Today in our review is the most advanced Chinese smartphone from everyone’s favorite Xiaomi. The most advanced Xiaomi. And the main flagship of the year.
Specifications
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 |
| Core Configuration | Kryo 385: 4 x 2.8 GHz + 4 x 1.8 GHz |
| Video processor | Adreno 630 |
| operating system | Android 8 + MIUI |
| RAM, GB | 6 |
| Internal memory, GB | 64 / 128 / 256 |
| Screen | 6.21″ sAMOLED, Full HD+ (2248 x 1080) |
| Cameras, Mpix | 12.0 + 12.0 + 20.0 |
| Net | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 |
| Number of SIM cards, pcs. | 2 |
| MicroSD support | No |
| 3.5mm jack | No |
| Moisture/dust protection | No |
| Data transfer | Wi-Fi, WAP, GPRS, EDGE, NFC, HSDPA, 3G, LTE |
| aGPS/GPS/GLONASS/Beidou | Is/Is/Is/Is |
| Battery, mAh | 3 400 |
| Dimensions, mm | 154.9 x 74.8 x 7.6 |
| Weight, g | 175 |
Appearance
The smartphone is made in the classic candy bar form factor. The body is again assembled from glass on both sides, connected by a metal frame. Unfortunately, like the Mi5, the new Mi 8 is very fond of collecting fingerprints: the screen is covered with oleophobic coating, but the back cover only carries a camera and a fingerprint scanner.
However, the glass on both sides is Gorilla Glass, so the new product is not at all afraid of scratches, but does not like falls and sharp corners. Everything as usual. But very stylish.
The front surface is occupied by a screen with a familiar cutout and an impressive “chin”. Xiaomi is still far from the iPhone X and its bezel-less design – and the slightly larger frames around the display play an important role here.
The notch is noticeable when the screen is off – the display itself has a slightly grayish tint. Unfortunately, because of it, it is not even enough to indicate that Bluetooth is turned on. What is useful for iOS is not sufficient for Android. Alas.
However, Xiaomi has gone further than other clone manufacturers: the notch carries not only the camera, which could be placed like in Mix 2s, but also a face recognition system using IR illumination and IR cameras. Yes, that's right - it's still the same analogue of the Apple system. In addition, the Mi 8 has an LED notification light, which the iPhone does not have.
Cloning is the way to go, the developers thought. Therefore, on the bottom edge there are the usual speaker grilles, but the headphone jack has not appeared. On the other hand, the power button and volume rocker, which are familiar to Android devices, are located where you would expect to find them.
Despite the fact that in the presentation Xiaomi carefully avoided the issue of moisture protection, Mi 8 received seals that are able to protect the device from splashes and in some cases even allow the device to be submerged on a very small depth. But already at 10 centimeters, air begins to leak through the junction of the screen and the body.
Display
The most important innovation of the Mi 8 is the gorgeous AMOLED screen from Samsung. The first attempt with such a screen was a couple of years ago in Redmi Pro, and it was frankly unsuccessful. The same cannot be said about the Mi 8 display – the screen is stunning.
The diagonal is 6.21 inches with an aspect ratio of 18:9, that is, almost 5.5 inches at the usual ratio. Indeed, it’s convenient – and the FullHD+ resolution is just enough for perfect display.
The display is no slouch: it boasts a wide DCI-P3 color gamut, 60,000:1 contrast ratio, and up to 600 nits of brightness. In fact, it is one of the best screens in smartphones today. And everything about it is perfect: bright, contrasting, rich. If you don't like the gamma, adjust it manually.
To protect the screen, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 with a remarkable oleophobic coating is used. The sensor supports up to 10 clicks simultaneously.
Thanks to AMOLED and its true black color (when turned on, since it is gray when turned off), Mi 8 now has the Always on Display feature. Convenient, practical and takes almost no charge.
Ease of use
Despite the increased screen diagonal from 5.15’ to 6.21’ compared to its predecessors Xiaomi Mi 5 and Mi 6, the device is convenient to use. But the glass requires a cover, and many will need a second hand to operate the device.
In addition, the glass back cover is instantly covered with fingerprints, dirt and dust - all this does not look as beautiful as in advertising photos. It can't be done without wiping. However, the white smartphone is completely devoid of this problem; you simply cannot see anything on it.
