Tag: Xiaomi

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Review : Can’t Beat This
The Xiaomi Redmi 1S went on Sale for a price of Rs 5999, with a limited 40,000 phones for sale and the phone got the usual response. But is the phone worth the mega hype that it has created? Lets find out!

Overview

The Redmi 1S just like the Xiaomi phones in the past has built a burning desire in everyones hearts to own the phone, it comes with an impressive price tag and a good spec sheet. The performance on the phone is excellent and everything just seems to be too good to be true. The Redmi 1S will truly change the market perception for starting – lower end smartphones.

Hardware

[pullquote_left]Loaded with Hardware![/pullquote_left]

Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset the Redmi 1S has a Quad Core 1.6 GHz CPU the Adreno 305 GPU, 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of inbuilt storage. The front of the Redmi 1S has a 4.7 inch 1280 x 720 p display a total of 312 ppi it’s protected by Asahi Dragontrail glass and is an IPS panel. Cameras comprise of an 8 MP snapper with a wide f2.2 aperture and a 1.6 MP front camera. The Main camera is capable of a 1920 x 1080p Full HD video capture.

The phone runs on a 2050 mAh battery pack, which is replaceable, has dual SIM card slots, one of which is a 3G (GSM-WCDMA) and one is 2G (GSM). The Redmi 1S also has a memory card slot to add a memory card upto 64GB.

Build quality and Design

The Redmi 1S is a pretty good looking phone, it’s not Moto G, but then it’s almost half the price. The replaceable back panels give you the ability to give the phone a personal look and feel. The phone is essentially made out of plastic, but in no way does it feel cheap or poorly built. The front has a Asahi Dragontrail glass, which many argue that it is equally good when compared to Gorilla Glass variants.

[pullquote_right]Buttons are not Backlit![/pullquote_right]

The buttons are nice and tactile, for volume and power. The touch buttons are responsive and easily reached, they however are not backlit, which is rather disappointing, and difficult in low light situations and at night. The phone has a good fit and feel in the hand, the edges are soft and the outsides curve to match the shape of your hand really well.

Performance and Gaming

We were surprised to see the performance from this sub Rs. 6000 handset. The UI is fast and responsive and you really cannot complain about the performance of this handset. Usually budget phones end up being turnoffs, however the Moto E changed that in the past and the Xiaomi Redmi 1S tops that by almost double.

With an average of 330 MB of Free RAM available at all times, the Redmi 1S also has a built in app kill switch that frees up the RAM for usage. Overall the phone is capable of delivering more than you can expect from a phone in this budget. Our Benchmark and Gaming video shows you exactly that below.

The Gaming is pretty good too, even though really graphic intensive games will not work on full graphics, the phone is able to handle gaming pretty decently and without duress. You will get good viewing angles, good touch response, and great gaming feedback. Audio from the speakers is a bit low but acceptable.

Camera

As far as the Camera is concerned, you will be surprised to see what this phone can achieve. You get the exact same UI from the Mi3 for the Camera app and an excellent 8 MP sensor that does Full HD video, where most struggle to even do video in the first place at this price. Composition of the shot is quick and autofocus is snappy, colours are a bit dull – and contrast is pretty acceptable. We like additional options like filters, HDR and delayed shots all of which works well and intuitively. You also get quick face detection and a zero lag shutter; mighty impressive.

Great Macro

Good Focus

Low Light Sample

Twilight Sample

Dark Sample

Android and MIUI

[pullquote_left]MIUI is fantastic![/pullquote_left]

Even though you get an older version of Android, I don’t see people complaining anytime soon. The phone is really fast and responsive and thanks to the awesome MIUI overlay, there are additional functions and shortcuts that one can really learn to appreciate.

LockScreen

Dialer

Messaging

Browser

Notification Panel

Toggles

FM RADIO

Software Info

Lite Mode

Lite Mode Quick Dialer

Lite Mode Apps List

The version of MIUI is also fairly old, however, there is an imminent update promised for the Redmi 1S to MIUI v6 by the end of the year. You get Google Now style weather updates and notifications, iOS style app layout and folders, and lots of skinning options. All of this with very little load on the RAM and the CPU department, ensuring smooth sailing throughout.

Even though competition is currently offering Android KitKat and more soon, Redmi 1S has the capabilities of holding its own, mostly thanks to the enabled hardware. The future update is expected to free up some RAM on the phone making performance much better, giving you an average of 420 plus MB of free RAM vs the current average of 320-340.

The Phone also has a lite-mode which was initially intended for senior citizens, but however in the indian edition is been designed to give an easier usage experience to the first time user.

Phone and Battery

Phone networks ar good, but not great. We feel that there is a low network reception indoors with the Redmi 1S when compared to other devices. Outdoors however is great and we have no complaints with audio quality on the incoming or outgoing while on a call.

