Back in late May this year, Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi launched the Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE smartphones. The Mi 8 is powered by Snapdragon 845 SoC, whereas the Mi 8 SE is powered by Snapdragon 710 SoC. Well now, Xiaomi has further expanded its portfolio of Mi 8 Series smartphones by announcing the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite at an event in China. The Mi 8 Lite is also called Mi 8 Youth.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is a mid-range smartphone, but, it does look like the flagship Mi 8 from the front – thanks to the notched display. The Mi 8 Lite sports a 6.26-inch notched display that has aspect ratio of 19:9 and a resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels. The display is also covered with 2.5D curved glass, but, unlike the Mi 8, you don’t get AMOLED display on the Mi 8 Lite.
Moving on to the back, you get a dual camera setup placed horizontally in the top-left corner. This dual camera consists of one 12 MP camera and one 5 MP camera. The 12 MP primary snapper has a pixel size of 1.4 μm, and has aperture of f/1.9. For selfies and video calls, you get a 24 MP single camera on the front that sits inside the notch next to the earpiece. That said, as this is 2018, both the front and rear cameras come with AI-based features like AI Portrait Mode and AI Makeup Beauty.
Under the hood, the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 SoC which is the same chip we have on the Mi A2. The Mi 8 Lite comes in three different configurations – 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, and, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. The smartphone runs MIUI 10 out-of-the-box which is based on Android Oreo.
Lastly, the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is offered in three colors – Sunset Gold, Aurora Blue and Midnight Black – and, it comes packed with a 3350 mAh battery that fuels the entire package.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite Specifications
- CPU: Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor
- RAM: 4/6 GB
- GPU: Adreno 512
- Operating System: MIUI 10 based on Android 8.1 Oreo
- Display: 6.26-inch Full-HD+ (2280 x 1080 pixels) 19:9 LCD display with 2.5D curved glass
- Rear Camera: 12 MP (f/1.9 aperture, 1.4 µm pixel size) + 5 MP (f/2.4 aperture, 1.0 µm pixel size) with Dual Pixel Auto-focus, AI Scene Detection, AI Portrait Mode, AI Makeup Beauty and LED flash
- Front Camera: 24 MP with AI Portrait Mode and AI Makeup Beauty
- Internal Storage: 64 GB (with 4 and 6 GB RAM), 128 GB (with 6 GB RAM)
- External Storage: Expandable via microSD card
- SIM: Dual SIM
- Connectivity: 4G VoLTE, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, NFC, USB Type-C
- Other: Fingerprint Scanner
- Colors: Sunset Gold, Aurora Blue and Midnight Black
- Battery: 3350 mAh with Quick Charge 3.0
Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite Price and Availability
- Price of 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage variant: ¥1399 (around $204/₹14,851)
- Price of 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage variant: ¥1699 (around $247/₹18,036)
- Price of 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage variant: ¥1999 (around $291/₹21,221)
- Availability:Goes on sale in China from September 25. No word on availability in other markets
