I don’t know what was my motivation that day to start filming. In fact I don’t even know what I ate for lunch, or why I chose that day over any other. But on June 12th, 2018 I purchased Xiaomi’s new flagship phone from my usual reseller in Sham Shui Po, and then took out my iPhone and filmed a 3 minute 16 second video of the phone. And the craziest part of all this: the video was filmed in PORTRAIT, not landscape. The reality was that I had no idea what I was doing, but I did know that I had spent years talking, watching, listening and reading about mobile tech as well as trying new phones. Yet the passion and desire to share my feelings about the Xiaomi Mi 8 were so strong that day that it was practically an inevitability. I eventually was able to better articulate why things had occurred the way they did: I was already living and breathing having a tech YouTube channel every day. The only thing I wasn’t doing was pressing “RECORD”!

Clip of my Xiaomi Mi 8 first look, June 12th, 2018. Filmed in portrait and in poor lighting!

The Xiaomi Mi 8 was the perfect first phone to revive my channel. I had earlier in the year purchased the P20 Pro, and the One Plus 6 and while both of those phones were great releases, they had been extensively covered by most of the big sites and channels. At the time the Xioami Mi 8 had been announced in China, and the first units had made their way across the border to Hong Kong. There was very limited coverage in English at the time of this release, and I knew that because at the time I spent my days scouring through videos trying to find good content. The Mi 8 also represented Xiaomi’s first attempt at creating a notched “iPhone X” like phone, but at an ultra competitive price point that only Xiaomi is capable of achieving. Because of this, I don’t think there could have been a better phone or a better time to record my first video in years and revive my channel.

It’s amazing to come full circle 8 months later reviewing the Mi 8’s successor, the Xiaomi Mi 9. With a beautiful holographic back, pebble like curves, 6.39” AMOLED screen, triple camera setup, next generation Snapdragon 855 processor and fast in display fingerprint sensor the Mi 9 represents a sizable upgrade in every way over the Mi 8. The only thing that didn’t change? The rock bottom pricing. At 2999 Yuan or 3500 HKD/450 USD the Mi 9 arrives with the same specs and on the same day as the Samsung Galaxy S10 series, but at less than half the price. I think if Xiaomi was able to sell the Mi 9 in more markets, including the US, this value proposition would be hard to beat, even at a 10 or 20 percent increase from the China pricing. I would love to see Xiaomi find a way to get it’s products into the States, as I really feel the US market is missing out on some of the best value phones being released these days.

The beautiful holographic back of the Ocean Blue Mi 9 catching the light just right!

Why did I stop for three and a half years? The reality is, I have as few reasons to explain why I stopped as I have for why I started again. What I do know is that my life has changed so much from posting that first Frankie Tech Video in January 2015 to when I revived the channel in June 2018. In the span of those 3 plus years my wife and I welcomed our daughter to this world. She is now 3 years old and loves technology and saying my tagline “Hi Guys it’s Frankie from Frankie Tech!”. During that time I also made advances for myself, completing my MBA in May of 2018. I guess you could say I was restless, or was missing something to do that day in June. Yet there was one thing that stayed consistent through all this time: my passion for tech. I filmed an occasional short unboxing of a new Apple product, and spoke incessantly to my best buddy Nick for years about phones and tech, to the point that he would decree, “no more phone talk!” on many nights out. He knew I was passionate about tech but he also knew that with the right venue, I could share my thoughts with an audience receptive to hear it. I’m so glad that I finally found an outlet for my passion through YouTube and Frankie Tech. I’m so glad that I pushed past the doubt and fear of putting myself and my content out there. I’m so glad I pressed “RECORD” once again!

Shot with the Mi 9’s new ultra wide sensor, a great way to capture more skyline and foreground.