At an event in China, Xiaomi announced its flagship smartphone for 2019 – the Mi 9. But, alongside the Mi 9, the company also announced a mid-range smartphone — the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE. The Mi 9 SE succeeds the Mi 8 SE that was announced last year in May.
The Xiaomi Mi 9 SE is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 712 SoC which was announced earlier this month. The smartphone comes with 6 GB RAM and is offered in two storage options – 64 GB and 128 GB. The Mi 9 SE is also smaller than the Mi 9. While the Mi 9 features a 6.39-inch Full-HD+ Super AMOLED display, the Mi 9 SE sports a 5.97-inch Super AMOLED display with the same aspect ratio and resolution.
In terms of design, the Mi 9 SE looks similar to the Mi 9, and, the front and back of the smartphone are also covered with 2.5D curved glass.
Apart from the difference in processor, RAM, and screen size, the Mi 9 and Mi 9 SE also differ in terms of cameras. The Mi 9 SE, like the Mi 9, does feature a triple-camera setup at the back, but the combination here is different.
The Mi 9 features 48 MP + 12 MP + 16 MP cameras at the back, whereas the Mi 9 SE features 48 MP + 8 MP + 13 MP cameras. The 8 MP camera comes with a telephoto lens, whereas the 13 MP camera comes with an ultra-wide angle lens. Having said the Mi 9 SE comes with a 20 MP camera on the front like the Mi 9.
Lastly, the Mi 9 SE ships with a 3070 mAh battery which is smaller than the 3300 mAh battery on the Mi 9. Furthermore, the Mi 9 SE also doesn’t support wireless charging, and, its fast charging is limited to 18W; unlike the Mi 9 that supports 27W fast charging.
Xiaomi Mi 9 SE Specifications
- CPU: 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 712 octa-core processor
- RAM: 6 GB
- GPU: Adreno 616
- Operating System: MIUI 10 based on Android 9.0 Pie
- Display: 5.97-inch Full-HD+ (2280 x 1080 pixels) Super AMOLED display with 19:9 aspect ratio, DCI-P3 color gamut and 600 nits brightness
- Rear Camera: 48 MP (Sony IMX586, 1.6 μm) + 8 MP (telephoto lens) + 13 MP (ultra-wide angle lens) with LED flash
- Front Camera: 20 MP
- Internal Storage: 64/128 GB
- Connectivity: 4G, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, NFC, USB Type-C (no 3.5 mm headphone jack)
- Other: In-display Fingerprint Scanner, Game Turbo
- Colors: Blue, Violet, Black
- Battery: 3070 mAh with 18W Fast Charging
Xiaomi Mi 9 Price and Availability
- Price of 64 GB storage variant: ¥1999 (around $300/₹21,160)
- Price of 128 GB storage variant: ¥2299 (around $340/₹24,340)
- Availability: Available in China from February 26. No word on availability in other markets