Xiaomi Launches 8 Anniversary Products Including the Flagship Mi 8

Today, the product launch of Xiaomi Mi 8 started at 2 p.m. Beijing time at the Shenzhen Universiade Stadium as scheduled. The event is synchronously live streamed on Xiaomi‘s official website. At the event, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun unveiled seven new products: the three smartphones, namely Mi 8, Mi 8 SE and Mi 8 Explorer edition, as well as the long-awaited Mi Band 3, Mi TV, Mi VR standalone headset and the MIUI 10 operating system.

SEE ALSO: Mi 8 to Launch on Xiaomi’s 8th Anniversary with Prices Starting at $440

Xiaomi Mi 8 Flagship Phone

Starting price: 6GB+64GB at 2699 yuan ($421) / 6GB+128GB at 2999 yuan ($468) / 6GB+256GB at 3299 yuan ($515)
Color: White,Gold, Bright Blue, Pure Black

Xiaomi Mi 8 is the 8th anniversary flagship smartphone of Xiaomi but this regular edition shows no innovation in its design or performance. It spots a notch design with face unlock in the front and vertically-aligned dual rear cameras as well as a fingerprint-unlock sensor at the back.

It is equipped with the basic Android smartphone specifications with an upgrade in its cameras. The most eye-catching features are its price and the new operating system MIUI 10. As Lei Jun proudly announced, the starting price of Mi 8 is at 2699 yuan ($421) which is quite competitive in the smartphone market. In fact, it has the lowest price tag among all competitors with a Snapdragon 845 processor. The 10th edition of MIUI also saw a thorough upgrade in its application of AI technology to better improve user experience.

The biggest innovation of Mi 8 this time, as Leijun revealed, is the dual GPS function. The phone binds the traditional L1 frequency, used in other phones with the L5 frequency, used mostly by the aeronautical industry, which making location-based services like navigation more precise than ever.

Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition

Starting price: 3699 yuan ($577）
Specification: 5.5 inch, 8G/128G Storage, Snapdragon 845 processor
Color: Champagne Gold

The Explorer Edition of Mi 8 is probably the biggest surprise at the event. On top of the amazing design of its transparent glass back, it also has many new innovations that are being applied to a smartphone for the first time worldwide.

• Face ID: 3D face unlock. The Explorer Edition is the world’s first Android phone that supports this function. Unlocking securely even in the dark, this feature is 20 times more accurate than the regular fingerprint unlock. Like iPhone X’s Face ID, there is of course an Animoji-equivalent on board. 3D emoji will no longer the exclusive privilege of iPhone X users.

  

  

• In-display Fingerprint: World’s first ever smartphone to use pressure-sensitive in-display fingerprint technology

  

  

• Transparent glass back. You can examine the internal structure of the phone through the transparent glass, and see for yourself the Snapdragon 845 processor, the inner wires and NFC molds. This extremely innovative and elegant design has garnered great interest from gadget-lovers and the general public alike.

  

  

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE

Starting price: 1799 yuan ($281)
Colors: Bright Blue, Red, Champagne Gold, Dark Gray

As the smaller, slower, and cheaper version of the Mi 8, Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is the World’s first phone to use Snapdragon 710, Qualcomm’s latest mid-tier chipset. With a 5.88-inch AMOLED screen at 18.7:9 ratio full-screen display. Mi 8 SE is equipped with the 12MP and 5MP AI rear dual camera, along with a 20MP front AI camera.

Mi Band 3

Price: 169 yuan($26) / 199 yuan($31) ( with NFC function)
Battery capacity: 20+ Day

Xiaomi Mi band has long ranked in the first in market share of wearable tech gadgets all over the world. This time, the newly released Mi Band 3 has kept all the key functions like step count and heart rate sensor. Meanwhile, the water resistance capacity has been improved up to 50 meters underwater, which means you can wear it when you are swimming and diving. It has enlarged the screen size and now displays WeChat and text messages. With an extraordinary long-lasting battery capacity up to more than 20 days, Mi Band 3 definitely surpasses its competitors.

The market release is scheduled for June 5 when the Xiaomi Mi 8 will appear at online and offline Mi Stores as well as retailers like Brookstone and Suning.com.