Just the other day, or to be more precise, tomorrow, on February 20, the next, ninth generation of flagships Xiaomi will be presented at the MWC press conference.
To date, a lot is known about devices, but not everything.
Scrappy information comes both from independent insiders and from the company itself, which is stirring up interest in the product by publications on the Weibo social network, in Twitter, where the vendor shares certain features of the upcoming models, and they, like the previous one generations, several are expected.
Yesterday we released material from Evgeny Vildyaev, where he writes about what the base model of Mi9 will be.
What do we know about Xiaomi Mi 9?
I propose to speculate about what to expect from the Mi9 Explorer Edition, and what to expect from it.
Versions
As for the variations, at the moment it is known for sure that the line will include the usual Mi9, as well as its upgraded version of the Mi9 Explorer Edition (EE), which we are talking about today.
In addition to the differences in appearance and the amount of RAM and built-in memory, as was the case in the “eights”, in the ninth generation the versions will differ in cameras and stuffing (permanent and random access memory).
You can also expect the presence of a different number of biometric sensors, of which there should be more in the EE version.
But at the moment, nothing is known about the light version of the Mi9 SE. It is also unknown if it will be presented at a later date. However, the experience of the release of previous generations and the policy of the company, which is trying to occupy all market segments, suggests that such a lightweight model will certainly appear, but only a little later, so as not to take away sales from older configurations at the start.
Appearance
The Mi9 Xiaomi appears to have followed the course set by Huawei with a glass back with iridescent, gradient colors. Following this 'bright' trend is not a problem in itself, only this design is no longer perceived as secondary.
Mi 9
The EE version will differ from the basic version by a translucent back cover, through which an imitation of the smartphone filling will be visible. Yes, the solution itself is original, but not new even for Mi8 EE – earlier this 'trick' was applied in HTC for its U11 +.
Judging by the renders, the entire cover will be transparent in Mi9 EE, as it was in Mi8 EE.
We are also promised thin bezels everywhere, including the underside of the display, whose 'beard' has been reduced by 40% in width and is now an impressive 3.6mm.
Considering the decrease in the width of the lower frame and the unchanged physical dimensions of the case 155x75x7.6 mm, one should not expect a display with a larger diagonal. The physical dimensions of the display will be the same 6.4 inches, but the resolution should grow to a truly flagship QHD, in any case, it would be logical for a device that bears the title of 'charged'. If this is not the case, then I will be unpleasantly surprised.
As in the base Mi9, the EE version will feature Samsung's SuperAmoled display with a 19: 9 aspect ratio.
Another question that still remains unanswered is the size and shape of the cutout for the sensors, since the very fact of the cutout is not discussed: it is doubtful that in this aspect, the ninth generation of EE will have revolutionary changes in the form of a camera hidden under the matrix or something similar.
In favor of having a notch larger than the base Mi9, rumors about the presence of an advanced face scanning system, which was in the Mi8 EE and, most likely, will appear in the Mi9 EE, also speaks.
A fingerprint scanner under the display will also be in the regular Mi9, so its availability for the EE version is not even a question, but a reality, there should be no surprises here, unless we will be told about a new generation scanner with new 'whistles'.
Let's hope that Xiaomi equips its flagships with a sensitive and fast scanner and Mi9 / Mi9 EE does not repeat the fate of the younger version of Samsung S10, which, according to rumors, when using a protective film or glass, requires a hole in this very film or glass.
Hardware platform
Considering that the base model Mi9 is equipped with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of permanent memory in the initial configuration, you expect more impressive values from the EE version, and, apparently, these expectations will be met – 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of permanent memory are expected.
Knowing about the absence of a slot for a memory card even in the basic version and such a volume of permanent memory, it would be naive to expect a slot in the EE version, and it should not be.
It is understandable, why spend money on installing a slot for a memory card and risk system slowdown when using slow cards, if the minimum storage capacity will start from 256 GB? In this regard, everything is logical – the bulk of users have long learned to get by with 32 GB of memory, and many consider 64 GB to be optimal.
At the same time, both Mi9 and Mi9 EE will work on the basis of the fastest chipset from Qualcomm at the moment – Snapdragon 855.
