What's the Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite for? Perhaps the most important consideration when choosing a mid-range smartphone is value for money. Well, Xiaomi is leading the way here, they've had a lot of great devices that have been worth the money. Examples include the Pocophone F1, the Redmi Note phones, and the Mi A1. For many people, there is no need for more, because nowadays you can get good performance, two days of battery life, a triple camera, a nice display, and much more for a reasonable price. These devices are perfect for everyday use. They're fast, they last a long time, they're well equipped, and they're beautiful.
Rumours suggest that a European version of the Xiaomi CC9 may arrive after all, which could be the Mi A3 Pro. If that happens, it's worth reconsidering your choice, as in that case it might be the perfect upper mid-range Android One device.
The above quote is from the Mi A3 test, which I will refer to a few more times, and not by accident. If you're curious to see what the Mi A3 has become, you can read it by clicking here.
At the time, it was rumoured that the Mi A3 Pro would be the European variant of the CC9, a collaboration between Xiaomi and Meitu, but in the end the manufacturer decided to bring us the CC9e as the Mi A3, and the big brother is still to come, but now we know that it will be until September this year, when the Mi 9 Lite will be released, but with MIUI instead of Android One.
Last week we took a look at what the Mi 9 Lite looks like from the outside. In case you missed it, let's take another look.
What's inside the Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite packaging
The Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite comes in a white box with a picture of the device in the front, although at first glance it's not clear what colour model is inside. If you want to find out without opening it, you can find information on the bottom of the box, this time instead of the back. The top of the box contains the user manual, the warranty card, a transparent silicone case, the SIM pin, and below that a USB Type-C data and charging cable, and finally a Qualcomm Quick Charge 3 fast charger! Yes, the 18 watt fast charger is included!
Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite display and more details
I received the "Aurora Blue" variant for testing, and it is also available in white and grey. The front panel features a 6.39″ Super AMOLED panel with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and HDR10 support, a 1080×2340 pixel resolution, and a 32 megapixel front camera in the drop-shaped notch, with the speaker above it and the light and proximity sensors. The power and volume buttons are on the right, while the SIM tray is on the left.
The bottom of the device has the microphone on the left, the speaker on the right and the USB Type-C connector in between. At the top, on the right, there's a 3.5 mm Jack connector, with the noise-cancelling microphone and the infra port next to it.
The excitement starts on the back, because in addition to the triple camera system, the Xiaomi logo has a surprise for us, LIGHT UP! It's actually a pretty interesting solution, but how much sense it makes is up to you to decide. I think it's good that there is a notification LED, which is coloured, but not in the best place, I have to say. A flashlight coupled with a silicone case produces a much more effective "effect" than a lighted logo. On the right side of the back cover there are pictograms and the inscription "Designed by Xiaomi".
Offal
Operation of the system a 64-bit, ARM-based, 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC and the graphics is handled by an Adreno 616 GPU. And to make room for a couple of Chrome tabs alongside Facebook, you'll need 6GB of RAM, with 64GB or 128GB of internal storage to suit your needs. You can expand the storage further with a MicroSD card, but you'll have to give up the option of a second SIM card. But there is a better solution, such as the free, unlimited Google Photos cloud service up to 12 megapixels.
Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite camera: photos and video
On the back, there are three cameras: the main camera is 48 megapixels with an aperture of f/1.8, the secondary wide-angle camera is 8 megapixels and last but not least, the third sensor, which is responsible for depth of field, is 2 megapixels. Video can be captured at 2160p at 30 frames per second, but 120 FPS is also available at 1080p, and even 960 at 720p, which can be used for slow-motion shooting.
Communication
If you live in the countryside, it's handy to have support for the 800 megahertz LTE band, also known as B20, but in the city it's no problem to connect to the faster 5GHz band in addition to the 2.4GHz WiFi networks. When you get lost in an unfamiliar place, you can use the A-GPS-enabled GPS, which also communicates with GLONASS, GALILEO and BeiDou satellites, and if you don't want to be bored, Bluetooth 5.0 lets you listen to music in the ether alongside the heart rate reported by your smart bracelet.
And speaking of music, FM radio is also part of this colourful repertoire, although you'll need to plug in headphones. If you don't have a remote control handy, or it's been spied out of the box, no problem, because the Mi 9 Lite also has infra remote control. Although left to the end, but very important: There is NFC! Mobile payments are becoming more and more common in our country too, so it's good news that anyone who chooses the Mi 9 Lite can take advantage of this option.
Security
In addition to the in-display fingerprint reader, there is also the option of 2D face recognition, but personally I would prefer the former if you are concerned about protecting your privacy.
Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite operating system
The software foundation of the device is Android 9 Pie, but Android 10 is likely to arrive in the near future. Instead of MIUI 10, we now get the latest version of Xiaomi's interface, version 11, as an update.
