Xiaomi Mi 8
Xiaomi Mi 8, Mi 8 SE and Mi 8 Explorer Edition officially announced in China. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

Xiaomi has officially announced the Xiaomi Mi 8 and it looks like one of the best copycats of Apple’s iPhone X. The company also launched the more affordable Xiaomi Mi 8 SE and the premium Mi 8 Explorer Edition, which features an in-display fingerprint scanner.

Xiaomi Mi 8

Originally believed to be called the Mi 7, the Xiaomi Mi 8 comes with 6.21-inch AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 2248 x 1080 and an 18.7:9 aspect ratio. The handset features a notch on its display and the overall look of the device makes it apparent that the company was heavily inspired by the iPhone X. The handset even has vertically-aligned dual cameras on the left-hand side of its back. The only things that make it clear that this isn’t the iPhone X are the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, the Mi branding and the small bottom bezel up front.

Xiaomi Mi 8
2020 is going to be an exciting year for smartphone makers and consumers with Xiaomi planning to launch an aggressive strategy by launching 10 5G-ready smartphones. Xiaomi

As for specs, the Xiaomi Mi 8 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor, the same chipset that’s on the Samsung Galaxy S9, OnePlus 6 and the LG G7 ThinQ. The phone features 6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB/256GB of internal storage. The device comes with dual 12-megapixel dual cameras on its back and it has a DxOMark score of 105 for taking photos and an overall score of 99, according to The Next Web. The phone also has a 20-megapixel front-facing camera.

The Xiaomi Mi 8 also has Dual GPS technology, which lets the phone bind traditional L1 frequency used in other phones with the L5 frequency. This should make location-based service more accurate, according to GSM Arena.

The Xiaomi Mi 8 will be available in China starting on June 5 and it comes with a starting price of 2,699 yuan (around US$421).

Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition

The Explorer Edition of the Xiaomi Mi 8 is a superior model that comes with all of the same bells and whistles of the Mi 8. However, this version of the handset features a transparent glass back panel that lets people see the insides of the handset.

The Mi 8 Explorer Edition also comes with Synaptics’ in-display fingerprint scanner, like Vivo’s recent phones. However, the main difference here is that Xiaomi’s in-display fingerprint scanner comes with pressure sensitivity, according to The Verge. This means users will have to press down on the display to activate the scanner.

The Explorer Edition also comes with 3D Face Unlock, which is the company’s own version of Apple’s Face ID technology. The notch on the phone houses a 20-megapixel camera, proximity sensor, an infrared light emitter and an infrared camera. Like Face ID, Xiaomi’s 3D Face Unlock will still be able to recognize faces even in pitch black environments. The tech in the Explorer Edition’s notch also makes it possible for the phone to have its own version of Apple’s Animoji.

Xiaomi hasn’t given an exact release date for the Mi 8 Explorer Edition, but it will arrive with a starting price of 3,699 yuan (around US$575).

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE

The last handset is the SE model of the Xiaomi Mi 8. The Mi 8 SE comes with a smaller 5.88-inch AMOLED display. Inside, the device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor. The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is the very first Android smartphone to be powered by Qualcomm’s latest mid-range chipset.

The Mi 8 SE may be smaller and slower, but it still comes with dual cameras on its back: one with a 12MP sensor and another with a 5MP sensor. Up front, the device has a 20-megapixel selfie camera. The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE will be available in China starting on June 8 and will arrive with a starting price of 1,799 yuan (around US$280).