Xiaomi officially announced Mi 9 in China, the company’s latest flagship that combines performance with a new design.

The Mi 9 runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 mobile platform, comes with a new AI triple camera containing the latest 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor, and is the first smartphone to feature 20W wireless charging.

Xiaomi also announced the Mi 9 Transparent Edition, which comes with 12GB of RAM, and features a 7P lens for its camera with a maximum aperture of f/1.47.

In addition, Mi 9 SE was also announced. It comes with the flagship-level IMX586 camera sensor, and is targeted at those who like a smaller form factor.

The Mi 9 series start sale in China on 26 February, with Mi 9 starting at RMB 2999, and Mi 9 SE starting at RMB 1999.

Powered by the newest generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, based on the 7nm manufacturing process, Mi 9 can achieve an Antutu benchmark score of over 380, 000. The all-new Kryo 485 CPU has a maximum clock speed of 2.84GHz, with improved single-core performance of up to 45% over its predecessor, while the new Adreno 640 GPU gives up to a 20% boost. In addition, the fourth-generation AI Engine provides up to three times faster AI performance. Mi 9 is also equipped with LPDDR4x 2133MHz RAM.

The Mi 9 has an all-curved back cover design, allowing it to fit comfortably in the hand. A back cover color process gives Mi 9 a holographic rainbow spectrum, so it looks different every time it is picked up.

On the front, Mi 9 sports a 6.39-inch 19.5:9 Samsung AMOLED Dot Drop display. Under this display is a new and improved in-screen fingerprint sensor that unlocks the phone up to 25% faster than the previous generation, and works well even in low-light conditions. Holding the fingerprint sensor after unlocking will also bring up a new quick interface that lets the user quickly access common features like QR code scanning and performing an internet search.

Thanks to an improved COF process, Mi 9 has a narrow “chin” that’s just 3.6mm. The ambient light sensor and a third-generation ultrasonic proximity sensor sit below the screen, reducing the space needed around the three other sides, giving Mi 9 a very thin bezel.

Mi 9 is Xiaomi’s first flagship with an AI triple camera, with the main camera utilizing the latest 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 1/2″ sensor. Users can choose to shoot high-resolution 48-megapixel images, or in low-light conditions, take even clearer and brighter photos as Mi 9 will combine four pixels to one, resulting in very sensitive 1.6μm large pixels. A hybrid phase detection and laser autofocus system allows Mi 9’s camera to focus quickly.

Mi 9’s 16-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera lets users take better shots of wide landscapes, buildings and group photos. It even corrects distortion usually seen on ultra wide-angle lenses. This 16-megapixel camera can also take shots of objects as close as 4cm.

The AI triple camera combination of the 48-megapixel main camera, 16-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera, and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera gave Mi 9 a score of 107 by the DxOMark website, giving it a third-place world ranking of all tested smartphones. In addition, a video score of 99 puts it at number one on DxOMark for video capture.

In addition to the improved night mode and 960fps video capture first seen in earlier Xiaomi flagships, Mi 9 now comes with new photo modes. Even with Mi 9 held in the hand, Supermoon mode allows users to capture clearer images of the moon even without a bulky tripod. An advanced motion tracking video mode lets you smoothly follow a moving object, such as someone skiing down a slope.

Inside the Mi 9 is a large 3300mAh battery, featuring a fast charging solution for both wired and wireless charging. This solution has received certification from renowned German institution TUV Rheinland for safe quick charging.

The 27W wired charging supports Qualcomm’s QC4+ standard, and enables Mi 9 to safely charge to 70% in just 30 minutes, and fully charge in 60 mins.

To achieve its wireless charging speeds, Mi 9 contains a new wireless charging coil enhances the wireless charging efficiency and stability of the Mi 9, so it can hit the highest 20W wireless charging at its peak. Mi 9 is also the first smartphone certified by Qi EPP in China, which makes it compatible with other wireless charging pads.

Together with Mi 9, Xiaomi is also launching three wireless charging devices, including 20W version of Mi Wireless Charging Pad (RMB 99), a 20W wireless car charger (RMB 169), and a 10000mAh wireless power bank (RMB 149).

Other features and upgrades

The Mi 9 offers an individual AI button, so users can activate XiaoAi AI assistant with ease. Users will also be able to customize quick access to frequently used apps and functions. Also newly added is the dark mode feature, which minimizes the smartphone display’s power usage.

Thanks to a high-voltage Smart PA amplifier and an accompanying 0.9cc large sound cavity, Mi 9 outputs great sound quality with powerful bass. Optimizations have also been made specifically for different scenarios such as video-watching and gaming purposes.

Connectivity-wise, Mi 9 continues to use the well-received dual-frequency GPS from its predecessor to achieve ultra-precise positioning. In addition, a new-generation multi-function NFC chip increases payment speed by up to 30%.

Mi 9 Transparent Edition with 12GB RAM

The Mi 9 Transparent Edition features an all-curved glass body with a futuristic design carved using CNC micro-engraving technology. It is also one of the first smartphones to adopt 12GB high-speed RAM, and has an upgraded large f/1.47 aperture and 7P camera lens.

Mi 9 SE

Announced together with the Mi 9 is the Mi 9 SE – a compact version of the Mi 9 featuring Qualcomm’s brand new Snapdragon 712 processor, an upgrade to the Snapdragon 710 chipset. Even with a 5.99" large Dot Drop display, the size of the device is comparable to a classic phone with a 5.1” screen. Similar to the Mi 9, the Mi 9 SE offers LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 2.1 storage, Samsung AMOLED screen, holographic rainbow spectrum surface on the back cover, Sony IMX586 sensor as well as the latest in-screen fingerprint sensor module.

The Mi 9 will be available for pre-order on 20 February at 6pm, and 26 February at 10am for open sale across mi.com and Xiaomi’s major sales channels in China.

The Mi 9 will retail at RMB 2999, RMB 3299 and RMB 3999 for the 6GB+128GB, 8GB+128GB and 12GB+256GB (Transparent Edition), respectively.

The Mi 9SE will be available on 1 March at 10am on mi.com, starting from RMB 1999 for 6GB+128GB, and RMB 2299 for 6GB+128GB.

Apart from today’s event in China, Xiaomi will host a global launch event in Barcelona, Spain on 24 February 2019 for new global product announcements.