Mi 9 SE, Dual Sim 64GB 6GB RAM, Full UK Warranty- Piano Black

This is an excellent mid range android phone with great specs for the price. The screen is vivid and colourful and the lack of a notification led is no problem as the always on a OLED screen shows an icon when an email or message has been received. The phone comes with MIUI 10 installed which is upgradable to MIUI 11 straight away, I was a bit apprehensive about using this operating system having come from an android one phone but I have to admit that the MIUI is very intuitive and the gestures system is probably better than stock android. The phone is very nippy in every day use opening and closing apps etc and games seem to run smoothly without any stuttering. The phone is also supplied with a silicone case which protects the rear and sides of the phone, a usb c charging cable and a UK fast charging plug, overall a great product.

Great specs packed in a pocket size phone making it superb value for money. I bought this phone to replace my 2 years old Samsung S8 and I am pleasantly surprised to have experienced that . The phone costed me less than thirds of the price of a flagship phone and it is simply brilliant. Certainly you will miss the camera quality of the main camera and some other frills like Samsung AR and samsung html enabled email when compared to a flagship phone but there is no compromise on the quality of sound, reception, sensors, selfie camera, battery life. Absolutely no nonsense compared to oppo, realme and vivo which come with a lot of bloatware. None of these phones including one plus can compete with flawless darkmode on Mi9SE which is as good as darkmode offered on Samsung S phones.

So, screen; excellent, sharp, vibrant colours and bright. Performance; I have the 4GB/64GB version so everything is running smoothly and the octa-core processor is powerful enough for nearly anything you should reasonably want (I don't play games but I understand from Youtube reviews that it's pretty good for that sort of content). Some Xiaomi's use their own MUI interface overlaying Android (some use AndroidOne). The Note 6 uses (at the time of writing) MUI 10. I have to admit I'm not a big fan so I've installed Nova launcher (which is free, with little system overhead) which allows you to configure your launch buttons and home screen to your hearts content. I've seen some discontent over the camera but to be honest I think it's really good. Nice colour reproduction, sharp images, fast launch and focus and a good variety of camera modes. The video mode also has a slow-mo and time-lapse features. Overall, for the price, this is a fantastic purchase.

Having set a maximum price of £300 and a maximum screen size of 6" for an android phone I eventually decided to go with the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE. As I always use Nova launcher on my phones, I really can't comment on the stock MIUI launcher. The phone itself is responsive, the screen is excellent and I really like the fact that there's virtually no wasted space around the screen to make the handset unnecessarily large. Audio is acceptable, the fingerprint reader reliable and there seem to be regular software updates. The camera performs well enough and is a significant improvement over that in my old Huawei Nova. The biggest issue I have with this phone is battery life. If you leave all of the visual goodies switched on then you'll just about get through a day with average use of the phone. Too much in the way of browsing, playing games or watching films and you're likely to be reaching for a charger way before it's time to go to bed. There is a battery saving option and turning off some of the visual goodies could extend the period between charges. I also replaced the protective case that comes with the phone (nice that the manufacturer is prepared to provide one in the box) with one made by Spigen to give the phone a greater level of protection, particularly the rear camera which protrudes from the phone body. Overall, I'm quite happy with my Xiaomi Mi 9 SE and if you're looking for a well made phone that will fit in your pocket then you could do a lot worse.

I bought this to upgrade from a Huawei Y6 II Compact and whilst the Huawei was a great phone and served me well over the past 2 years, the difference between that and this new Xiaomi is night and day. The screen is massively bigger, vastly brighter and the phone feels significantly (and very noticeably) faster. It's incredible to think what you can get for your money these days in comparison to just a couple of years ago. As far as the UI is concerned I've been a long-time user of Nova Launcher so can't really comment on Xiaomi's own user interface. What I normally do is set up Nova Launcher, then once that's done the OCD in me switches back to the stock interface temporarily just to tidy that up a bit (and 'have a play with it'). But as NL is so reliable and good I just stick with that. Chrome feels lightning-quick as does my usual compliment of primary apps such as Amazon, PayPal, eBay etc. I don't game on phones so again I can't comment on that aspect though the reviews I've seen online seem to paint a favourable picture there too. It isn't a gripe as such but the weight of the Xiaomi is the only negative, but as this phone obviously has the much larger screen size it stands to reason it would be heavier. All in all I'm very happy with this model, and would easily recommend it.

Hard to believe, but I still have this phone and it’s become my go‑to secondary device whenever I need access to Android. After all these years, I simply replaced the battery and it’s running like new again. It really shows that Xiaomi delivers high‑quality products at a very reasonable price.

Phone seems well made, apart from the non-curved screen where it meets the frame. Strange "step" rather than a blend. Feels well balanced despite its weight. The display is great and a nice size, the rear camera works very well for photos at least (not tried video). The phone is generally responsive and smooth. The phone updated to MIUI 10 on first use, which proved to be THE clumsiest launcher/OS I've ever come across - and ugly. The settings "app" is just chaos. There are some other oddities too - the weather app will not allow you to use current location - there are features you have to sign up to Xiaomi's servers to use (err, no thanks) - some bloatware cannot be removed or hidden - no app drawer at all, everything is on the home screens - there are odd settings for notification sounds that means you don't get all of them or any - the notification LED is a tiny dim white useless thing - the FM Radio sounds utterly awful (big issue for me in the sticks with no mobile coverage) - the "free" case in the box is nice and grippy, but doesn't fit particularly well or protect the camera bump, strangely - the ear speaker is rather small and a little quiet. Compared with my Honor/Huawei phones and Xiaomi's own Mi A1 (Android One), this was a rather disappointing experience. I'm sure others may find it OK, if they can get to grips with the unorthodox software.

Bought this phone for my daughter, had just got fed up forking out for Samsung and iPhones and was looking for an alternative that did the job just as well for less money. My daughter has been very pleased. Build quality is good. It has a fast processor and a good camera,screen resolution is good and she happily watches Netflix etc. And from a parental point of view it won't break the bank if (when) she eventually loses or destroys it. Xiaomi offers great value, a great phone with a great price tag.