MI CC9 vs MI 9 LITE - WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES?

[Bolumstar]

It took me a while to come to the conclusion that the next upgrade to my Whyred (redmi note 5 Ai)
will be Mi CC9 no thanks to Xiaomi who keeps confusing us with a range of similar phones in the same bracket.
So, while I just made my decision I head that Xiaomi are launching Mi CC9 globally as Mi 9 lite and it doesn't it
get more confusing or cast some doubt about me getting the CC9? whats the difference in hardware/cost?
Well, having threaded this part while deciding to buy Redmi Note 5 ai about a year ago, I think I have learned
some few things I might want to share here:
HARDWARE DIFFERENCES
There are no hardware differences but Mi 9 lite has additional FDD LTE Bands
B1,2,3,4,5,7,8,20,28 TDD B38, 40.
That's about all it and I think it's more of a modem difference as it is with most Xiaomi phones.

COST DIFFERENCE
that's a bummer! At ~$352 makes you wonder why I wouldn't pick Mi 9T ( you lose IR, gain & enjoy no notch and no Micro sd) but then, there is no sane person that won't choose SD 730 over the Older SD710. It makes no sense at all.
I paid extra $25 dollars to get the Global variant of Redmi Note 5 Ai only to realize that the China version gets better/quicker firmware updates. To make it worse, I waited 720 hours, unlocked my bootloader and has been using custom Roms on the phone since then so, why exactly did I pay extra $25 for?

FIRMWARE DIFFERENCES
I think both phones will likely not get Android 11 but will certainly get Android 10. Following Xiaomi trend, Mi CC9 may be the 1st to get the new firmware. Mi 9 lite firmware will most likely be flashed on Mi CC9 with an unlocked bootloader. Xiaomi.eu ROMs are already available for Mi CC9.

CONCLUSION
I would normally have picked Mi 9 lite over Mi CC9 but the ~$100 difference is not worth it. I mostly use custom Roms, my main
language is English (available in both) and my data network LTE is Band 3 ( also available in both) so I think I will be fine.
There are a sales in Aliexpress where Mi CC9 is $245 I've already put in the cart but something is telling me the price could go further down bc of Mi 9 lite. So, while I wait for the deal of the year, I will be rocking my whyred for some few weeks.

Let me hear from you if you are already Using Mi CC9. What do you think about the new Mi 9 lite?

 

[seities]

thanks for the post
$245 is a pretty good price for cc9 considering it's selling for around $239 in China with discount.
However, you said that the bands are different. I wonder if it's software enabled, or are there hardware differences?
i.e. Can I get the same bands using a cheaper cc9 and flash it with EU rom?
Personally I'm in the same dilemma. I love the cc9 or even the cc9e/a3, but can't stand how they priced it for overseas markets. So I'll probably get a Chinese version, but can't be sure if they will be compatible with global ROM. cc9 seems promising with EU compatibility, but no word on whether cc9e can take an a3 rom yet.

 

[obiwanbartek]

Is there any way, to distinguish REAL Mi 9 Lite (especially EU variant) from CC9? Many unofficiall resellers already sell eg. china version of Mi 8 Lite with rebranded Global ROM as REAL Global Mi 8 Lite, but they don't tell that China version does not support eg. LTE B20. And as far as I know, there is little chance to "catch" that devices. Is it the same with Mi 9 Lite? Can one sell CC9 with such rebranded Global ROM, that is seen as Mi 9 Lite?

P.S. Was the CC9 available ONLY in China, or in other Asian countries as well eg. Indonesia?

 

[Bolumstar]

Is there any way, to distinguish REAL Mi 9 Lite (especially EU variant) from CC9? Many unofficiall resellers already sell eg. china version of Mi 8 Lite with rebranded Global ROM as REAL Global Mi 8 Lite, but they don't tell that China version does not support eg. LTE B20. And as far as I know, there is little chance to "catch" that devices. Is it the same with Mi 9 Lite? Can one sell CC9 with such rebranded Global ROM, that is seen as Mi 9 Lite?

