Mi 9 Lite: This should have been the Mi A3

There’s now a new device under the Mi 9 series following the launch of the Mi 9T and Mi 9T Pro. This time, they have announced the Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite which is essentially the global version of the Xiaomi CC9.

The Mi 9 Lite is kinda like an “in-betweener” device where it gets a large screen but runs on a processor that’s a slight notch below the Mi 9 SE. The device features a 6.39″ Full HD+ Samsung AMOLED display that comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor. Under the hood, it runs on a Snapdragon 710 with 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM and UFS2.1 storage options of either 64GB or 128GB. If you need more storage, the device uses a hybrid SIM tray slot that allows you to use either a nano-SIM or a microSD card for the secondary slot.

In terms of design, the rear gets a subtle curved back that has a similar looking reflective effect like the Mi A3. What’s interesting is that the device gets an illuminated Xiaomi logo at the rear which doubles up as a notification light.

For selfies, it gets a 32MP f/2.0 front camera, while the rear has a triple-camera setup which looks identical to the Mi A3. It has a 48MP f/1.8 main camera, a 8MP ultra-wide-angle shooter and a 2MP for depth effects. It can shoot 4K video at 30 fps as well as 960 fps slow-mo at 720p.

Powering the Mi 9 Lite is a 4,030mAh battery that supports QuickCharge 4+ charging via USB-C. In the box, it comes bundled with an 18W charger. The device also gets NFC, a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as an IR blaster. Unlike the Mi A3 that runs on Android One, this Mi 9 Lite runs on MIUI 10. In Europe, the device is priced from 319 EUR which is about RM1,466. Do note that European pricing is often more expensive than Malaysia.

Overall, the Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite looks like a beefier version of the Mi A3 in terms of specs and most importantly, it comes with a Full HD+ display. The current Mi A3 is considered by some as a letdown as it has a lower resolution 720p+ display with less RAM. Previously, many had expected the Mi A3 to be a rebadged Xiaomi CC9 that runs on pure Android but turns out that the latest Android One device was based on the CC9 Lite instead.

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