Xiaomi unveils flagship smartphone with a see-through glass back panel
The new Mi 8 Explorer Edition also sports a notch and 3D facial recognition technology, like the iPhone X
Xiaomi launched a new flagship model that flaunts a transparent glass back panel, showing the guts of the device.
Beyond that, the Mi 8 Explorer Edition seems to have taken some well-known design cues from Apple’s iPhone X.
Its 6.21-inch AMOLED screen also has a notch on top, which houses the selfie camera, speaker, and an infrared camera for facial recognition. Xiaomi says the handset's 3D face unlock system, which is similar to the iPhone X's Face ID, makes it the world’s first Android smartphone to use such a technology.
The company also introduced a regular edition of the Mi 8, which has the fingerprint sensor on the back. The Explorer Edition has an in-display fingerprint reader.
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The Mi 8 series is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 chip set and features dual-frequency GPS, which Xiaomi claims is a first for any smartphone. That GPS set-up will provide more accurate user location data, according to the company.
The regular Mi 8 handset starts at 2,699 yuan (US$421), while the Explorer Edition costs 3,699 yuan (US$577). A petite version, the Mi 8 SE, comes with a Snapdragon 710 processor and a 5.88-inch OLED screen. It's priced from 1,799 yuan (US$280).
Other products introduced by Xiaomi included the Mi Band 3 fitness tracker, the 74-inch Mi TV 4, and a stand-alone virtual reality headset co-developed with Oculus.
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For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.
