The Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition is the third and the most expensive variant of Xiaomi’s Mi 8 trio. When it launched back in May, its transparent rear got some folks curious and propped up questions as to its authenticity. Apparently, the internals of a phone doesn’t look that good which means what we are actually seeing isn’t the phone’s real internals.
Xiaomi released a statement saying the design isn’t a sticker slapped on to the rear and that the device is indeed transparent. They also added that what we see are actual parts of the mainboard. It turns out Xiaomi wasn’t entirely honest with its explanation.
The individual who first raised concerns about the design has posted images of what is actually inside the Mi 8 Explorer Edition. The images show what appears to be a 3D printed motherboard on a plate.
[envira-gallery id=”203824″]According to the original source (@Ice Universe) of the photos, it is a complex etching process as the resistors and capacitors are 3-dimensional and likely real parts though they are just there for cosmetic reasons.
So to sum it all up, the back of the phone is transparent, what we see is not a sticker but actual components of a motherboard and not the motherboard.
Nevertheless, the news doesn’t seem to affect the sales of the Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition. It went on sale today for the first time and is now out of stock, selling out in just a minute.
Priced at ¥3699 (~$543), the Mi 8 Explorer Edition comes with a 6.21-inch AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top. It has a 1080 x 2248 resolution and an 18.7:9 aspect ratio, thanks to the notch at the top.
That notch is home to a 20MP sensor and a 3D face unlock system like that of the iPhone X. It is powered by the Snapdragon 845 processor paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It also has 12MP dual cameras on its rear.
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The Mi 8 Explorer Edition is also the first Xiaomi phone to have an in-display fingerprint scanner. Under its glass back is a 3000mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 4.0+. It has a USB-C port, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, and runs Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box.
