture, 1.8um pixel size), and that camera utilizes Xiaomi’s AI Beautify features / software. The Xiaomi Mi 8 is the best camera phone Xiaomi has ever released according to the company and DxOMark, as DxOMark gave it a 99 overall rating, while it managed to get 105 points in the camera department alone, beating the iPhone X in that regard, and its own Mi MIX 2S handset as well.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Battery Life
Xiaomi has opted to include a 3,400mAh battery inside the Mi 8, and that battery is not removable, in case you were wondering. The Mi 8 does support fast charging, you can quickly charge that battery by utilizing Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4+ fast charging, while the company has included a number of features inside of MIUI 10 to help you prolong battery life as well. You have some power saving options inside of Xiaomi’s UI, while MIUI 10 also allows you to block specific apps from running in the background, while some finer app-specific tweaking options are also available.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Software
The Xiaomi Mi 8 will ship with MIUI 9 out of the box, quite probably MIUI 9.5, but it will receive MIUI 10 in the near future, as MIUI 10 has been announced alongside the Mi 8. MIUI 9.5, as many of you know, does support navigation gestures, which we’ve already seen in the Mi MIX 2S, while it also offers a new Quick Reply design and functionality, which now works more similar to stock Android. MIUI 9.5 is not exactly as similar to stock Android as some other UI’s, but it’s getting there, as MIUI 10 leans towards stock Android a bit more, at least in terms of the general design. MIUI 9.5 also offers some AI camera features which are expected to boost the Mi 8’s camera setup, while some robust battery-saving options are also available.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Security
The Xiaomi Mi 8 comes with Infrared Face Unlock, which uses a number of sensors in the display notch in order to scan your face, securely. The Infrared Face Unlock utilizes an infrared sensor, in combination with the phone’s front-facing camera, proximity sensor, and some other sensors which are included in there. Infrared Face Unlock is expected to be considerably more secure than your regular face scanning which utilizes only front-facing camera, as this implementation is closer to Apple’s Face ID. Now, the Xiaomi Mi 8 also comes with a fingerprint scanner, its fingerprint scanner is included on the back, and it’s a regular capacitive fingerprint scanner, which offers you yet another security measure, if you prefer it over Infrared Face Unlock.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Pricing & Availability
The Xiaomi Mi 8 will become available in China on June 5, while its 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage variants will cost 2,699 Yuan ($422), 2,999 Yuan ($468) and 3,299 Yuan ($515), respectively. The device will become available in Black, Blue, Rose Gold and White color options in China, and there’s still no word on international availability of the device, chances are Xiaomi will host a separate press conference in order to announce the international model of the phone.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Variants
All Xiaomi Mi 8 variants come with 6GB of RAM, but the phone is available in three different storage options, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB storage variants have been announced. In addition to announcing the Xiaomi Mi 8, the company also introduced the Mi 8 SE and Mi 8 Explorer Edition. The Mi 8 SE is inferior to the Mi 8, and it also offers a slightly different design. The Mi 8 Explorer Edition, on the other hand, is almost identical to the Mi 8, but it comes with 8GB of RAM, in-display fingerprint scanner, 3D Facial Scanning, and a see-through glass back.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Gallery