Everything is in its place: the controls are right under your fingers, the scanner does not force you to reach behind you, and the front camera is unmistakably in front of your face, you just have to look at smartphone.
Hardware filling
The heart of Xiaomi Mi 8 is the most modern Snapdragon 845 processor with a clock frequency of 2.8 GHz, which, according to official data, scores more than 300,000 points in the AnTuTu test. But the implementation in Mi 8 receives only 260,000 points.
But it has very fast memory (both RAM and permanent memory), which turns the smartphone into a real machine gun for Android tasks: absolutely everything flies, at any settings. So far there is not a single task that can hang the 845th processor.
The performance reserve of Mi 8 is phenomenal - if fundamentally new tasks do not appear in the near future, it will remain relevant for 3-4 years.
Cameras
The main advantage of the new flagship Xiaomi Mi 8 is the new camera. Actually, it is already familiar to us thanks to Mi MIX 2S, which received the highest DxO scores. But the pair of 12 megapixel Sony IMX363 sensors in Mi 8 has been improved to the limit, primarily due to hardware optimization. Although the DxOMark sensor rating is already 99 points
One of them is equipped with a telephoto lens with f/1.8 aperture, and the second is equipped with a wide-angle lens. The IMX363 unit of measurement is 1.4 microns. The Xiaomi Mi 8 camera supports Dual PD focusing and 4-axis optical image stabilization. It is especially noticeable when there is a lack of light, working almost perfectly.
An additional rear lens is used to achieve 2x magnification without loss of detail or background blur - killing 2 birds with one stone.
The only drawback of the camera is that the portrait mode does not always work perfectly. However, since the camera uses a hardware chip from the processor that implements artificial intelligence, the pictures get better every time.
Sound
Although the Mi8 is not recommended for audiophiles, the fresh Snapdragon (the processor's DAC is used) sounds very good. Even through a standard adapter to a 3.5 mm audio jack, you can notice the difference between hybrid and regular headphones.
Alas, unlike previous Xiaomi devices, Mi 8 received only 1 main speaker. If in Mi6 the earpiece played together with the multimedia speaker to create surround sound, then in the new product everything is entrusted to one loudspeaker at the bottom. A fashionable solution today.
On the other hand, the sound is good, loud and bassy. What else do you need? Don't watch movies on your smartphone.
Connection
Together with the new processor, Xiaomi Mi8 received updated communication modules, so it works in all Wi-Fi bands using b/g/n/ac protocols, accelerated LTE - again, all bands including Band 7 and 20.
And the ultra-precise GPS has become a revelation - the improved module should even cope with navigation in shopping centers. There is no 30cm accuracy yet, since the smartphone under review has not yet received the MIUI 10 update. But when navigating in a car, an accuracy of a couple of meters is ensured without gaps.
Autonomy
Despite the meager battery capacity of only 3400 mAh, the smartphone has good autonomy. Not ideal, but very good for a flagship. So, the results obtained during testing:
- Web surfing ~ 8 hours
- Music player with screen off ~ over 40 hours
- Watching video 720p ~ 9.5 hours
- Maximum load mode ~ 4 hours
In addition, the new product supports the latest fast charging protocol Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0, with which it charges in just an hour, practically without heating. But you can get such results only with a suitable charger - the standard charger version 3.0 is included in the package.
conclusions
Despite minor shortcomings, most likely related to unfinished software, Xiaomi Mi 8 can be safely called the only real “flagship killer” of 2018.
An incredibly cool camera, a powerful processor, an excellent screen and everything else in one balance - is it really a bad combination?
In addition, the new product is noticeably cheaper than its analogues: now the basic version of Mi 8 with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage memory can be purchased for $450, the average 8/128 GB for 520, and the senior 8/256 GB for $600, respectively.
For comparison, OnePlus 6, even in the minimum configuration, will cost $500. Competitors such as the latest Huawei or iPhone are obscenely expensive.
We must take it. Or wait for an even more advanced version of the Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition smartphone with a fingerprint scanner hidden under the screen. But it will also cost more.
Make your decision now - Mi 8 offers the perfect balance and performance.