The results of synthetic tests in AnTuTu have already appeared on the network, according to which the Mi9 EE, which has collected almost 390 thousand parrots, is the most powerful smartphone in the world, several thousand ahead of the previous record holder – Lenovo Z5 Pro GT.
What else I would like to see in Mi9 EE is network support 5G.
Snapdragon 855 itself does not support networks 5G, since it uses the Snapdragon X24 modem by default, the maximum for which is LTE support.
Support 5G requires Snapdragon X50 modem, which can be installed separately. Whether Xiaomi will take such a step in our ultra-flagship, we will find out very soon.
Cameras
The main camera of Mi9 will have three modules, and these are no longer rumors, but information confirmed by the company itself.
As for the Mi9 EE, a surprise awaits us here in the form of the fourth main camera module, but most likely only in the maximum configuration with 12 GB of RAM. This will be the so-called 3D ToF camera, which has already appeared in smartphones from other manufacturers, and was created to measure the depth of the image (the exact distance to the object).
On the left you can see an image of a module with four cameras
The initial version of Mi9 EE (as strange as it may sound) will receive exactly the same triple module as the simple Mi9.
All of this should help the Mi9 EE (12GB) capture outstanding quality images, including accurate background blur and the ability to change focus after shooting. All this, including the advanced night shooting mode, confirms the course previously announced by the head of the corporation to increase the quality of device cameras Xiaomi.
Battery
Considering the size of the case, inherited by the new product from the previous generation, you should not expect a large increase in battery capacity. Most likely, it will be the 3500 mAh battery that is usual for the market. It is unlikely that we will see a larger battery in the EE version.
The most important thing is that due to the design delights in the form of a translucent cover, under which an installation with imitation of the insides will be placed, and because of which the designers had to rack their brains, the battery volume is not even less than in the basic version, as was the case in the previous generation. .
For those dissatisfied with such a battery capacity, a small compensation has been prepared in the form of support for fast charging of 20 watts. Yes, this is not an extra 500 mAh, but still.
Wireless charger
On the teaser of the Mi9 EE version, you can see the wireless charging coil, which is good news. Finally, in the flagships Xiaomi, functions that are considered mandatory for the flagships of other vendors began to appear.
There will be wireless charging in the regular version, and this is logical, because today wireless charging is found in devices of the middle price segment, which means that this is not the function that can distinguish the ultra-flagship from the others.
Protection standard
There are rumors that both the regular and the 'EE' versions will receive water protection, which will allow the smartphone to be used in both adverse and favorable environments (for example, in the rain and at sea). However, there is no exact data on the class of this protection. Let's hope it won't be splash-proof, but something more serious, for example, IP67 / 68.
NFC
As you might expect, the smartphone is not deprived of this important function for many, and this is great. On the other hand, the lack of NFC in a device of this level would be strange.
Infrared port
Recently, there has been a sad tendency of refusal Xiaomi from IrDA in their devices, which used to be almost the hallmark of this manufacturer.
There is no exact information about the presence or absence of an IrDA in Mi9 / Mi9 EE, so we will wait for official information and hope that the IR port will return to all devices Xiaomi (it is very convenient to control all equipment from one remote control) .
Price
There are no specifics on prices. If we take last year's prices as a starting point, then we can assume a price tag of 649 euros for the EE version, which is logical. However, given the growing appetites of manufacturers and the presence in the device previously uncharacteristic of devices Xiaomi functions (water resistance, wireless charging), we can expect that the price will be even higher than the price of Mi8 EE at the start of sales and amount to $ 849.
Let's hope that Xiaomi will not support the 'space price tag' trend and will put an adequate price on its flagship.
Conclusion
In this generation of its flagships, the company Xiaomi will try to prove to everyone that it has rightfully earned the title of A-brand and is ready to compete not only in the middle and low price segments, but also in the premium segment, and, moreover, is tuned to expansion.
And given the statements of the company's management about the desire to focus on the quality of mobile photography, they may even be able to squeeze the leaders of the DxOMark rating.
Whether they succeed in realizing their plans or not will largely depend on how the new flagships meet expectations.
Share in the comments which version are you waiting for more, Mi9, Mi9 EE, Mi9 SE, and why?