P.S. Was the CC9 available ONLY in China, or in other Asian countries as well eg. Indonesia?

If you are buying online there is no way you can tell till you get your hands on the device.
If the price is way cheaper than the global version then that could be a great indicator
that you are buying rebranded Chinese version.
If you are buying from let's say Aliexpress, state it clearly in your order notes then use it as evidence to open a dispute against the seller.
If you have the device:
1) Use fastboot to check the bootloader status.
2) Check the Widevine Level (L1 is global L3 is Chinese models)
3) Check and compare the Rom name and build numbers with official xiaomi records in MIUI forum.
From the 3 above you can verify if the hardware is CHina or global version.
I paid an extra $25 to get the global version of Redmi Note 5 Pro and have been using custom ROM with it since I unlocked it. could have gone for the Chinese version then.

I've move my choice of next upgrade from Mi cc9 becasue of poor dev activity here.
I got a better deal for Realme X2 with SD 730G and a better AMOLED screen. Still looking at the Dev community response on that one.

 

[obiwanbartek]

If you are buying online there is no way you can tell till you get your hands on the device.
If the price is way cheaper than the global version then that could be a great indicator
that you are buying rebranded Chinese version.
If you are buying from let's say Aliexpress, state it clearly in your order notes then use it as evidence to open a dispute against the seller.
If you have the device:
1) Use fastboot to check the bootloader status.
2) Check the Widevine Level (L1 is global L3 is Chinese models)
3) Check and compare the Rom name and build numbers with official xiaomi records in MIUI forum.
From the 3 above you can verify if the hardware is CHina or global version.
I paid an extra $25 to get the global version of Redmi Note 5 Pro and have been using custom ROM with it since I unlocked it. could have gone for the Chinese version then.

I've move my choice of next upgrade from Mi cc9 becasue of poor dev activity here.
I got a better deal for Realme X2 with SD 730G and a better AMOLED screen. Still looking at the Dev community response on that one.

I have the device with me, already purchased. And I want to check if it is legit Mi 9 Lite or rebranded CC9.
1) Bootloader is locked, checked both in fastboot and in developer options.
2) Widevine is L1
3) Official build numbers looks the same.

So I probably have a legit Mi 9 Lite

 

[holymoz]

I have the device with me, already purchased. And I want to check if it is legit Mi 9 Lite or rebranded CC9.
1) Bootloader is locked, checked both in fastboot and in developer options.
2) Widevine is L1
3) Official build numbers looks the same.

So I probably have a legit Mi 9 Lite

where you bought it?

 

[obiwanbartek]

where you bought it?

In one of the local resellers (unofficial) in Poland. Xiaomi Product Authentication website shows that the phone was delivered to Indonesia. That's why I asked.

 

[alirezajalilii]

why dev activity for this phone is so poor?
is it gonna change or i should consider another Xiaomi model?

 

[GuestK00355]

why dev activity for this phone is so poor?
is it gonna change or i should consider another Xiaomi model?

This device is too new, why users can't understand this ?

 

[marc2800]

Now there is not price difference between CC9 and Mi 9 Lite both ~ 230 $ for 64GB version and ~250$ for the 128 GB

 

[Bolumstar]

Now there is no price difference between CC9 and Mi 9 Lite both ~ 230 $ for 64GB version and ~250$ for the 128 GB

The Price difference now between CC9 and Mi 9 Lite ranges from $30 to $60 which is good I am now seriously eying Realme X2 - the only significant thing i will miss is IR blaster which I don't use much nowadays but the things to be gained
Extra 2GB of RAM
Dedicated SD card slot
SD730G > SD710
VOOC 4 30 watts charger
The of Realme Global version 8/128 is similar to Mi 9 lite 6/128 not more than $15 difference for the best deals.
I am seriously Worried about Development for both as the Older Mi CC9 has attracted more Devs and Realme X2
is newer but then, I have to go with the one that has more future proof...