Xiaomi recently has been launching smartphones back to back! From their official debut with the Mi A2 to their recent launch of the Redmi Note 6 Pro, Xiaomi has kept us on the edge. And adding to that schedule is the all-new Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite. As the name suggests, the phone is the lite version of their flagship smartphone, the Mi 8. Priced at Rs 31,999, the phone has a lot to offer. But with the Mi A2 and the Redmi Note 6 Pro already available, is the Mi 8 Lite, at almost the same price tag, really necessary? But more importantly, is the phone the best of the three? Well, let’s us find out!
Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite Review in Nepal
The Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite arrived at our office four days ago, and I have been using it ever since. Just like any good smartphone, in recent times, the phone comes in some good packaging. Besides the usual, the Mi 8 Lite packs a very thoughtful transparent soft TPU cover. A great inclusion to protect your device from those nasty dings and scratches!
Going back to the phone, on initial impressions, the phone looks gorgeous. Xiaomi has finally parted ways with the metal-backs in favor of the glass backs. They also have incorporated, the highly trendy, dual-tone color finish. On the subject of color, the phone looks absolutely ravishing in the Aurora Blue color option that I received. I can’t help but fall in love with the design of the phone. It’s just that good! Besides the color variant that we received, the phone is also available in a stealthy mid-night black color. Apart from these two, I particularly have my eye out for the Twilight Gold shade. Although I know it is a China-only variant, I hope Mi Nepal pulls some strings to get it here.
Before we talk about the other components of the phone, I have to mention the in-hand feeling of the device. Usually, I talk about the in-hand feeling of the phone in the full review but I made an exception for this one. And gosh-oh-golly you will know just why once you get to hold the device. Measuring in at just 169 grams, the Mi 8 Lite feels light-weight, no pun intended. The phone also perfectly fits into your hands further boosting the ergonomics. You will need to hold the device once to get a feel for it!
Also Read: Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro: Initial Impression & Review
Besides the color option and the in-hand feeling, I am highly impressed with the display on Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite. The 6.26-inches Full HD (1080 x 2280 pixels) IPS display, with a 19:9 aspect ratio, is amazing. The infamous notch makes an appearance with a narrow, and a cleaner, avatar. Not only the physical aspect but the display itself is very good! Though being an IPS display, it is pretty vibrant with a variable scale of brightness level. Watching some movies and firing up a quick game has been a pleasant experience on this phone.
Under the hood, the Mi 8 Lite packs an octa-core Qualcomm SDM636 Snapdragon 660 processor along with the Adreno 512 GPU. The SoC is backed by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. These combinations make up a great performing phone! The Mi 8 Lite was easily able to handle everything I threw at it. Everything from scrolling through our website to playing graphics intense games was a smooth experience on the phone. Speaking of which, gameplay on this device was a hypnagogic experience due to the presence of the 19:9 display.
Also Read – Huawei Mate 20 Pro: Long Term Review
Moving on, at the software end, the Mi 8 Lite runs MIUI 10 based on Android 8.1.0 Oreo. MIUI has always been my favorite custom UI! And the MIUI version on the phone just proves why that is. Everything works seamlessly with no signs of lags or stutters. Even visually, the UI looks more modern than any of the custom skins available on other phones.
Recently I have been trying to adapt to the gestures of Android. And the implementation of this “new” way of the navigation on the Mi 8 Lite has made things a bit easier for me. The animations are smooth and the back mechanism is not that bad either. That said, it still needs a bit of work. For now, though, I will stick to the good old on-screen buttons!
In the camera department, the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite packs a rear dual-camera set up made by an f/1.9 12MP and an f/2.0 5MP sensor. The phone also flaunts an f/2.2 24MP front camera for all your social media ready selfies. Images taken from the cameras were very good with plenty of details, sharpness, and colors.
Do check out – Xiaomi Mi Play: Everything you need to know
That said, due to my limited time with the phone, I can’t comment further on the cameras. I will cover them more vigorously in our full in-depth review which by the way is coming out real soon. Stay tuned!
And finally, powering the device all up is a 3350mAh non-user removable battery. The battery life of the phone was amazing in my four days of use. I got somewhere around 4-5 hours of on-screen time with the phone. This without a doubt will be enough to get users through a day of usage on a single charge. Xiaomi has finally listened to their consumers and packed in a USB Type-C port on the Mi 8 Lite. The phone also comes with Quick Charge 3.0 support, which is amazing. You, however, will need to buy a compatible power-brick to use this feature. The one that comes in the box doesn’t support the Quick Charge standard!
Early Verdict: Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite Review in Nepal
The Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is a great mid-tier smartphone with a lot of neat features. It catches up to the trend by offering a dual-tone color finish, glass back, and a narrow notch. Besides these, the phone also packs an amazing display, praise-worthy cameras, feature-packed software, and an ergonomic fit and finish. These combinations definitely are a great recipe for a good mid-tier smartphone. Overall, I adore what the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite has to offer and can’t get enough of it.
That said, is the phone the best mid-tier smartphone available in the market right now? Is it the best smartphone among the Mi A2 and the Redmi Note 6 Pro? And most importantly, is the price of Rs 31,999 justifiable for the phone? Well, it is still too soon to answer these questions. I will put the phone through its paces in the days to come and finally answer these questions for you guys in our full review. So stay tuned for that! One thing, though, I can say without hesitation is that the Mi 8 Lite is one of the better phones under Rs 35,000 here in Nepal.
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