The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is the watered-down variant of its flagship sibling, the Xiaomi Mi 8. Read the comparison to know how these devices offer.
“The Mi 8 SE is the watered-down variant of its flagship sibling”
After a ton of leaks and reports, Xiaomi’s Annual Launch event witnessed a barrage of product announcements. The stars of the show were the Xiaomi Mi 8, Mi 8 Explorer Edition with a translucent back panel, and Mi 8 SE. While the Mi 8 and Explorer edition are mostly similar, the Mi 8 SE is a toned-down variant. And if you’re wondering whether that means that the affordable smartphone has cut any corners or not, then you’re at the right place. In this article, we will compare the regular Mi 8 with the Mi 8 SE.
The first and foremost difference between the two handsets is their screen sizes. While both smartphones come with a notch display, the Mi 8 flaunts a 6.21-inch panel and the Mi 8 SE comes with a smaller 5.28-inch screen.
Next up on the list of differences is the processor powering these handsets. While Xiaomi Mi 8 is powered by the top-tier Snapdragon 845 SoC, the Mi 8 SE is the world’s first handset to draw power from the Snapdragon 710 chipset. They do share the battery-efficient 10nm fabrication between them though.
The next major distinguishing factor between the two phone is the dual camera module on the rear panel. The flagship Mi 8 gets a pair of 12-megapixel shooters, whereas the Mi 8 SE offers a 12MP primary snapper, which is accompanied by a 5-megapixel shooter. Further, the Xiaomi Mi 8 gets an advanced 3D face unlock module with the Infrared sensor, whereas the Mi 8 SE gets the normal face unlock.
Moving on to the RAM and storage, the Xiaomi Mi 8 gets 6GB RAM and three storage options – 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. The Mi 8 SE, on the contrary, gets 64GB storage and either 4- or 6GB of RAM. Lastly, the phone offers a bigger 3,400mAh battery with Quick Charge 4+ as compared to 3,120mAh pack powering the Mi 8 SE.
While the devices differ in a lot of aspects, they both sport a premium glass sandwich design with a circular fingerprint scanner on the rear panel. The phones also boot MIUI 10 based on the Android Oreo. The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE also offers the same 20-megapixel front camera with AI Portraits and AI Beauty feature as its flagship sibling. Both smartphones also share the same connectivity options between them including 4G LTE, VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, and USB Type-C.
It’s now clear that Xiaomi has drawn a clear line between its latest mid-ranger and flagship smartphone. The Mi 8 SE is intended for those who are on a limited budget, yet want a class-leading performance along with the flagship aesthetics. The Xiaomi Mi 8 on the other hand, is a true blue flagship with high-end specs and a secure face unlock module. It’s also the world’s first smartphone to come with dual-band (L1-L5) GPS to offer accurate positioning.
