Xiaomi Mi 8, Mi 8 Explorer Edition and Mi 8 SE announced with AI dual cameras, notch display and more

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has announced its latest flagship devices in the Mi series dubbed as the Mi 8, Mi 8 Explorer Edition and Mi 8 SE at its annual launch event to celebrate its 8th anniversary. Apart from this, the company also announced the Mi Band 3, MIUI 10, MI VR Standalone and Mi TV 4 75” at the event.

While the company announced the MIUI 10 today, the newly launched Mi series devices are currently running on MIUI 9 and are scheduled to be upgraded to MIUI 10 in the coming days. The Mi 8 and Mi 8 Explorer Edition feature similar specifications but differ in terms of design. The Mi 8 SE has been launched with the Snapdragon 710 SoC, making it the first device to be powered by the recently announced SoC.

Xiaomi Mi 8, Mi 8 Explorer Edition Specifications

As mentioned earlier, the Mi 8 and Mi 8 Explorer Edition feature similar specifications but differ in terms of design. Both the devices run on Android 8.1 Oreo with MIUI 9 skinned on top and are scheduled to receive the MIUI 10 update soon.

While the Mi 8 features a rear mounted fingerprint sensor, the Mi 8 Explorer Edition is equipped with an in-display fingerprint sensor, similar to the recently launched Vivo X21. Additionally, it has a transparent back panel, allowing you to see some of the internals of the device.

 

The Mi 8 and Mi 8 Explorer Edition feature a 6.21-inch full HD+ Super AMOLED display with DCI-P3 color gamut, a resolution of 2248 x 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18.7:9. Both the devices sport a notch at the top which houses the front camera, proximity sensor, earpiece and infrared sensor.

In terms of performance, the Mi 8 and Mi 8 Explorer Edition are powered by the octa core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC coupled with Adreno 630 GPU. In terms of memory, the Mi 8 will be available in three variants – 6GB + 64GB, 6GB + 128GB and 6GB + 256GB. The Mi 8 Explorer Edition has been launched with 8GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

Coming to the camera department, the Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE feature a dual camera setup at the back consisting of a 12MP primary camera with f/1.8 aperture, 1.4µm pixel size, 26mm wide-angle lens, 4-axis OIS, Optical zoom and a secondary 12MP camera with f/2.4 aperture, 2X zoom and 1.0µm pixel size. On the front, they sport a 20MP selfie camera with AI portrait support.

The Mi 8 and Mi 8 Explorer Edition are powered by a 3,400mAh and 3,000mAh battery respectively, with Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0 support. While the Mi 8 features IR face unlock, the Explorer Edition supports 3D face unlock. Connectivity options on the devices include Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11ac, Dual frequency GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC and a USB Type-C port.

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE Specifications

In terms of performance, the Mi 8 SE is powered by the recently launched Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC coupled with a Adreno 616 GPU. In terms of memory, the device has been launched in two variants – 4GB RAM + 64GB storage and 6BG RAM + 64GB storage.

The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with MIUI 9 skinned on top and is scheduled to get the MIUI 10 update soon. It features a 5.88-inch full HD+ Super AMOLED display with a notch, a resolution of 2248 x 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18.7:9, similar to the Mi 8.

Coming to the camera department, the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE features an AI dual camera setup at the back consisting of a 12MP primary camera with f/1.9 aperture along with a 5MP secondary camera with f/2.0 aperture. On the front, the device sports a 20MP selfie camera with AI portrait support.

The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is powered by a 3,120mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support and features a rear mounted fingerprint sensor. Connectivity options on the device include Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, USB Type-C port, GPS and Bluetooth 5.0.

Pricing and Availability

The Xiaomi Mi 8 is priced at CNY 2,699 for the 64GB storage variant, CNY 2,999 for the 128GB storage variant and CNY 3,299 for the 256GB variant. The Mi 8 Explorer Edition is priced at CNY 3,699. Both the phones will be available in China from June 5 and are expected to be launched In India soon.

The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE has been priced at CNY 1,799 for the 4GB RAM variant and 1,999 for the 6GB RAM variant. It will go on sale in China starting from June 8.

Rounak Jain

Rounak has been writing about technology for over five years now. Prior to Business Insider, he has worked with Tech Radar and PCMag where he covered the latest news and reviews of gadgets. In his free time, he likes to follow cricket.