Battery life is not the best, on an average the phone will run out before end of day, and if you are a heavy user, expect to carry a charger/ powerbank at all times. Xiaomi is also planning to sell additional spare batteries and external battery chargers.

With the existing battery expect 5-6 hours of real talk time, or a mix of internet usage and apps with 3-4 hours of talk time.

Conclusion

While the Redmi 1S is going to have the same issues like the Mi3, i.e. the lack of available units to sell, service centre issues, Flipkart selling woes, and what not. The Redmi 1S still makes for one hell of a device for one hell of a price, that you can’t beat right now. The hardware is equivalent to devices almost twice the price and performance even better.

[pullquote_right]You simply can’t beat this Phone![/pullquote_right]

The phone is good looking, well built and supported with respect to the OS and UI, with the added advantage of cheap accessories and quick updates one really can’t complain. For the price you will not find a better device, even if you add another 50$.

REVIEW VIDEO

[tw-column width=”one-half”]

GOOD THINGS
- Super Cheap
- Excellent Hardware
- Flexible Software
- Great Optics/Camera
- Fast and Intuitive
- High Resolution Display
- Large Display
[/tw-column]

[tw-column width=”one-half” position=”last”]

BAD THINGS
- Lack of Units to Sell
- Still on Android 4.3
- Horrible Sale Method
[/tw-column]
September 4, 2014
Buy a Redmi 1S Today Using These Tips to Better Your Chances

After the overwhelming success of the Mi3, Xiaomi is now ready to unleash the Xiaomi Redmi 1S in the Indian market. Today, the smartphone, priced at Rs. 5,999, will go on sale at 2pm. Lack of stock, unreliability of Flipkart and the overall disappointing sales of the Xiaomi Mi3 have taught us that we need to be armed and prepared to handle these strategic flash sales better.

Here are our tips and tricks to make sure you get your hands on a Xiaomi Redmi 1S today:

1. Pre Register

Possibly the most obvious tip, you need to have already pre registered to buy the phone. Pre registrations are now closed, so hopefully, you’ve checked this box. Otherwise, remember to set a reminder to be better prepared for next Tuesday.

2. Know the Time

The Xiaomi Redmi 1S will go on sale at precisely 2:00 pm IST on 2nd September, so try and reach the buying page at least an hour earlier, even though it seems like an overkill.

3. Multiple Device logins

Try being online from multiple devices, preferably on different internet connections; in order to have different I.P. addresses accessing the site, this will improve your chances and bring you one step closer to buying a Xiaomi Redmi 1S.

4. Flipkart App

The Flipkart app uses a separate server and has a higher chance of “not failing” at the time of sale. If you want to buy a Xiaomi Redmi, the app might prove to be easier, “might” being the key word.

5. Super Refresh Times 40,000

When the sale starts, most people are struggling to open the webpage, ctrl+R / f5 (refresh)/ Cmd+R (mac), is your best friend. Hit it till you get a page to buy a Xiaomi Redmi 1S. Other people have reported opening several tabs being helpful.

6. Cart it!

If you do get a page loaded, add that phone to the cart like there is no tomorrow, once you have the handset in your cart, your chances have just gone up from 1 in a million to 50:50 in order to buy a Xiaomi Redmi 1S.

7. Patience

Once you have it in your cart, attempt payment by refreshing several times, in most cases you won’t be able to make payments due to overloads on the server so keep trying. Here the app helps too.

Also, if the website fails completely, there is a very high chance that the phone is in your cart when Flipkart comes back online, that’s the perfect moment for you to buy a Xiaomi Redmi 1S.

Once you do get through to the payment section and make your payments in whatever the mode you select, pat yourself on the back sir, you my friend are a lucky owner of the coveted Xiaomi Redmi 1S!

Now, check out our unboxing of the Xiaomi Redmi 1S below.

September 2, 2014
Xiaomi Redmi 1S Exclusive Sale for Flipkart First Subscribers Today

Xiaomi Redmi 1S is going on an early sale today exclusively for Flipkart First subscribers. Starting at 2PM, first 2000 subscribers, who registered to buy the handset, can get their hands on the device ahead of the first flash sale for registered users on Tuesday.

It is said that Flipkart will add the smartphone automatically to the cart of the first two thousand Flipkart first customers who registered for the handset’s flash sale on Tuesday. And the E-commerce website will inform the lucky subscribers through emails about their eligibility for early access.

Due to the limited stocks available, Flipkart has also announced that it will limit orders to one phone per registered email id. “Since stocks would be limited, we recommend you to login & buy immediately 2pm onwards. To ensure that all our customers can get their hands on Redmi 1S, we are limiting orders to one phone per registered email id.” Flipkart mailed the registered users.

