findaphone
Upper mid-range · 2019

Xiaomi Mi 9 Explorer

Our Take
CPU capability matches mid-range phones like Samsung Galaxy A27 Camera shares the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro's main sensor
Best for
Strength AMOLED screen
Extras Ceramic back, Cooling system
Watch out No Google Play, No more updates
6.39″ AMOLED · 60Hz
855 8 / 256 GB
3300 mAh 27W charging
48 MP 3 rear · 20 MP selfie
4G LTE NFC
Compare

Full specifications

Display

6.39″ · Super AMOLED · 1080 × 2340 · 60 Hz · HDR
OLED display

A clean OLED panel — colours pop and sunlight visibility is solid.

Screen size
6.39"
Panel type
Super AMOLED
OLED
Resolution
1080 × 2340 px
Refresh rate
60 Hz
Slow for 2026
HDR
HDR10
HDR
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 6

Performance

Qualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) · 8-core 2.84 GHz · Adreno 640
Everyday capable

Daily apps and casual games run smoothly — heavy gaming will drop frames.

Chipset
Qualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm)
Current CPU tier
Mid-range
Launch class
Upper mid-range
AnTuTu
572,657
Kimovil · Antutu v10
CPU
8-core, 2.84 GHz
GPU
Adreno 640
Process
7 nm
RAM type
LPDDR4X RAM
Storage type
UFS Storage 2.1
CPU layout
1x Kryo 485 2.84 GHz + 3x Kryo 485 2.4 GHz + 4x Kryo 485 1.8 GHz

Software & updates

Android 9.0 (Pie), MIUI 10 · 2-year support (brand estimate)
Likely end of life

This phone is past its update window — it still works, but new Android versions and most security patches have stopped.

Operating system
Android 9.0 (Pie), MIUI 10
Software support
2 years of updates (brand estimate)
Updates remaining
None — past its update window

Camera

48 MP f/1.5 main · 20 MP selfie · 4K video
4K video

A standard camera setup — sharp in daylight, expect noise in low light.

Main camera
48 MP f/1.5
Telephoto
12 MP f/2.2
Ultrawide
16 MP f/2.2
Front camera
20 MP f/2.0
Main sensor
Sony IMX586 Exmor RS, 1/2", 0.8µm
Mainstream sensor
Same sensor in
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro , Oppo Reno
Slow motion
Yes, 960 fps
Camera extras
RAW, laser AF, manual focus
Video
4K @ 60 fps
4K video

Battery

3300 mAh · 27 W wired · 20 W wireless
Plan to charge daily

Small by today's standards. Plan on charging once a day, twice if you're heavy.

Capacity
3300 mAh
Wired charging
27 W
Wireless charging
20 W
Wireless charging
Removable
No

Memory

8 GB RAM · 256 GB
Roomy
RAM
8 GB
Storage
256 GB
Configurations
8/256GB · 12/256GB
Storage type
UFS 2.1
Expandable
No

Connectivity

4G LTE · NFC · Wi-Fi 5
5G
No
4G LTE
Yes
NFC
Yes
Contactless
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth
5.0
GPS systems
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BeiDou (B1), Galileo (E1+E5a)
USB
USB-C 2.0
USB OTG
Yes
3.5mm jack
No
IR blaster
No
SIM
1× Nano-SIM

Network bands

4G works on all four carriers — no 5G

Radio bands decide whether this phone sees MTN, Glo, Airtel or 9mobile towers — and how strong the signal holds indoors.

M MTN
4G works · no 5G No B20 — signal can get weak indoors and outside the big cities.
Works
A Airtel
4G full · no 5G
Full
G Glo
4G works No B28 — signal can get weak indoors and outside the big cities.
Works
9 9mobile
4G full
Full

The bands Nigerian networks use

B3 main band
M A G 9
B7 extra speed
M
B20 indoor reach
M
B28 indoor reach
G
n78 the 5G band
M A

The dots show which network uses each band. ✓ means this phone has it, ✗ means it doesn't.

All reported bands

2G BC0, B2, B3, B5, B8
3G B1, B2, B5, B8
4G B1, B2, B3, B5, B7, B8, B12, B17

Build & Design

173 g · 7.6 mm
Height
157.5 mm
Width
74.7 mm
Thickness
7.6 mm
Weight
173 g

Sensors

Fingerprint (under display, optical) · accelerometer · gyro · proximity
Sensors
Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass

Images and battery life estimates from GSMArena

How it stacks up against the rest.

A few phones around the same price, so you can see what this one does better and what it gives up.

vs

Apple iPhone 11

Trades blows 2 wins 2 losses
Sharper screen
Super AMOLED vs IPS LCD panel · 1080 × 2340 vs 828 × 1792 resolution
Starts with more storage
256 GB vs 64 GB baseline
Lower benchmark score
573k vs 816k AnTuTu · Mid-range vs Upper mid-range tier
Less protected
None vs IP68 protection
Full comparison
vs

Samsung Galaxy S10e

Trades blows 2 wins 2 losses
Faster charging
27 W vs 15 W charging
Starts with more storage
256 GB vs 128 GB baseline
Weaker display tech
Super AMOLED vs Dynamic AMOLED panel · Tradeoff: 6.39″ vs 5.8″ screen
Less protected
None vs IP68 protection · 173 g vs 150 g
Full comparison

Where to buy

We don't have any listings for this phone yet. Try searching on Konga or Jiji.

Search on Konga Search on Jiji

Similar Phones

How each one compares to the Xiaomi Mi 9 Explorer.

Xiaomi Mi 9
Mid-range

Xiaomi Mi 9

Less storage
6GB 64GB 3300mAh
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
Upper mid-range

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

Stabilised camera · Less storage
6GB 128GB 3200mAh
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G
Mid-range

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G

Bigger battery · 5G support
6GB 64GB 3800mAh
Xiaomi Black Shark 2
Mid-range

Xiaomi Black Shark 2

Bigger battery · Less storage
6GB 128GB 4000mAh