Smartphone Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite - advantages and disadvantages

The Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite smartphone has appeared on the market. It might seem strange that the Shiomi company did not release the 7th model, but it so happened that for the sake of the 8th anniversary of the company's formation, the management switched from the 6th model immediately to the 8th. It also happens that we don’t understand this.

To be absolutely precise, the presentation of the device took place in the summer, but the version with the global firmware officially appeared on the market on September 25th. It can be said that for its birthday, the company, included in the ratings of the best manufacturers, made a budget gift to its fans.

Equipment

The packaging box itself can say a lot about the solidity of the gadget. But inside it's not so simple.

• The Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite smartphone is the first;
• Next is the USB Type-C cable, and it is about a meter long;
• Since there is no headphone output, there is a 3.5 mm adapter, which is already important;
• Standard power supply for fast charging;
• Clip for removing SIM cards;
• Present - a soft silicone case for the safety of the device;
• And the last - a set of documents, including a warranty card.

Design and display

Display

Super thin smartphone Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite was released in four colors. Standard black, gold, white and red. The display is still spoiled by a strip under the upper edge, but due to the extended screen sizes, this is no longer such a significant detail. But it is in it that all microphones, speakers, sensors and a camera are concentrated.

The body of the device seems to be monolithic, although this is just a good design and constructive solution. The gadget is made of high quality functional materials. The screen is covered with excellent Gorilla Glass 5 glass and the back is metal.

A diagonal of 6.21 inches can delight any lover of spending time watching videos or indulging in active games. Although the device is not too disposed to control with one hand. Still, the dimensions of 156.4 mm in height and 75.8 mm in width do not fit into the palm of your hand, unless the thickness of 7.5 mm and the weight of 169 grams soften the first impression somewhat.

The back wall contains a fingerprint scanner, a camera system and an LED flash.

On the bottom side there is a speaker and a connector for connecting to external power and playback media.

Display

Gorilla Glass 5 glass is not just an excellent protection for the device from drops and other risks, but also a design solution that excites the imagination. Although glass has not yet been created that would fully guarantee the consumer protection from fingerprints, scratches and abrasions. It's all about terms and conditions.

The display, for the possibility of a clear image in any light and at any angle, is equipped with an AMOLED matrix, which allows the user to get closer to reality and, in addition, save battery power. Nice and useful surprise from the manufacturer.

Full HD resolution of 2248 × 1080 pixels per screen is a very reasonable decision by manufacturers. In this case, the price of the device and its quality are balanced to the limit. Although not only in this case. The computer mind of the processor is responsible for setting up the display, as well as for setting up video cameras. The image is well read not only under artificial lighting, but also at night with insufficient light levels, and in the sun. Moreover, the illumination level changes automatically, like many other settings.

Main characteristics

Memory

Manufacturers have taken care of three versions of the memory kit, respectively 4 + 64 GB, 6 + 64 GB and 6 + 128 GB each. If you add to this the possibility of adding a flash drive, you get truly immense expanses of memory, which you still need to try to fill.

CPU

The 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor is clocked at 2.2GHz to provide AI connectivity and smooth operation of the gadget. The standard Adreno 512 processor is responsible for the graphics part.

Performance

Judging by the reviews of the lucky ones and the reviews of professionals, this smartphone surpasses its predecessors in performance, which is not surprising. With that ratio of price and quality, the potential invested in it allows us to hope for the excellent work of all systems. So far, we can only say that the scanners work quite quickly without failures and freezes. Games can please anyone, even the most spoiled gamer. The quality of the video corresponds to the declared characteristics. Moreover, no outside intervention is required to configure the operation of the cameras. In this case, the filling is everything. The nimble and bright device fascinated its fans even before its release.

Battery

The autonomy of Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is dictated by a 3400 mAh battery. Of course, this is not the highest figure.The Quick Charge 3.0 bundled fast charger is a little dated, but the Quick Charge 4+ power supply will have to be purchased separately. This already belongs to the category of talk about the price of the product.

Camera

The dual camera system and the dual eye of the flash system came into fashion through no fault of Xiaomi, but this gadget is equipped according to its latest "squeak".

The rear cameras are equipped with 12 and 5 pixel modules plus optical stabilization and autofocus systems. The artificial intelligence built into the “brain” of the Xiaomi Mi 8 cameras manages electronic functions without user intervention. The quality of the images benefits from this, bringing them to a new level of perception.

Color rendition and sharpness are not lost even in low light, when moving and jerking. Auto-lock works instantly, saving any shot.

As for the selfie camera, the 24 pixel module takes front camera shooting to the level of art. Videos shot by the front camera are not inferior in quality to videos created using the main cameras. Full HD quality and excellent color reproduction with instant focus are inherent in the cameras of this device to the fullest.

