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Unboxing the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro and Mi 8 Lite

Both phones are bundled with cheap cases and USB-C to headphone jack dongles

Xiaomi
This article originally appeared on ABACUS

We’ve got the newest phones from Xiaomi, the Mi 8 Pro and the Mi 8 Lite.

The Mi 8 Pro is one of Xiaomi’s flagship smartphones this year, while the Mi 8 Lite is a mid-range phone that comes with a really shiny back and a dual-color gradient finish.

We had our hands-on with both phones earlier this month at a launch event in Hong Kong. This time we spent more time with them, trying out the in-screen fingerprint sensor on the Mi 8 Pro. We also like something about the cheaper Mi 8 Lite: The gradient design on the back. However, the shiny glass surface on the Mi 8 Lite seems to be a fingerprint magnet with all greasy smudges all over it.
Mi 8 Lite on the left, Mi 8 Pro on the right

One cool thing about the Mi 8 Pro is its transparent back. But don’t expect to see real internal parts here. What you see is just a fake board with plastic parts. And although both phones sport a glass back, they don’t support wireless charging.

Both phones have a notched screen. The Mi 8 Pro has a wider notch than the Mi 8 Lite, packing more sensors to support IR face unlock -- not the more secure facial recognition found on the iPhone X or the Oppo Find X. The fingerprint scanner is inside the screen on the Mi 8 Pro, but setting up is not easy. We took more time than other phones to register our fingerprint, and sometimes we needed to press harder to unlock the phone.

Inside the box for both phones, you get a free case -- but it’s really soft and doesn’t really protect the phone. There’s also a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter, a USB-A to USB-C cable, a 5W power adapter and a SIM ejector tool. The Mi 8 Pro box looks classy with its black and gold finish, while the Mi 8 Lite box has a really nice gradient paint job.

We’re working on a review for both phones, stay tuned!

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