Xiaomi Mi 8 VS Xiaomi Mi 8 SE – How special is the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE? Xiaomi has released three new smartphones, and they are so good to be true. We now have the Xiaomi Mi 8, Xiaomi Mi 8 SE and Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer. When you talk about affordability, Xiaomi is miles ahead of the likes of Huawei Honor and OnePlus. The company is the true definition of pure value, and in the past few years, their brand has started to gather recognition in the global market.
For this article, I will be discussing the Xiaomi Mi 8 and the Xiaomi Mi SE (Special Edition). Despite the “special edition” name, the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is actually a stripped down model of the Xiaomi Mi 8. Could it be that Xiaomi named it a special edition, pointing out that it offers the best value between the three devices? Well, let’s find out in this comparison article between the Xiaomi Mi 8 and Xiaomi Mi 8 SE.
Xiaomi Mi 8 VS Xiaomi Mi 8 SE – The Design
The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE features the same front and rear glass with an aluminum frame with the Xiaomi Mi 8. That’s pure premium design these days, as most smartphones in its price range will come with an aluminum or metal back. The fingerprint sensor is rear mounted and the dual rear camera is set-up at the top left corner on both the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE and Mi 8. The Xiaomi Mi 8 comes in heavier, weighing 175 grams with 7.6mm thick compared to the 164 grams and 7.5mm thick of the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is available in Gray, Blue, Red, and Gold body colors. While the Xiaomi Mi 8 is also available in Blue and Gold body colors with additional White and Black. The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE features a long notch like the Xiaomi Mi 8. On the notch of the Xiaomi Mi 8 is a proximity sensor, a 20MP sensor, Earpiece, Infrared lighting and Infrared lens. While on the notch of the Mi 8 SE, there is no Infrared lightning and Infrared lens. The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE doesn’t have the 3D face ID feature and aspiring users will have to make do with a fingerprint sensor for biometric security.
Xiaomi Mi 8 VS Xiaomi Mi 8 SE – The Display
Another win for the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE has it features a Super AMOLED touchscreen. Aside from Samsung’s new mid-range devices, I don’t think there’s any other phone under $300 mark with a Super AMOLED screen. The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE sports a 5.88 inch Super AMOLED touchscreen with an 81.3% screen-to-body ratio. The Xiaomi Mi 8 also sports a Super AMOLED but with a bigger 6.21-inch screen size.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 comes with an 18.7:9 aspect ratio display, pixels resolution of 1080 x 2248 and 402 pixels per inch density. While on the Xiaomi Mi SE is an 18.7:9 aspect ratio display, pixels resolution of 1080 x 2244 and 423 pixels per inch density.
Xiaomi Mi 8 VS Xiaomi Mi 8 SE – The Camera
The Xiaomi Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE features the same 20MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture. At the back, you have a 12MP primary sensor with f/1.9 aperture and a 5MP secondary sensor with f/2.0 aperture. While on the Xiaomi Mi 8 is a dual 12MP sensor, the primary sensor comes with a f/1.8 aperture while the secondary sensor comes with a f/2.4 aperture. The same AI-based features in the Xiaomi Mi 8 such as AI portrait and AI beautify is also featured in the Mi 8 SE.
Xiaomi Mi 8 VS Xiaomi Mi 8 SE – Hardware and Software
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset powers the Xiaomi Mi 8 with Adreno 630 graphics processing unit. While the “new” Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset powers the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE with Adreno 616 graphics processing unit. Obviously, the Snapdragon 845 chipset is more powerful than the Snapdragon 710 chipset. The overall performance of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset is said to be 20% better than the Snapdragon 660 chipset, which is best Qualcomm mid-range chipset prior to the 710’s release.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE becomes the first smartphone to run on the new Snapdragon 710 chipset, which is a bridge between the 600 and 800 Snapdragon series. You get the same MIUI 10.0 skin with Android 8.1 Oreo on both the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE and Mi 8. The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE has two variants of memory; 4GB and 6GB. While the Xiaomi Mi 8 comes in only the 6GB of memory.
Xiaomi Mi 8 VS Xiaomi Mi 8 SE – The Battery
The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE packs a non-removable Li-Po 3120 mAh battery while the Xiaomi Mi 8 comes with a non-removable Li-Po 3400 mAh battery. The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE support fast battery charging 3.0 while the Mi 8 supports fast battery charging 4.0+.
Xiaomi Mi 8 VS Xiaomi Mi 8 SE – The Price
The Xiaomi Mi 8 will cost you around $515 (N180,250) while the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE goes for around $351 (N122,850). The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is a very good alternative for users who can’t afford the Xiaomi Mi 8.
Xiaomi Mi 8 VS Xiaomi Mi 8 SE Full Specs Comparison
| Xiaomi Mi 8 | Xiaomi Mi 8 SE | |
| Dimensions and Weight | 154.9 x 74.8 x 7.6 mm. Weight – 175 g | 147.3 x 73.1 x 7.5 mm. Weight – 164 g |
| Display | 6.21 inch (83.8% screen-to-body ratio), 1080 x 2248 pixels with 402 PPI density and Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen | 5.88 inch (81.3% screen-to-body ratio), 1080 x 2244 pixels with 423 PPI density and Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen |
| Memory | RAM – 6GB. ROM – 64/128/256GB | RAM – 4/6GB. ROM – 64GB |
| Software | Android 8.1 Oreo (with MIUI 10.0) | Android 8.1 Oreo (with MIUI 10.0) |
| Hardware | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset with Octa-core (4×2.8GHz & 4×1.8GHz) processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset with Octa-core 2.2GHz processor |
| Camera | 20MP f/2.0 aperture front camera + Dual – 12MP f/1.8 aperture and 12MP f/2.4 aperture with dual-LED flash | 20MP f/2.0 aperture front camera + Dual – 12MP f/1.9 aperture and 5MP f/2.0 aperture with LED flash |
| Connectivity | 2G/3G/4G Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS | 2G/3G/4G Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Po 3400 mAh battery | Non-removable Li-lon 3400 mAh battery |
| Additional Features | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), Fast battery charging (Quick Charge 4.0+), Infrared face recognition | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), Fast battery charging (Quick Charge 3.0) |
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Buy Xiaomi Mi 8 SE & Pay On Delivery
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