Applications
In terms of pre-installed apps, you'll find the usual: in addition to Google apps, you'll find the Xiaomi browser, Gallery, Music, Camera, Security, Calculator, Clock, FM Radio, Voice Recorder, Video Recorder, Scanner, Downloads, Compass, and the revamped ShareMe app. Also Weather, Calendar, File Manager, Mi Video, Cleaner, Notes, and Settings app are pre-installed from Xiaomi. Surprisingly, however, neither the Mi Remote nor the Phone and SMS app are included, or rather, we get the Google apps instead, and we have to download the Mi Remote from the Play Store. There are also third-party apps on the device, namely Netflix and Facebook.
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Mi 9 Lite v Mi A3
At first glance, it looks a lot like the Mi A3, in this case with a FullHD+ display, which really does give a much more pleasing picture, literally. Another difference is that there's been an improvement on the hardware front too. Instead of the 11-nanometer Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, the Mi 9 Lite gets a Snapdragon 710 with 10-nanometer manufacturing technology, and the Adreno 610 is replaced by a 616. Unlike the Mi A3, the entry-level model here also comes with 6GB of RAM, and this device now comes with NFC, which enables touch mobile payments.
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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgrmCBCeSZI[/embedyt]
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The camera app has a few extra features compared to the Mi A3, but in terms of sensors, you get the same. The rear camera lets you shoot in slow motion at 960 or 240 frames per second in 720p and 120 frames per second in 1080p. With the short video mode, you can shoot TikTok-style footage using both the front and rear cameras. In video mode, you can shoot 4K at 30 fps on the back and 1080p at 30 fps on the front. In photo mode you can switch between wide and ultra-wide angle lenses, with AI and 48 megapixel modes available. In portrait mode, you can shoot with background blur by taking advantage of the tertiary sensor. In night mode, you'll need some light, but if it's available, you can get some pretty good shots in the dark. Other options include Panorama and Pro mode. In Pro mode you can adjust the white balance (2000-8000), focal length (10-100), shutter speed (1/1000-32 sec) and ISO (100-3200).
Operating hours
Battery life is not a problem, thanks to the 4030 mAh Li-Po battery, which can last for about two days. If it's submerged, no problem, because the factory charger is an 18-watt fast charger.
Benchmark results
The performance speaks for itself, you can see the Antutu Benchmark and GeekBench 5 results above. Much to my surprise, the Mi 9 Lite brings the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 released in August 2017, so it's fair to say that the mid-range has reached the level where these devices have really good performance, so it's worth considering whether you want to own a top-end phone anyway. The GPS can locate you indoors and outdoors in a few seconds, with an accuracy of about 4 metres.
In this case, even though I was only running Asphalt 9, I noticed that it got less warm compared to the Mi A3. You can play on the Mi 9 Lite. The CC9 series is mainly aimed at young people, so it's no surprise that almost all of the popular games run well on this device.
The FM Radio app in this case is the MIUI radio app, but it didn't work very well on the Mi 9 Lite, I could hardly find any radio stations that would play without a squeak, and while the Mi A3 found one commercial radio station, the Mi 9 Lite only picked up Kossuth and a few Croatian channels. In this case, you can also automatically search for and record radio broadcasts.
Through the AMOLED display, we get an always-on-display feature called ambient display, which became truly customisable with the MIUI 11 update. There's a range of settings to choose from, and of course the longer the clock and notification display are active, the less battery life you'll have. A plus point is that the proximity sensor means that if you're holding it in a case or pocket, the AOD turns off, saving power.
Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite summary
So it's clear to see that the Mi 9 Lite really is the perfect choice for those looking for a happy medium. You can already find some pretty good devices in this price segment, including this phone. Both the display, the camera, the performance and the battery life are in favour of the Mi 9 Lite if you are looking for the "perfect" mid-range smartphone in Xiaomi's range.
Need more? - is the question in the title, well the answer:
I don't think so, but I don't think less.
Who do I recommend?
For almost anyone who wants a great value for money Xiaomi smartphone in the upper mid-range. It's perfect for everyday tasks, the system is agile, the camera takes good pictures and you won't have any problems with battery life.
Who should I not recommend?
Basically, there are two possibilities:
- If you're looking for a smartphone specifically for photography or "Pro" use, Xiaomi has that too, but not with the Mi 9 Lite.
- If you're only buying a smartphone for making calls and browsing, you should check out Xiaomi's other, more affordable devices, as the Mi 9 Lite is unnecessary for this purpose.
Thank you very much for the test device xiaomishop.hu-and to you for reading the post. If you still have questions about the phone, feel free to ask them in the comment section below the Facebook post or in the HelloXiaomi Messenger interface in a private message, and I'll try to answer them as soon as possible.
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