Xiaomi has unveiled its new flagship smartphone series, the Mi 8, at an event Shenzen, as well as its standalone VR headset developed with Oculus. The Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE will launch first in China in June, while a more premium edition, the Mi 8 Explorer with in-display fingerprint reader and 3D face unlock, will be available later.
New features on the Mi 8 include dual-frequency GPS, supporting both L1 and L5 bands for more accurate navigation, which Xiaomi says is a first for a smartphone. The smartphone comes with a curved glass back panel, "aviation-grade" aluminum frame and a 2.5D glass screen. The 6.21-inch FHD+ Samsung Amoled display features an 18.7:9 aspect ratio and 86.68 percent screen-to-body ratio.
The device is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 845 platform with Artificial Intelligence Engine (AIE) and Adreno 630 graphics. The camera builds on Xiaomi's Mi MIX 2S device, with a 12MP dual AI camera on the back and 20MP camera on the front that uses pixel binning technology to combine information from four pixels to create one large 1.8µm pixel for clearer photos in low light. The Mi 8 also features face unlocking with an infrared camera paired with a dedicated infrared illuminator.
The Mi 8 SE edition offers a smaller 5.88-inch Amoled screen and the Snapdragon 710 SoC. The Explorer Edition of the Mi 8 features a transparent black back panel, as well as the new in-display fingerprint reader, supplied by Synaptics. The Explorer edition also follows several features of the latest iPhone. Xiaomi claims it's the first Android device with 3D face unlock, using advanced structured light technology to match measurement points on a face. Also new in the Explorer Edition is an emoji function that allows users to create their own animated emojis based on their facial expressions.
The Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE will be available in China starting 5 and 8 June, starting at CNY 2,699 and CNY 1,799, respectively. The Mi 8 Explorer Edition is priced at CNY 3,699 and will be available at an unspecified "later date".
New interface with hand gestures, drive mode
Xioami also updated its user interface to MIUI 10, promising improvements in design, speed, AI, sound and content, especially for full-screen phones. It comes with a series of full screen hand gestures to avoid the need for virtual buttons, as well as new features such as more content in the tiled taskbar and improved swiping gestures (up and down for switching tasks, sideways to end current task). In addition, a new Driving Mode uses the Xiao Ai voice assistant to control the smartphone in a car, so users can safely use features such as navigation and reply to messages. MIUI 10 also makes possible bokeh effects in photos without the need for a dual camera.
The public beta of MIUI 10 starts from late June for selected models including Mi 8, Mi MIX 2S and Redmi Note 5. The public beta for remaining models will start in late July.
New VR headset for China
Xiaomi also announced that its standalone VR headset developed with Oculus is now available. The companies announced in January plans to work together, and the Xiaomi device, exclusive to the Chinese market, shares similar features to the Oculus Go launched earlier this month by Facebook.
Other new products presented by Xiaomi include an update of its smart band. With a large OLED touchscreen display in addition to a physical button for control, the Mi Band 3 is a fitness tracker that promises a 20-day battery life and 50-meter water resistance. In addition, the company presented its largest LED TV to date, the 75-inch Mi TV 4, which comes with support for 4K HDR video and the Xiao Ai voice assistant.
