[Update] Xiaomi's Mi 8 Flagship is Finally here !

UPDATE : In a recent turn of events it came to our notice that the transparent back on the Mi 8 Explorer Edition which is supposed to show the real internals of the device is actually a fake one. Xiaomi told The Verge that what you see are actually the real components which is not the case. Chengming Alpert was the first one to report the issue on twitter. Xiaomi hasn't released any official statement as of yet or it just might be another clever marketing scheme which many OEMs have used in the past.

Xiaomi launched a plethora of smart devices yesterday at the launch event in China but their main focus was the Mi 8 and they skipped the Mi 7 branding to match it up with their 8th Anniversary. Now let's get everything out of the way and jump straight to the part where we tell you all about the device including the beefy specifications.

Mi 8

The first and the foremost device we are gonna be looking at is the Mi 8 itself. The device is packed with features to the brim. The frame is made up of aluminum ( 7000 series ) while the front and back are made up of curved glass. The fingerprint reader sits on the back of the device for an easy access. The device packs Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 under the hood coupled with 6GB of RAM with varying storage options. There's a gorgeous 6.21" FHD+ ( 1080x2248) Super AMOLED display panel in the front with 83.8% screen to body ratio. The display is HDR10 Complaint and has a DCI-P3 color space.

In the camera department, Mi 8 sport a dual camera setup on the back with 12 MP (f/1.8, 1/2.55", 1.4µm, 4-axis OIS, dual-pixel PDAF) + 12 MP (f/2.4, 1/3.4", 1.0µm), with 2X Optical Zoom, Phase Detection autofocus and the Dual LED Flash which sits in between the two. On the front, there's a 20 MP sensor with f/2.0 & pixel size of 1.8 µm.

All the cameras on Xiaomi's Mi 8 series are powered by Artificial Intelligence. Mi 8 scored a whopping 105 in DXO Mark mobile Photography and 88 on videography.  making it reach the 2nd spot and tie up with Samsung Galaxy s9+ for best Smartphone Camera with the first spot being taken by Honor P20 Pro.

Mi 8 also packs an Infrared sensor under the notch for the FaceID. There's dual frequency GPS built in for more accurate positioning. And finally to power all this up there's a 3400mAh battery.

Mi 8 Explorer Edition

Along with Mi 8, Xiaomi also announced Mi 8 Explorer Edition. The specs are pretty similar to that of Mi 8 but this has some additional features which Mi 8 doesn't. The first thing you will notice in Mi 8 EE is that the device comes with a see-through glass back revealing all the internals of the device.

According to Xiaomi, Mi 8 Explorer Edition is the first Android device to come with 3D Face Recognition. There have been various devices in the past with IR Sensor for Face Unlocking but this is the first device to do it in 3D which makes a more secure and it will also work in the dark.

There's also an "Industry's First" pressure sensitive in-display fingerprint scanner which according to Xiaomi is more secure than the traditional in-display readers we have seen in the past from the likes of Vivo and Huawei.

Mi 8 Explorer Edition will come in 8GB RAM & 128GB Onboard Storage configuration only.

Mi 8 SE ( Special Edition ? )

Xiaomi also announced a chopped down version of Mi 8 dubbed the Mi 8SE. The device runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 710 coupled with 4/6 GB of RAM and 64GB Internal Storage. There's a 5.8" FHD+ Super AMOLED Panel in the front which is HDR10 Complaint and comes with DCI-P3 color space.

On the rear, there's a 12MP sensor ( f/1.9, 1.4µm, dual-pixel PDAF, gyro-EIS ) along with a 5MP sensor ( f/2.0, 1.12µm ) for those beautiful portraits. For selfies, there's a 20MP sensor (f/2.0, 2.0µm) on the front with Portrait Mode.

Mi 8SE marks the Global Debut of Snapdragon 710 which was announced earlier this month by Qualcomm. The fingerprint reader sits on the back of the device and comes with a non-removable 3120mAh Lithium-Polymer battery.

All the Mi 8 series phones will be running MIUI 10 out of the box.

Pricing and Availability

The Mi 8 will go on sale starting June 5, 2018 and will be available in three storage configurations. 1. 6GB RAM & 64GB ROM ¥2699 ( ~ 422 USD ) 2. 6GB RAM & 128GB ROM ¥2999 ( ~ 468 USD ) 3. 6GB RAM & 256GB ROM ¥3299 ( ~ 515 USD )

Mi 8 Explorer Edition is priced at ¥3699 ( ~ 578 USD ). Xiaomi hasn't made anything clear regarding the availability of Mi 8 EE.

Mi 8 SE, on the other hand, will be available starting June 8, 2018, and will come in following configurations. 1. 4GB RAM & 64GB Storage ¥1799 ( ~ 280 USD ) 2. 6GB RAM & 64GB Storage ¥1999 (~ 312 USD )

That's all for now. Keep an eye on the coming Articles as we talk more about the Mi Event and Explore MIUI 10. If you have any questions do let us know in the comments.