The much-awaited Xiaomi MI 9 is official, and it’s good. This phone packs the Snapdragon 855 SoC, a Samsung made Super AMOLED display, 48MP primary sensor and one of the fastest wireless charging on a phone. The only thing this phone doesn’t have is water resistance, and maybe the battery, at 3,300mAh, that might not satisfy everyone.
Display
The Mi 9 gets a 6.39-inch AMOLED display with an FHD+ resolution. It covers 103.8% NTSC spectrum, can reach up to 600 nits of brightness and a contrast ratio of 60000:1. Screen to body ratio hovers at around 90.7% and the bottom bezels have been reduced by 40%, which now stands at 3.5mm. And all this is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6.
Internals
The device is powered by a Snapdragon 855 SoC, paired with 6GB of RAM and 64/128GB of storage. Xiaomi also included the Game Turbo mode, which tunes the CPU and GPU for better gaming performance. The device has a 3,300mAh battery, with support for up to 27W wired charging, and up to 20W wireless charging (fastest on a smartphone).
Cameras
The phone has three cameras on the back. The first is a 48MP sensor (Sony IMX586) with a Quad Bayer filter. Aperture stays at f/1.8 and the pixel size is a large 1.6um Superpixels. The second 16MP f/2.2 sensor is an ultra-wide lens with a 117-degree FOV. The last 12MP telephoto camera works as a depth sensor with support for 2x optical zoom.
The whole back is guarded by Gorilla Glass 5, apart from those camera lenses, those are protected by a scratch-resistant Sapphire glass for extra protection. Video capabilities cap out at 4k@60fps, with support for 4k@30fps, 1080p@30/120/240fps, and 720p@960fps. As for selfies, a 20MP f/2.0 selfie camera with 0.9um lens takes the responsibilities.
The same front camera is also in charge of unlocking the phone, aided by AI. The AI also helps out to reduce distortions on photos produced by the ultra-wide camera. Apart from the face unlock, you also get an in-display fingerprint reader. That and the NFC chip allows you to use Google Pay for secure transactions. Furthermore, the phone also features a dual-frequency GPS and an IR Blaster.
Price
Like the last time, there will be a transparent variant of the device. That one will come with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and will cost you CNY 3,999 or about $595. The normal 6/64GB variant costs CNY 3,300 (approx $495), the 8/128GB costs CNY 3,500 ($525) and the 8/256GB is priced at CNY 3,700 ($550). The phones are available in Lavender Violet, Ocean Blue, and Piano Black colors.
Xiaomi MI 9 Specifications:
- Display: 6.39-inch AMOLED 19:9 aspect ratio (1080 x 2280px) panel, HDR10, DCI-P3
- Build: Gorilla Glass 6 (front), Gorilla Glass 5 (back), 7000 series aluminum frame
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC (7nm)
- CPU: Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 485)
- RAM: 6GB, 8GB, 12GB
- Storage: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB
- Back Camera: 48 MP, f/1.8, 1/2″, 0.8µm, Laser/PDAF; 16 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide); 12 MP, 1.0µm, (telephoto), Laser/PDAF; Dual-LED flash; 2160p@30/60fps, 1080p@30/120/240fps, 720p@960fps
- Front Camera: 20 MP, 1080p@30fps
- Dimensions: 155 x 75 x 7.6 mm
- OS: Android 9.0 Pie, MIUI 10 on top
- Color Options: Lavender Violet, Ocean Blue, Piano Black
- Battery: Li-Po 3300mAh, 27W wired fast charging, 20W fast wireless charging
- Price (6/64GB): CNY 3300 (Approx. $495)
- Price (8/128GB): CNY 3500 (Approx. $525)
- Price (8/256GB): CNY 3700 (Approx. $550)
- Price (12/256GB): CNY 3999 (Approx. $595)
