Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro: Xiaomi Arrives in the UK with Launch of New Smartphone

Speaking at the launch in London,Xiaomi's senior vice president WangXiang, said: "Today we witness a new chapter inXiaomi's global expansion journey, underpinned by our global ambitions. We are thrilled to make great strides by announcing our arrival in the UK." The big release is the Mi 8 Pro, Xiaomi's flagship smartphone release for 2018. The device launched in China earlier this year, but this is the first time the phone is available outside of Xiaomi's home country, and it intends to make some waves on the smartphone scene.

Here's what you need to know about the new Mi 8 Pro.

The focus on the new Mi 8 Pro is all about the back of the phone. With a transparent glass back cover that points to some of the main internal features of the phone like its Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip, and red accents on the side button and camera,this is a unique looking phone.

The back of the phone is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and is curved on four sides with a gentle arc design so it fits easily in your hand.

The 6.21-inch device has an AMOLEDfull-screen display, like its rival the OnePlus 6T, with a mid-sized notch on the front to house the front camera which has infrared secure face unlock.

It's also one of the few phones to boost an in-screen fingerprint sensor, alongside the likes of HuaweiMate 20 Pro and the latest OnePlus, showing that this type of screen tech has well and truly arrived.

Xiaomi goes big on the front camera, with a 20-megapixel lens to take all the portrait selfies you could possibly want.

As well, the rear dual-camera setup compromises of two lenses: one 12-megapixel Samsung telephoto sensor and a 12-megapixel Sony wide angle lens which Xiaomi claims is ultra light sensitive to take the best photos.

It also comes complete with some AI photography features in the software such as scene detection, bokeh effects and studio lighting for portrait mode.

Inside the phone is fitted with Snapdragon's 845 processor, also fitted in OnePlus's latest device.

In terms of storage, it has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage so it will take a long time to fill this phone up.

The new phone on sale from tomorrow,November 9, at Xiaomi's online store, Mi.com/UK, as well as retail partners including Amazon, Argos and John Lewis. Three is also selling the Mi 8 Pro on contract, with prices starting from £19 upfront and £22 a month.

Its retail price is £499, making it one to compete with OnePlus's wares which also feature high-end specs at affordable prices.

With the likes of OnePlus, Honor, Huawei and now Xiaomi in the UK market, the battle of the Chinese tech giants has only just begun.

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