Xiaomi Mi EBook Reader Pro launches: Spec upgrade from the original Mi EBook Reader that holds up well against the Kindle Oasis

The Xiaomi Mi EBook Reader Pro has been launched in China at a price of 1,299 yuan (US$198), with some lucky early-bird shoppers snapping up the e-reader for a limited sale price of 1,099 yuan (US$168). Xiaomi has published the full specifications for the Mi EBook Reader Pro, and unsurprisingly it is a reasonable upgrade from the regular version of the device. In fact, the specs mean it can actually serve as a more-affordable alternative to the Kindle Oasis, albeit without a waterproof display, if Xiaomi ever launches it globally.

The new Mi EBook Reader Pro comes in a 7.8-inch form, is about 7 mm thick, and it weighs 251 g. It packs a quad-core processor, 2 GB RAM, and 32 GB RAM; the regular model had 1 GB RAM and 16 GB storage while the Kindle Oasis also has a 32 GB variant for US$279.99. The Xiaomi Mi EBook Reader Pro offers 24-stage lighting (Kindle Oasis: 25) and the 3,200-mAh battery can apparently deliver up to 70 days of life on standby. The Xiaomi e-reader operates with support from Android 8.1.

With an e-reader it is the display that’s king, and the Xiaomi Mi EBook Reader Pro offers a resolution of 1874x1404 resulting in a sharp 300 ppi. This puts it nicely ahead of the regular 6-inch Mi EBook Reader with 212 ppi and on an equal footing with the Kindle Oasis also with 300 ppi. While the Amazon device can range in price from US$249.99 (8 GB, with ads) to US$299.99 (32 GB, without ads), and it does offer a lot of interesting features and waterproofing, the Mi EBook Reader Pro could make a terrific cheaper substitute if it became more widely available.

Buy the Kindle Oasis on Amazon