Xiaomi Mi 9 Gaming Review: Good While It Lasts

With each and every new generation of Snapdragon processors, game developers have started to release more graphically demanding titles that consistently push the limit of mobile gaming. As such, it comes as no surprise that a phone’s gaming capabilities have become a key point in a phone’s market appeal, and after owning the Mi9 for over a month, I think making a gaming phone wasn’t Xiaomi’s top priority with this device.

Controller Feel

When choosing a gaming phone, there are many aspects to consider: feel in the hand, processor, software, storage configurations, and even audio. Thankfully, the MI 9 gets all these categories right. Featuring a glass curve body that feels comfortable in the hands, alongside a full AMOLED display with minimal distractions, the Xiaomi Mi 9 is the perfect device to get engrossed in your next blockbuster adventure on the go.

This immersion is only further helped by the responsive display, loud speakers and the efficient software, all of which keep your games sounding great, and performing at their best no matter how many tasks may be running in the background.

Power is another aspect that can’t be forgotten, and the MI 9 and its Snapdragon 855 have gotten it in spades. Whether I was enjoying the recent Call of Duty Mobile beta or PUBG Mobile in the highest settings, games never seemed to slow down, and thanks to all features mentioned before, made me feel as if I was fully prepared for any demanding situation.

Fun That Doesn’t Last For Long

With a beautiful, un-intrusive screen, a powerful processor and more than enough RAM to keep your gaming sessions going, it may start to seem as if the MI 9 is all too perfect of a device - but one major setback prevents it from truly shining: battery life.

Packing only a 3300 mAh battery, the MI 9 won’t win any battery awards when it is being used as a daily device, but this issue only worsens when playing intense games. After approximately one 20 minute match of PUBG Mobile, expect to lose more than 20% of your battery, leaving you crawling to the next outlet in the middle of the day.

In more casual experiences like Clash of Clans however, the MI 9 can easily shine through a full day, ultimately meaning that the overall impact of this setback will depend on what games you plan to play on your mobile device. Nevertheless, when considering a phone simply for the purposes of gaming, be it hardcore or casual, having such a major setback makes the MI 9 instantly lose its appeal despite of the many things it has going for it.

Should You Buy One For Gaming?

The Xiaomi Mi 9 is a phone that feels like it is entirely based around casual daily usage. Though it may pack the latest and greatest specs, its just average battery life leaves much to be desired when gaming on the go. While this may be a deal breaker for those looking for the best gaming phone around, users who are comfortable with charging their phone mid-day and intend to put the device through light usage may find that Xiaomi’s latest flagship is a very adaptable piece of tech suitable for most of your needs.

Xiaomi Mi 9 Hands On And First Impressions, WOW!

I've had the Xiaomi Mi 9 now for about 4 hours and I am ridiculously impressed with the device. Here are the initial impressions of the device after a short period of time.

Build: When i took the device out of the box all I could say was wow. The devices feels quite seemless in the hand. The metal frame really gives it a nice heft and a reassuring cool metal detail to break up the sheets of glass. The in hand feel of this device is as premium as the Mi Mix 3 which i have gotten to spend time with (about two hours playing with a store managers test unit here in vietnam). Although the Mi 9 doesn't have the same Teutonic feel of the heavier Mi Mix 3, it doesn't feel like its a budget device or a device made with cost in mind.

Screen: Oh how I have missed AMOLED displays. It's been a few years since I have used an AMOLED display and they really are a thing of beauty. The one on the Mi 9 has fantastic viewing angles, tons of contrast (obviously) and the system wide black mode really does look awesome. Xiaomi advertised this was a Samsung panel and the quality really shows. That said just because it LOOKS great doesn't mean it necessarily color accurate. The temperature can obviously be adjusted in the settings but its definitely a different experience than that on my Pocophone F1.

Cameras: They are great. I already shot a ton of photos with them, in night mode, not in night mode, in pro mode on a tripod, in 48mp vs 12mp mode. I am thoroughly impressed with the amount of detail and dynamic range we are able to get out of this camera and the 3 separate focal lengths are awesome for professional photographers such as myself. Just the freedom to use focal lengths and composition more freely on this device is really awesome.

ALSO GCAM WORKS OUT OF THE BOX! No flashing or modification to the rom required since Xiaomi has already begun enabling camera 2 API standard on devices with newer versions of MIUI. I tried the Gcam night sight on the Mi 9 and compared it directly to that on my pocophone f1 (the pocophone f1 Gcam port is stable). While it's not a clear win for the mi 9 I can surely see that specialized ports of Gcam will yield even better results.

Charging speed: This thing is ludicrous. I came home put the phone on the charger for 20 minutes and it jumped from 46% battery to 87% battery.

Bootloader unlock time: I have already applied to unlock the bootloader of this device and I cannot wait to get Xiaomi EU roms on it. I hate the Chinese rom and its lack of ability to remap the AI button to google assistant. That will obviously be something that changes with global firmware but right now the stock chinese software is my least favorite part of the phone.

I'll be doing more follow ups as I use the device more and i will of course be sharing pictures here as well.