Xiaomi releases cheaper 8GB version of the Mi 9 Transparent Edition

The transparent Mi 9 alongside an 'opaque' sibling. (Source: Xiaomi)

The transparent variant of the Xiaomi Mi 9 seems to be doing very well this year. Chinese blogs have reported that the OEM cannot keep it on shelves, despite its relatively high price tag. Perhaps this is why a new, cheaper variant with less RAM has just been announced.

by Deirdre O Donnell, 2019/03/22

Xiaomi seems to have done well with the Mi 9's "transparent" variant this year. While its back is made of a clear material that shows a stylized 'main-board' design rather than the real thing, it remains a pretty compelling effect. Furthermore, the Transparent Edition is also the top end of its line, with a whopping 12GB of RAM and 256GB worth of storage.

Then again, the OEM appears to have been struggling with the demand for this complete package. Blogs with links to China have been documenting apparent supply issues Xiaomi has been experiencing with respect to the Mi 9 Transparent Edition. This may be the reason for the company's latest adaptation to the product: a new variant with less RAM: 8GB of it, in fact. It is priced at 3699 yuan (about US$488), whereas its 12GB counterpart is 3999 yuan (about $527).

This new form of Mi 9 will therefore have the same amount of RAM as the top-spec'd 'normal' variant. However, unlike this phone, it will retain its 256GB of internal storage. Unfortunately, Xiaomi's supply issues appear to have kicked in again in terms of its availability. It is reported as out of stock to online customers trying to pre-order it. However, customers near a Mi Store in regions where the Transparent Edition is sold just may be in luck.