Sample photo

Operating system

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite comes with Android 8.1. based on MIUI 10. Although the first phones came out with firmware version 9. This is understandable, approbation before the global firmware is a sacred thing.

6 GB of RAM contains all the information necessary for work. And with the added 64, 128 and 256 GB in various modifications, memory cards become a thing of the past, like a rudiment.

Safety

In Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite, the set of wireless tools is decent, as befits a top-end device.There is Bluetooth 5.0, Wireless Internet, presented in the Wi-Fi dual-band interface, GPS, GLONASS, and NFC for using Google Pay.

Useful Features

Image clarity at 2248 × 1080 pixels could be considered a serious minus, if not for one circumstance. A very average picture quality saves battery power, which of course can be attributed to the positive qualities of a smartphone.

With the display, of course, not everything is as beautiful as it is dreamed of. But for such money, this is the best solution that can satisfy the needs of fans to use their free time for games, listening to music. To watch videos and keep track of what's new on the Internet or to read fiction totally. At the same time, without putting the battery charge so much that the device will not reach the nearest outlet.

If Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite does not sound like an orchestra, then it definitely sounds like a great jazz band. The external speaker does not emit noise, does not clog the sound with extraneous noise. In headphones, its sound is completely academic. In addition, the menu has settings that improve the sound.

Bluetooth 5, Wi-FI 802.11ac, NFC LTE, Xiaomi Mi 8 manufacturers did not seem enough, and they introduced another novelty - the GPS signal now receives a signal at the L5 frequency. What can I say, navigation is becoming available to an increasing segment of users. And the quality of communication is steadily growing.

Now about pictures and videos. The front camera is able to improve not only the complexion or enlarge the lips, but also save instantly any picture, while capturing it in a stable state. Rear cameras can serve as guides to another world and make the owner an Instagram star in a short time.Since the gadget is designed specifically for the younger generation, who loves to hang out in networks and take pictures of everything.

And the quality of pictures on Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is such that you can upload it to Instagram without additional processing. However, in general, the process of camera operation is automated to the limit of Artificial Intelligence and does not require manual settings.

dual sim system

Two nano-standard SIM cards work as they should alternately. Communication is decent. Annoying interference and extraneous noise during the conversation is not observed. It is expected that the global firmware will allow you to use the services of all available operators. There is also a rare innovation - support for an additional frequency for receiving a GPS signal - L5, and this is a different level of communication.

Price

Now about where and how you can buy this device, as well as the pressing issue of price. How much is something that, according to technical specifications, should cost at least 30 thousand?

The 4GB RAM/64GB variant is priced at $204. Accordingly, the 6 GB RAM/64 GB configuration will cost $277, and the 6 GB RAM/128 GB configuration will cost $291.

On average, the manufacturer claims $257 per device, which is about 17,000 in rubles.

From September 25, this device with global firmware went on sale in the largest online markets in the world. In connection with the policy of close cooperation between our countries, it is probably worth waiting for its official presentation on the Russian mobile phone market.

Advantages and disadvantages

• The selfie camera is almost a dream come true;
• With good lighting, the rear camera system is not inferior to the most expensive counterparts;
• The fingerprint scanner works great, not a single freeze;
• Stabilization allows you to shoot great video;
• Shiomi has never released such a high-quality sound;
• The Qualcomm SDM660 Snapdragon 660 processor can be considered the best solution for developers;
• The display with an Always-On matrix can be considered a clear success of the manufacturer;

• In poor lighting, it’s better not to take a picture, extraneous noise clogs the image;
• FM radio has sunk into oblivion;
• The infrared sensor is also missing;
• The quality of video taken at night suffers;
• You can connect headphones only through an adapter;
• And the headphones themselves are not included;
• The slot for memory cards, like the flash drives themselves, was considered an unnecessary detail, which upsets;
• Moisture protection is also ignored;
• Wireless charging would be nice for this gadget;
• Independent settings for photography are also not defined. It remains to rely only on AI;
• Slightly lame performance, which is also a little disappointing.

conclusions

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite began its flagship career among popular gadget models with good functionality and high-quality performance. The lack of waterproofing, wireless charging, a flash drive slot, and a headphone jack may hurt its reputation, but it doesn't make this phone any less reliable or less desirable.

When choosing a new gadget, it is worth considering the advantages of the device of this company, along with natural shortcomings.

Unlocking the device works just as well as the new camera systems.

You don't need anything to create a photo. Except one click of a button. Everything that is needed, with insane speed and amazing quality for a person, will be done by artificial intelligence. Isn't it a seductive selection criterion?

The Always-On display of the format allows you to always see the date and time, which is quite convenient.