The Mi 8 Lite, just like the Mi 8, the Mi 8 Explorer Edition, and the Mi 8 SE, packs its own distinct feature set.
Xiaomi has launched a new variant of the Mi 8 in China called the Mi 8 Lite. As the name suggests, the Mi 8 Lite is a lite variant of the Mi 8. The Mi 8 SE was that phone before the Mi 8 Lite happened. The Mi 8 Lite, as far as Xiaomi’s Mi 8 line-up is concerned, sits at the lowest end now offering flagship-grade features at even more affordable prices. The Mi 8 Lite, to that effect, comes with a gradient finish, a 24MP front camera and dual rear cameras. The phone starts in China at around Rs 15,000.
The Mi 8 Lite, just like the Mi 8, the Mi 8 Explorer Edition, and the Mi 8 SE, packs its own distinct feature set. Here’s a closer look at what the Mi 8 Lite brings to the table.
— The Mi 8 Lite uses more or less the same build materials as the Mi 8 meaning the Mi 8 Lite is also carved out of a significant chunk of glass. The Mi 8 Lite has a metallic centre-piece that joins the front and back and it’s almost bezel-less. Much like the Mi 8, the Mi 8 Lite also has a notch. Contrary to the Mi 8 and its other variants, the Mi 8 Lite packs a smaller notch though. There is no fancy hardware-based facial recognition tech though.
— Prior to release, there were some reports that suggested that the Mi 8 Lite would come with an in-display fingerprint scanner. That is not the case though. The Mi 8 Lite has a conventional rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
— Unlike the Mi 8, the Mi 8 Lite has a glass back that can reflect light differently depending on how you look at it. The gradient finish of the Mi 8 Lite would remind you of many Huawei and Honor phones like the P20 Pro and the Honor 10. The Mi 8 Lite also has a dual camera module on the back that looks a lot like the one on-board the Honor 10. The Mi 8 Lite will be available in three colours: twilight gold, blue and space gray.
— The Mi 8 Lite comes sans a headphone jack which means the same USB Type-C port has to be used for charging, data syncing and music playback (using USB Type-C headphones).
Xiaomi has launched the Mi 8 SE at a starting price of CNY 1,399 (roughly Rs 14,841) for the base 4GB RAM and 64GB storage version going all the way to CNY 1,999 (roughly Rs 21,207) for the top-end version with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. There’s also a variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage that will be available for RMB 1,699 (roughly Rs 18,024). The Xiaomi Mi Lite is exclusive to China for now.
