Xiaomi is set to launch the Mi 8 flagship smartphone tomorrow, May 31, at an event in China. The Mi 8 will be accompanied by a new Mi Band 3 that will also be unveiled at the event. So far, there has been a multitude of leaks and rumours that have cleared the air on the specifications, features, and look of the Mi 8. Now, a new leak has emerged online that shows the screen protector film on the Mi 8 – also reiterating the same notched display of the smartphone with a bezel-less design. Also, an official poster spotted on Reddit hints at the launch of the Mi 8 in eight other countries outside China that includes India.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 is also reported to come with a special edition model. Speculated as Mi 8 SE, the smartphone will come with the newly announced Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC. While the launch of Mi 8 SE is expected tomorrow, a new camera sample has been spotted on Weibo that has seemingly been taken from the Mi 8 SE, but more on this later.
Starting off with the Mi 8, the smartphone will be the company’s second flagship device this year. The Mi 8 launch has been long-coming – going as far as the beginning of this year when rumours were rife about the launch of Mi 8 at the MWC 2018. The Mi 8 has already leaked multiple times showing the design, as well as revealing the specifications and features. Separately, Xiaomi has confirmed tidbits of key features that will arrive with the MIUI 10 and on Mi 8. One of them includes an Animoji-like feature that will harness Augmented Reality to provide facial masks of animals and other animate things to exactly imitate the facial expressions.
A new official poster has been spotted on Reddit that claims he Mi 8 will launch in at least eight countries soon after the grand unveiling in China tomorrow. The countries mentioned in the poster include India, Russia, Egypt, France, Italy, Spain, Thailand, and Vietnam. While the company has not said anything officially about the countries, there is at least a pointer to the number of markets the Mi 8 will be launched in.
Xiaomi has separately put some material to increase its efforts in building the hype around the Mi 8. The company has posted a new video that celebrates the 8th anniversary of the company through different things and objects coming into action with just a tap. The number 8 appears too many times in the video – suggesting that the company is leaving no stone unturned to cash in on its eighth anniversary. The video is vibrantly colourful – which could suggest the colour models of the Mi 8, if not the themes on the device. The video has a short clip of an umbrella opening to scatter big water drops all over the frame – hinting at the water resistance capabilities of the Mi 8.
Coming to yet another leak that reiterates the look of the Mi 8, a new screen protector film can be seen along with the Mi 8. Spotted by SlashLeaks, the Mi 8 screen protector will have a carving on the top to perfectly fit on the notched display of the Mi 8. There is a chin at the bottom, a vertically-aligned dual camera setup on the rear, and a fingerprint scanner at the back contradicting earlier reports that suggested an in-display fingerprint sensor on the smartphone. The Mi 8 can be seen in Black and White colour options, with a claim written on the image that the smartphone’s display features tough-glass with oleophobic coating.
Taking about the specifications of the Mi 8, previous reports have said that Xiaomi’s upcoming flagship will feature a 6.2-inch full-HD+ display with 19:9 aspect ratio. It will be powered by the Snapdragon 845 processor paired with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. A dual camera setup combining a 20-megapixel sensor and a 16-megapixel sensor is expected on the phone with AI capabilities. A 16-megapixel camera is speculated on the front of the smartphone. The internals of the Mi 8 is expected to be powered by a 3300mAh battery under the hood. There will be support for wireless charging on the phone via a rear glass panel. The reports suggest that Mi 8 will cost around 2,999 yuan, which is roughly Rs 32,000.
Next is the Mi 8 SE, which though scantily leaked, has given out enough on the specifications and features but not the look. A new image leaked in Weibo shows a watermark – Shot on Mi 8 SE – claiming the image to have been taken from the Mi 8 SE. it also says that the image has been shot using dual cameras – confirming that the Mi 8 SE will sport two cameras, much like the Mi 8. The photograph has a good level of details in low-light conditions. That aside, the Mi 8 SE specifications have also been leaked on Weibo.
The Mi 8 SE will be the first smartphone to be powered by the recently announced Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC clocked at 1.7GHz. In addition to the dual cameras on the back, there will be a 20-megapixel front camera accompanied by a selfie flash on the Mi 8 SE. There will be a notched display and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor on the phone.