Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite/Mi CC9 review

Introduction

Just when we thought Xiaomi was ready to put the Mi 9 series to bed, the maker announced two new additions to the lineup - the affordable Mi 9 Lite and flagship Mi 9 Pro with a bleeding-edge chip. The Mi 9 Lite is truly the cheapest among the Mi 9 phones, but it's anything but cheaply made.

The Mi 9 Lite joins the Mi 9 SE, Mi 9T, Mi 9T Pro, Mi 9, and Mi 9 Pro, and it seems the lineup is getting overcrowded and confusing. And we certainly won't argue with that, but we won't be ruling out the Lite as the one too many yet. At least, not before we see what it is capable of.

And the Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite looks quite promising with its large 6.39" 1080p+ AMOLED, a Snapdragon 710 chipset, a triple camera on the back (wide/ultrawide/depth) and a massive 32MP selfie shooter at the front.

The Mi 9 Lite also impresses with a large 4,030 mAh battery, capable of fast charging; there is Android 9 with MIUI10; and we get all kinds of connectivity options including FM radio, an audio jack, IR blaster, and you can put in a microSD as well.

Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite is a rebranded version of the Asia-only Xiaomi Mi CC9. So, all findings in this review apply to the CC9, too.

Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite specs

• Body: Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 5 front, glass back;
• Display: 6.39" AMOLED, 2,340x1,080px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 402ppi; HDR 10; notched.
• Triple rear camera: Wide - 48MP f/1.8, 1/2", 0.8µm pixel size, PDAF; Ultra-wide - 8MP, f/2.4; Depth sensor - 2MP; 2160p@30fps, 720p@960fps.
• Front camera: 32MP, 0.8µm pixel size, f/2.0; 1080p@30fps video recording.
• OS: Android 9 Pie; MIUI 10.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 710: octa-core CPU (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 360 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 360 Silver), Adreno 616 GPU.
• Memory: 6GB of RAM; 64/128GB storage; hybrid microSD slot.
• Battery: 4,030mAh Li-Po (sealed); 18W fast charging.
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM; LTE-A, Cat.15/13 (800Mbps/150Mbps); USB-C; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; dual-band GPS; Bluetooth 5.0, FM radio, IR blaster.
• Misc: Under-display fingerprint reader; single down-firing speaker; 3.5mm jack

The Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite looks beyond promising on paper, and we guess if it is priced right, it should be able to cement a spot in the market. Let's get down to business, shall we?

Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite retail bundle

Our Mi 9 Lite unit arrived without a retail box, but we can still shed some light on what you will find inside. Xiaomi is shipping the phone with a USB-C cable and an 18W charger.

A soft transparent case is also part of the bundle, and some markets may even get the phone with a factory-applied screen protector.