Xiaomi offically unveiled the new Mi 9

So it happened, after a parade of leaks and teasers and even early presentation on various social media sites and highly discussed both on traditional outlets and blogs, Xiaomi had finally made the Mi 9 official.

Though we are already familiar with what the new Xiaomi Mi 9 is, it’s still a fun ride to join in on what’s with the Mi 9 that made Xiaomi so much proud of its latest flagship device.

The new handset is built in metal which is already given as today’s new devices are mostly made of this material. Making it more premium is made possible with laminating the entire front and back of the device with Corning Gorilla Glass 6.

The display is a pretty 6.39-inch super AMOLED display with a Full-HD+ resolutions. Its brightness maxes out in 600nits feature Dark mode that throttles down its battery consumption up to 83%. With AMOLED display, Xiaomi is able to feature an Always on display with support for colorful patterns.

Xiaomi claims that the Mi 9 features a 90% screen-to-body ratio with a barely visible chin at the bottom. On top, you’ll see a waterdrop notch which houses the handset’s 20MP front-facing camera. It will support Face Unlock, well sort of and that’s only available in certain regions.

Still over the display, Xiaomi adds fingerprint sensor under the display much like the Mi 8 Pro but a little more sensitive and it’s tied to Google Play thanks to NFC connectivity.

The newest addition on the Mi 9 though is the new camera hardware. It’s the company’s first to sport a triple camera system with 48MP primary sensor together with a 16MP sensor with wide-angle lens and a 12MP Telephoto. These sensors are then assisted with Hybrid Lase/Phase Detection AF.

Xiaomi has a built-in AI assistant on the Mi 9 call Xiao AI in China, it’s a total alternative to Google Assistant though and only works in China. For international users, Google Assistant is the way to go. AI will also help taking pictures for both the front and back camera with AI Face Unlock and Beautify effects on the front. AI scene detection and other AI-assist imaging enhancements can be expected all throughout Xiaomi’s camera application software.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 will be the primary CPU of choice for the new Mi 9 which is then paired to 6GB/8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There will be no memory expansion like its predecessor.

For gaming enthusiasts, the Mi 9 comes with Game Turbo Mode which basically allocates system resources for game applications for a smooth gaming experience.

The Mi 9 will shipped with Android 9 Pie with Xiaomi’s MIUI 10 on top. It runs on 3300 mAh battery and supports its new Charge Turbo fast charging tech that enables the handset to charge up to 27W on USB-C. However, the inbox charge is only rated at 18W so a separate fast-charger for that matter are sold separately.

Another addition to the Mi 9 is wireless charging and not just any wireless charging as it supports a 20W wireless charger which also happens to include a USB-C 27W charger.

The new Xiaomi Mi 9 will be available in Lavender Violet, Ocean Blue and Piano Black. And then a special variant of the handset with 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage called the Mi 9 Transparent Edition which like the Mi 8 Explorer has a transparent back that supposedly shows the components inside the unit but like its predecessor, they will also be decals and not the actual components itself, but still it’s kinda cool though.

Pricing for the new Mi 9 starts at CNY2,999 for its 6GB/128GB version while its 8GB/128GB variants is priced at CNY3,299. The special Mi 9 Transparent Edition will retail at CNY3,999.