Xiaomi launches Mi 8 flagship smartphone

Xiaomi has unveiled its latest flagship phone Mi 8 in China. The launch took place at an event held in Shenzhen, where the company also unveiled its latest AI-powered MIUI 10 OS along with a host of other products. This year's annual launch event was special as it also commemorated the company’s 8th year anniversary.

The phone comes in three RAM/storage variants - 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB and 6GB/256GB which are priced at Yuan 2699 (about Rs 28,500), Yuan 2999 (about Rs 31,600) and Yuan 3299 (about Rs 34,800).

In addition to the regular Mi 8 smartphone, the company also launched a special variant, Mi 8 Explorer Edition, which has additional features such as in-display fingerprint sensor, transparent back and 3D face recognition.

Mi 8 specifications

Xiaomi Mi 8 sports a 6.21 inch Full HD+ AMOLED notched display with a resolution of 2248 x 1080p and an aspect ratio of 18.7:9. The phone sports a glass and metal design, with a 2.5D curved glass. It is available in white, blue, gold and black colour options. The phone runs on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor which is supported by LPDDR4X RAM.

The notch on the front has a 20MP camera, proximity sensor, earpiece, an Infrared Lighting and an Infrared lens. The phone supports Face Unlock feature thanks to the Infrared sensor and the Infrared lens. According to Xiaomi, the phone can detect a face even in darkness and cannot be fooled by a photo or a video of the person.

On the camera front, the device comes with 12MP + 12MP dual rear cameras with 1.4 micron pixel, 4-axis OIS. The camera setup consists of wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens with f/1.8 and f/2.4 aperture rate respectively and an LED flash. The phone packs in a 20MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture rate on the front notch.

For connectivity, the device supports Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, dual-frequency GPS, USB Type-C, rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, A-GPS, GLONASS among others. The phone is powered by a 3400 mAh battery.

In addition to the regular variants, the company has also unveiled a special Explorer edition of the Mi 8 phone. The phone is available in 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant and is priced at CNY 3,699 (about Rs. 39,000).

The event also witnessed Xiaomi launching AI-powered OS MIUI 10 along with Mi 8SE smartphone, 75-inch Mi TV 4, Mi VR Standalone and Mi Band 3 smartband.