Xiaomi Mi 8 rumors: Here's what we know so far (Updated May 28)

This post will be updated regularly as we take a closer look at the latest rumors surrounding the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 8.

Xiaomi is preparing the next entry in its “Mi” flagship lineup, due to be unveiled on May 31. The new device will celebrate Xiaomi’s eighth anniversary, and so it looks like the company will move from last year’s Mi 6 to name this year’s device the Xiaomi Mi 8 (though it was previously rumored to be called the Mi 7).

However, the company says the real reason for the name change is that the smartphone exceeds expectations in all aspects. To put it another way, it claims the flagship is such an upgrade over its predecessor that calling it the Mi 7 wouldn’t do it justice (we’ll see about that). The announcement was made with a promo image posted on Weibo.

We don’t know much for certain yet, but below we’ve put together a summary of all the Xiaomi Mi 8 rumors we’ve heard so far, as well as some of our own thoughts and educated guesses.

Xiaomi Mi 8 rumors: Release date

The nitty-gritty

Xioami has confirmed that it will launch the Mi 8 on May 31 in a tweet on May 22; however, we don’t know when it will be available commercially.

Chinese leaker Mocha RQ suggests that the device could arrive in June, putting it two months behind its predecessor in Xiaomi’s typical annual release cycle. Apparently, issues with the in-display fingerprint sensor technology caused the delay.

A report from DigiTimes tells us a slightly different story. It claims the smartphone will be revealed sometime in the third quarter — between July and September. This report was from last month, however, which means the information could be out-of-date.

Xiaomi hasn’t shared any info about the Mi 8 release date, so there’s no word on which report — if any — is correct. Given that the phone will be launched at the end of May, though, a release in June seems most plausible at this point.

Xiaomi Mi 8 rumors: Specs and features

The nitty-gritty

The latest leak suggests the Mi 8 will come with a 6.01-inch display and Snapdragon 845 chipset. Previous rumors have suggested it would have a Full HD+ screen resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio.

According to the folks over at XDA Developers, who dug through alleged firmware files of the Mi 7 Plus (what we now think may be the Mi 8), the smartphone will sport an OLED panel with an always-on display feature.

The firmware files also hint at a dual-camera setup on the back, so you can capture those fancy bokeh images. The camera is said to offer AI-enhanced photography by recognizing different screens and automatically adjusting settings for optimum image capture. An AI camera component has been suggested by more than one rumor.

Lei Jun, the founder of Xiaomi, confirmed on Weibo the inclusion of an in-display fingerprint scanner. This confirmation all but guarantees an OLED screen, as current in-display scanners require an OLED display.

An in-display scanner may not be the only way to unlock the device, however. A report from DigiTimes suggests the Mi 8 will be the first Android smartphone to come with a 3D facial recognition feature, much like the one found on the iPhone X (this has also been backed up in the most recent leak mentioned above).

An image posted on Weibo (below) suggests the same, allegedly showing an infrared camera of the Mi 8 along with other components required for 3D facial recognition.

Speculation indicates the handset may feature Android Oreo with the MIUI skin on top, and 64 or 128GB of storage with 6 GB or 8GB of RAM options.

We also hope the Mi 8 smartphones will be fully waterproof as opposed to being just splash resistant like the Mi 6. The headphone jack isn’t likely to feature, which is a deal breaker for some, and there probably won’t be a microSD card slot on board.

The Mi 8 sounds like a big upgrade to last year’s model. A larger display, 3D facial recognition, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and top-of-the-line specs would make it a great alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S9, HUAWEI P20 Pro, and other 2018 flagships.

Xiaomi Mi 8 rumors: Design

We’ve come across an image allegedly showing the front panel of the Mi 8, which may give us an idea of what to expect.

It reveals that the smartphone may come with an iPhone X-like notch. This could either be good or bad depending on whom you ask, although our poll shows most people are against this design trend.

The image also hints the smartphone could have extremely thin bezels, thinner than the vivo X21 UD that sports a screen-to-body ratio of around 85 percent (see the side-by-side comparison above).

Read next: The best (near) bezel-less phones

We’ve also come across a few alleged hands-on images of the Mi 8 series that were posted on Weibo. They also suggest the smartphones will sport a notch and come with a near bezel-less design. However, the bottom bezel does look a bit larger than the one shown in the image above.

The glass back of the devices looks similar to that of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S with its vertically positioned dual-camera setup in the top-left corner. It also features a fingerprint scanner, which is weird based on the fact Xiaomi’s founder said the smartphones will sport an in-display scanner.

Maybe the company will take a page out of HUAWEI’s playbook, which equipped the Porsche Design Mate RS with a hardware sensor on the back and an in-display sensor on the front. This may be bad news, though, as it could mean the in-display scanner might not work quite as well as users will expect.

The latest design leak comes in the form of an image allegedly showing the Mi 8’s retail box (above). It tells us the same story as the images above, which is that the device will sport a notch and a dual-camera setup. But it also reveals that it will come in a gorgeous blue color option.

Xiaomi Mi 8 rumors: Price

Xiaomi’s smartphones have always offered a great performance for their price and we don’t think that’s going to change with the Mi 8. But the device is expected to be more expensive than its predecessor, likely due to the rumored in-display fingerprint scanner, 3D facial recognition, and other new features.

A leaked photo from Chinese social media site Weibo (via PlayfulDroid) suggests the Mi 8 will come in 6GB RAM + 64GB ROM and 8GB RAM + 128GB ROM versions, costing CNY2,799 (€370/$440) and CNY3,199 (€420/$500) respectively.

The 64GB version of the Mi 6 retailed for 2,500 yuan (~$392) at launch, while the 128GB variant went for 2,900 yuan (~$460). The 128GB ceramic edition was more expensive, at 3,000 yuan (~$475).

It looks like the Mi 8 would be far cheaper than other recent flagships like the Galaxy S9 ($720) and the LG V30 ($700). However, keep in mind that the Mi 8 series would be more expensive to get hold of in Europe or the U.S.

There you have it — these are all the Xiaomi Mi 8 rumors we’ve come across so far. We’ll update this page as soon as we hear more.

Meanwhile, share your thoughts on Xiaomi’s upcoming smartphone with us in the comments.