Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite could be a global Mi CC9
When Xiaomi entered the UK in November last year it did so with the launch of theMi 8 Lite(pictured) andMi 8 Pro, two variants of its at-the-time flagshipMi 8, whose family already included the Mi 8 SE and Mi 8 Explorer.
In 2019 Xiaomi appears to have changed tact, announcing theMi 9in February and following it up with the slimmed downMi 9 SE,Mi 9Tand nowMi 9T Pro. So far there has been no sign of a Mi 9 Lite, and no real reason to expect one save for the fact there was a Mi 8 Lite.
That is until now. Mishaal Rahman, Editor in Chief at XDA-Developers,claimsa Mi 9 Lite could be hiding in the wings as the global variant of the Mi CC9 that launched in China earlier this year. According to Rahman such a device has been certified by Google with the codename Pyxis, the same codename it used for the CC9.
Xiaomi routinely launches identical smartphones in western markets under different names. TheMi A3is an Android One variant of the Mi CC9e, for example, and the Mi 9T a version of theRedmi K20 Prowith a mid-range processor (the Mi 9T Pro has since launched with the same Snapdragon 855).
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a western Mi CC9, but if it is running Android One it would be a surprise if this was a Mi 9 Lite rather than a Mi A3 Pro. Last year we saw only standard andLiteversions of theMi A2, and so far in 2019 we have only the standard Mi A3, which is yet to get its UK launch.
So is it a Mi 9 Lite or a Mi A3 Pro? We’ll have to wait and see. What we do know is it will come with a 6.39in AMOLED display, the Snapdragon 710, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a 48Mp + 8Mp + 2Mp triple-lens camera, a 32Mp selfie camera, an in-display fingerprint sensor and a 4,030mAh battery with 18W fast charging, as per the Mi CC9’s spec.
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Author: Marie Black, Editorial Director, International
Marie is Editorial Director at Foundry. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she’s worked in tech media for almost 20 years, covering all types of consumer tech from smartphones and their accessories to smart home gear. These days she manages our international editorial teams and leads on content strategy, having witnessed first-hand Foundry’s transition from print, to digital, to online - and beyond.
