Xiaomi Mi 8 SE review

Competition

The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE definitely checks a lot of boxes. Better yet, it does so at a pretty affordable price point. It is also first out the gate with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 710 chipset, so far. This all makes the task of finding direct competitors to match the Mi 8 SE pretty difficult.

It is not entirely impossible, though you need to get your specs priorities straight to keep things in the budget realm. If the crispy Super AMOLED panel is high up on your list, then there's no better place to look than straight at the source. The new Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018) instantly springs to mind, but since it is a bit pricier than the Mi 8 SE, the regular Galaxy A6 is your next best bet. That being said, you will be sacrificing quite a bit in the way of performance, from the dated Exynos 7870 chipset. Also, the 720p native panel resolution isn't as crisp as FullHD. And if you are looking to save a few bucks, why not consider the Galaxy J7 (2017), oddly based on the same chipset.

Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018) • Motorola Moto Z2 Force • Huawei Honor 10 • LG G6 • Meizu 15 Plus

Browsing through online listings, we couldn't help but notice a steep dip in the price of the Motorola Moto Z2 Force. We realize it is a rather niche product by nature, with its shatterproof but not much scratch-proof front and relatively small battery. Still, for a few bucks more than the Mi 8 SE, you are getting the comparably powerful Snapdragon 835, and a high-resolution P-OLED display. Not to mention access to the Moto Mods ecosystem. While on the topic of Motorola, if the Z2 Force is a bit small for your taste. The G6 Plus might be worth considering.

Huawei and especially the related/unrelated (depending on who you ask) Honor brand seem to have quite a few models in around the $350 price point. A "few" might be an understatement on our end. Even upon first look, there are the Huawei Honor 7X, Huawei P20 lite, Huawei Honor 9 Lite, Huawei P smart, Huawei Mate 10 Lite, Huawei Honor View 10 and Huawei Honor 10. Now, some of these won't be available everywhere worldwide. Prices will also vary from market to market. Most of these are based on the same Kirin 659 chipset and only vary slightly in display and camera setups. If we have to choose one form each brand, these would probably be the Huawei Honor 10 and the Huawei P20 lite.

Then there are a couple of other interesting ex-flagship options, that might be worth considering as well - the LG G6 and HTC U Ultra. Both have spacious 5.7-inch displays and are based on the older, but still potent Snapdragon 821 chipset. Opting for one or the other could net you some interesting bonus features, like MIL-STD-810G, Dolby Vision/HDR10 compliance or a secondary ticker display. If you can stretch your budget a bit, there are the Oppo R15 Pro and Meizu 15 Plus to explore, as well, both rocking spacious AMOLED panels.

Verdict

Categorizing the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE turned out to be a particularly daunting task. It's not exactly a flagship offering. At least, no by current standards. Yet, it is only a few feature cut-backs away from one and can outperform top models from only a few months ago. Its price point screams mind-ranger, yet, it easily outperforms most of its peers. After spending quite some time with the Mi 8 SE and the brand new Snapdragon 710 chipset, our best assessment is that Xiaomi's "Lite" flagship is just first to the party. An initial taste of the kind of upper mid-range offers we can expect to see in the upcoming months - handsets that reflect the rapid recent improvements in ARM performance, combined with an increasingly competitive 2018 smartphone market scene, continually pushing value boundaries.

Pros

• Excellent Super AMOLED display, with HDR support
• Long battery life, fast charging
• The new Snapdragon 710 is a great performer, comparable to the ex-flagship Snapdragon 835 in CPU
• Solid, if not amazing, camera experience
• MIUI is feature rich and has a good update track history (MIUI 10 should be around the corner)

Cons

• No 3.5mm jack, no microSD slot
• Audio output is loud, but unimpressive
• Slight issue with video playback and battery efficiency in current MIUI build
• 4K video recording lacks EIS, despite what the menu claims. Auto HDR mode is kind of broken. Stills are a bit noisier than we would have liked.

Marketing analysis and future predictions aside, the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is an excellent device. Even if it is an ambassador, of sorts, there is nothing uncertain, unfinished or unpolished about it. Xiaomi did a wonderful job of reaping the benefits from a new generation of mobile chips and wrapped that in a thoughtfully picked out package of appealing hardware components. Not the best money can buy, but a great value selection. The cherry on top - the company's popular and highly-regarded MIUI environment and the thriving ecosystem and community that come with it.

If you can get your hands on the Mi 8 SE for a reasonable price and especially with a Global ROM, we recommend picking it up wholeheartedly.

Special thanks to HonorBuy for providing the review unit.