- Xiaomi Mi8 price is expected to start at CNY 2,799 (approx. $435/€376/ Rs 29,406)
- Xiaomi Mi 8 SE will come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor
Technology major Xiaomi is all geared up to host the company's eighth-anniversary event in China on Thursday, May 31.
Xiaomi is expected to unveil a bevvy of new products, including Mi series flagship phones and fitness bands. The programme will be presided over by CEO Lei Jun and other senior executive and the keynote speech is slated to kick off at 2 pm CST (11:30 am IST) in Shenzhen.
What to expect at Xiaomi's annual launch event?
The company has confirmed to launch two products—Mi 8 and the Mi Band 3—on Thursday.
First up, Xiaomi Mi 8 is expected to come with a lot of upgrades both in terms of design and internal hardware over its predecessor. It can be noted that the company has skipped the Mi 7 series, and has directly moved from Mi 6 to Mi 8.
Going by recent reports, Xiaomi Mi 8 will be a worthy successor to the Mi 6 and will give a serious challenge to the recently launched OnePlus 6, Samsung Galaxy S9, Google Pixel 2 and HTC U12+, among others.
Leaked images have indicated that Mi 8 will sport a blend of metal-and-glass cover on the back and a 6.01-inch FullView display with a notch on the top with Apple iPhone X-like 3D face scanner to enable FaceID and Animoji features. Additionally, Xiaomi Mi 8 is also expected to come with an in-display fingerprint sensor.
It is also said to boast water-and-dust certifications and is likely to come with an IP68 rating. This would mean that the device will be able to survive submerged underwater for up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) for close to 30 minutes.
Inside, it is said to come with Snapdragon 845 octa-core, Qualcomm's latest and most powerful CPU series to date. It will be backed by 6GB/8GB RAM, 64GB/128GB/256GB storage, Android Oreo-based MIUI 10 and a 3,300mAh battery.
In terms of photography, Mi 8 will come packed with dual-camera setup—20MP+16MP—with LED flash, 4K video recording, Bokeh blur effect and a feature-rich 16MP front snapper with facial recognition sensors.
Both cameras will be powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI)-power technology, which will intuitively detect different possible scenarios such as pets, flowers, human face, landscape, snowy conditions, night, food and more. For instance, if you are pointing the camera to a dog, it will intuitively know you are taking a picture of a pet animal and it adjusts the camera's focus and other settings to get the best possible image. Or if you are taking the photo on a hillside, it will automatically set the camera mode to landscape and cover a wider area in the single frame.
And for the front shooter, AI technology will help in adjusting skin tone and also create a cartoon image of the face or the person and create Augmented Reality emoji, which can be shared on messenger apps and social media channels.
Word on the street is that Xiaomi Mi 8 price will start at CNY 2,799 (approx. $435/€376/ Rs 29,406).
Rumours are rife that the company might unveil a low-end model Mi 8 SE with watered down specifications. Like the standard model, Mi 8 SE is also expected come with a notch at top and house an AI-powered 20MP front-camera with selfies flash support.
Under-the-hood, it is said to feature Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor, 6GB RAM, 64GB/128GB storage, AI-powered dual camera and a full day's battery.
As far as the Mi Band 3 is concerned, the new fitness tracker will get some facelift with bigger screen real estate and rounded edges. It is also expected to come with IP68 certifications and a bevvy of sensors including altimeter, biometric heart rate monitor, NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth 4.2 and more. It is expected to cost around $30.
In addition to the hardware, Xiaomi is confirmed to announce the new Android Oreo-based MIUI 10 software. It is expected to be made available to several Mi and Redmi series phones, which includes Mi 6, Mi 5S, Mi 5s Plus, Mi 4, Mi 3, Mi 4s, Mi 4c, Mi Mix, Mi Mix 2, Mi Note 2, Mi 5X, Mi Max, Mi Max 2, Mi Mix 2s, Redmi Y1/Lite, Redmi Note 3/Pro, Redmi Note 4/4X, Redmi 5A, Redmi Note 5 and more.
Here's where to get live updates on Xiaomi annual product launch 2018 event:
Xiaomi has confirmed to post live updates of the event on social media channels. Interested readers can head the official company channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live feed during the event.
So far, the company has not announced whether it will be webcasting the launch programme, but when it does share the link, we upload as and when it happens.
