Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite review

Build Quality

6.26-inch FHD Display

The superb display on the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is the first thing that catches the eye. The high screen-to-body ratio immerses you into the FHD display.  With a resolution of 1080 x 2280 and an aspect ratio of 19:9, this phone is great for all entertainment from gaming to watching video clips.

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Mirror-like finish

Xiaomi wanted to create the elegance of an impressionist painting within the smartphone casing on the Mi 8 Lite. Rather than sticking to one colour block for the back cover, they went for a stylish gradient of colour. Finished with a highly polished mirror-like look, the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite will certainly turn heads.

The Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is on offer in Aurora Blue and Midnight Black. The phone is relatively lightweight at 169g. Measuring just 7.5mm thick the phone is slim and this gives it a premium feel.

Phone Set Up

Large memory 

Coming in with either a 64GB or 128GB memory option, the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite has plenty of space.  You not only get lots of onboard memory you also get a microSD card slot for cards of up to 256GB. This means you can easily transfer all of your music, videos and photos.

There is a fingerprint sensor which is easily set up and allows you to keep your information safe and secure.

Features

Display Notch 

A notch on the smartphone display is the way most manufacturers are going now. The Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite has a smaller notch at the top when compared to other models. This gives you more screen.

Android OS

The Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is an Android 8.1 device, this means you get lots of familiar apps on board including:

YouTube
Chrome
Google Assistant
Maps

Google Assistant has seen a number of enhancements over the years. With this latest version, you can use the camera and AI technology for Google Lens. You simply take a photo of a product and the phone will give you information and even find where you can buy it online. You can also snap a picture of a landmark and you will be presented with information and the history of it.

You can visit the Google Play Store for a whole host of new apps to download. 

Optimised Gaming

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 AIE processor is on board. This gives the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite an impressive performance and is especially good for gaming

The fully upgraded GPU and CPU provide an optimised gaming experience by maintaining high frame rate visuals from start to finish.

A 14nm FinFET processor delivers high performance and consumes less power making this phone extremely efficient at managing battery power.
 
Adreno™ 512 high-performance GPU generates life-like visuals Up to 2.2Ghz for amazing gaming in VR and AR.

Camera & Video

AI Dual Camera

The rear camera is made up of a 12-megapixel and 5-megapixel lens. AI technology takes your mobile photography to another level. With an SLR-like dual pixel autofocus, you can capture photos quickly to make sure you don’t miss the shot.

The large pixels take in more light so you can capture superb night shots with the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite.

The camera uses AI technology to recognise up to 27 different categories of objects. This allows you to simply shoot and point while the phone takes care of the rest.

Camera features include:

Professional Portrait Mode
AI Studio Lighting
AI Dynamic Bokeh

The front camera is a superb 24-megapixel lens with real-time pixel optimisation. New AI makeup features can recognise parts of the face, such as the eyebrows and lips. It then enhances those features to give you the perfect selfie. It can even recognise and enhance the features in real time when capturing video.

Battery Life

AI power management

The Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite has a 3,350mAh battery with power management. Although this battery may not be as high capacity as other models, the AI features manage the available power more efficiently. When it comes time to plug in and recharge, the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite has the Type-C 1.0 reversible connector for easy connection.

Next: Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro Review

Written by: Carmel Brown