Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Mi 8

57 out of 100

54 out of 100

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.39-inch Xiaomi Mi 9 (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855) that was released on February 20, 2019, against the Xiaomi Mi 8, which is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and came out 10 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Differences
Review
Specs
Benchmarks
Battery life
Camera
Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Xiaomi Mi 9

Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
Handles wireless charging up to 20W
19% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (577K versus 485K)
Has an ultra-wide angle camera lens
More recent OS version: Android 11 versus 10
More energy-efficient CPU – Snapdragon 855
22% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 898 and 736 points
The phone is 10-months newer
Has a built-in infrared port

Reasons to consider the Xiaomi Mi 8

Optical image stabilization

Review

Evaluation of Xiaomi Mi 9 and Mi 8 crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Type	AMOLED	AMOLED
Size	6.39 inches	6.21 inches
Resolution	1080 x 2340 pixels	1080 x 2248 pixels
Aspect ratio	19.5:9	18.7:9
PPI	403 ppi	402 ppi
Refresh rate	60 Hz	60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max rated brightness	600 nits	600 nits
HDR support	Yes, HDR10	Yes, HDR10
Screen protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 6	Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Screen-to-body ratio	85.2%	83.8%
Display features	- Always-On Display - DC Dimming	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display - DC Dimming

RGB color space	95.4%	140.4%
PWM	245 Hz	238 Hz
Response time	4.2 ms	9 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	∞ Infinity

Height	157.5 mm (6.2 inches)	154.9 mm (6.1 inches)
Width	74.6 mm (2.94 inches)	74.8 mm (2.94 inches)
Thickness	7.6 mm (0.3 inches)	7.6 mm (0.3 inches)
Weight	173 g (6.1 oz)	175 g (6.17 oz)
Waterproof	No	No
Rear material	Glass	Glass
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	Black, Blue, Purple	White, Black, Gold, Blue
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-display	Yes, rear

Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Max clock	2840 MHz	2800 MHz
CPU cores	8 (1 + 3 + 4)	8 (4 + 4)
Architecture	- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex-A55 (Kryo 485 Silver) - 3 cores at 2.42 GHz: Cortex-A76 (Kryo 485 Gold) - 1 core at 2.84 GHz: Cortex-A76 (Kryo 485 Gold)	- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Kryo 385 Silver (Cortex-A55) - 4 cores at 2.8 GHz: Kryo 385 Gold (Cortex-A75)
L3 cache	2 MB	2 MB
Lithography process	7 nanometers	10 nanometers
Graphics	Adreno 640	Adreno 630
GPU shading units	768	512
GPU clock	585 MHz	710 MHz
FLOPS	~898.5 GFLOPS	~727 GFLOPS

CPU	172432	147066
GPU	155717	123704
Memory	111273	95197
UX	136346	117575
Total score	577679	485162

Max surface temperature	35.6 °C	45 °C
Stability	91%	83%
Graphics test	18 FPS	8 FPS
Graphics score	3098	1427

Web score	7019	6280
Video editing	6705	5965
Photo editing	26154	17547
Data manipulation	7946	6500
Writing score	14607	9982

RAM size	6 GB	6, 8 GB
Memory type	LPDDR4X	LPDDR4X
Memory clock	2133 MHz	1866 MHz
Channels	2	2

Storage size	128 GB	64, 128, 256 GB
Storage type	UFS 2.1	UFS 2.1
Memory card	No	No

Operating system	Android 9.0 (Can be upgraded to Android 11)	Android 8.1 (Can be upgraded to Android 10)
ROM	MIUI 12.0.1	MIUI 12
OS size	13.5 GB	13 GB

Capacity	3300 mAh	3400 mAh
Max charge power	27 W	18 W
Battery type	Li-Po	Li-Po
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	Yes (20 W)	No
Reverse charging	No	No
Fast charging	Yes, Quick Charge 4 (50% in 30 min)	Yes, Quick Charge 4+ (50% in 30 min)
Full charging time	1:30 hr	1:35 hr

Battery life tests
Web browsing	07:01 hr	08:37 hr
Watching video	14:57 hr	11:37 hr
Gaming	03:32 hr	03:44 hr
Standby	84 hr	82 hr

Main camera
Matrix	48 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	8000 x 6000	4000 x 3000
Zoom	Optical, 2x	Optical
Flash	Dual LED	Dual LED
Stabilization	Digital	Optical
8K video recording	No	No
4K video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 240FPS
Slow motion	960 FPS (1080p)	960 FPS (720p)
Angle of widest lens	117°	-
Lenses	3 (48 MP + 12 MP + 16 MP)	2 (12 MP + 12 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 48 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 27 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/2", Sony IMX586 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Laser autofocus	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 21 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Sony IMX363 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization
Telephoto lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 54 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/3.6", Samsung S5K3M5 (ISOCELL CMOS) - Phase autofocus	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 56 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/3.4", Samsung S5K3M3 (ISOCELL CMOS) - Phase autofocus
Ultra-wide lens	- 16 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 13 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/3.0", Sony IMX481 (BSI CMOS) - Phase autofocus	-
Camera features	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode
Samples	Photo samples of Xiaomi Mi 9 from DxOMark	Photo samples of Xiaomi Mi 8 from DxOMark

Selfie camera
Megapixels	20 megapixels	20 megapixels
Image resolution	5184 x 3880	5120 x 3840
Aperture	f/2.0	f/2.0
Focal length	18 mm	18 mm
Pixel size	0.9 microns	0.9 microns
Sensor type	CMOS	ISOCELL CMOS
Sensor size	1/3"	1/3.1"
Video resolution	1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS	1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5	5
Bluetooth features	LE, A2DP	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
USB version	2	2
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - USB-Host mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - USB-Host mode - OTG
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo
NFC *	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	Yes	No

Number of SIM *	2	2
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	Standby	Standby
eSIM support *	No	No
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat *	20	18
5G support	No	No

Speakers	Mono	Mono
Headphone audio jack	No	No
FM radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	No	No

Category	Flagship	Flagship
Announced	February 2019	May 2018
Release date	April 2019	June 2018
SAR (head)	1.389 W/kg	0.701 W/kg
SAR (body)	0.99 W/kg	1.662 W/kg
Sensors	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Face recognition sensor - Fingerprint

Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Mi 8

Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Mi 8

Key differences

Review

Value for money

Tests and specifications

Display

Design and build

Performance

Benchmarks

Memory

Software

Battery

Camera

DxOMark camera tests

Connectivity

Sound

Other

Conclusion