Xiaomi is continuing the trend of Tuesday flash sale which was started with the launch of Xiaomi Mi3. The company has claimed that more than 1,00,000 users have applied for Redmi 1S sale. Xiaomi also referred as ‘Apple of China’ has been criticised for the limited availability of the Mi3 smartphone. It is yet to be seen how Flipkart and Xiaomi handle the Redmi 1S flash sales.

Redmi 1S priced at Rs. 5,999 will be competing with likes of Asus Zenphone A450 and Moto E, which are also exclusively sold on Flipkart. The Xiaomi Redmi 1s comes with 2 Micro Sim to Regular Sim adapters in the box for the dual sim device. The phone will run one card on 3G GSM while one on 2G GSM. The Redmi 1S is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Chipset running at 1.6 GHz on Quad Cores and the Adreno 305 GPU. It accepts micro SD cards unto 32 GB and comes with an inbuilt storage of 8 GB and has 1 GB RAM.

Check out our unboxing and of Xiaomi Redmi 1S below.

September 1, 2014
Unboxing : Redmi 1S And First Impressions

Xiaomi has really taken the Indian market seriously and has made products available quite promptly. With the new Xiaomi Redmi 1S, the company has broken the price barrier at Rs. 5999 and basically beat the Moto E and Asus Zenphone A450 by exactly Rs. 1000. The Phone will follow the same sale pattern as before , often referred to as #FailSale but, the company claims that the strategy is really working for them.

The Xiaomi Redmi 1s will come with 2 Micro Sim to Regular Sim adapters in the box for the dual sim device. The phone will run one card on 3G GSM while one on 2G GSM. The Redmi 1S is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Chipset running at 1.6 GHz on Quad Cores and the Adreno 305 GPU. It accepts micro SD cards unto 32 GB and comes with an inbuilt storage of 8 GB and has 1 GB RAM.

For the Price it is an amazing value, and definitely beats down the competition. The juicy bits include a 1280 x 720 px 4.7 inch IPS LCD Display along with an 8MP camera which can shoot 1080p footage and a front facing 1.6MP camera capable of 720p video.

Xiaomi has started accepting registrations for the sale set to being on 2nd Sept on Flipkart here. The company claims that it has had no issues regarding service, and urges people to use the included sim adapters to tackle the sim card related problems. For the first flash sale of the Redmi 1S, Xiaomi will bring 40,000 units, which from the point of demand is still a meager stock.

The Phone will be made available along side a bunch of accessories including a screen protector, a gel case and a PU leather cover as well. Stay tuned for our review.

Buying Options

August 27, 2014
Xiaomi Mi3 Accessories Up for Pre-Order on Flipkart

While Xiaomi continues its Tuesday sale frenzy, the company seems to be now readying itself to make some more money off its Indian operations. It has put up the first batch of its official Mi accessories for pre-order on Flipkart. Back home in China, it is said that the company earns more from accessories than its phone.

The accessories will be available exclusively on Flipkart (no surprise!), and it is said that delivery of the accessories will start at the end of the month.

There are only four accessories right now available for the pre-order right now. Of these, three are flip cases (in white, black and blue colours) for the Xiaomi Mi3 and one is a screen protector for it. The flip cases are priced at Rs. 559 while the screen protector is available for Rs. 179.

The news comes with a bit of a disappointment as Xiaomi displayed a lot of more accessories at its launch event last month. Which includes powerful Xiaomi Mi Power Bank, Mi headphones and Mi Key as well. However, the company made it clear that Mi key, which lets you take a picture without needing to unlock your device, won’t be available in the Indian market anytime soon.

Mi Flip Cover

Mi Key

Mi Power bank

The huge screen will be appreciated by Gamers, readers and multimedia lovers alike.

It is said that, when the Mi power bank will be available in India, the 5200mAh version will cost Rs. 799 and 10,400mAh battery for Rs. 999. The company also pointed out they will be launching Redmi 1S and Redmi Note sometime in August. Based on this statement, we can expect both the devices to be available for pre-order soon.

August 21, 2014
Xiaomi Brings Out MIUI 6 For Developers

Xiaomi is growing and how, the young Chinese company has earned tremendous brand recognition in a short period. Its Android based UI, the MIUI has been a recognized and well-appreciated interface. Lot many folks are impressed by the regular updates and superior customizability of the UI. The company announced that it will be bringing the next version of the UI, the MIUI 6 for developers, and it will be out for the users very soon.

The company released a teaser video of what the new MIUI would look like and true to Xiaomi’s design approach; the new UI looks rather close to iOS 7. Xiaomi doesn’t make it a secret that they derive some of their “inspiration” from Apple products, and this one seems to fall just in line.

MIUI 6 will follow a minimalistic design pattern with lots of colors. It will also have enhanced security and new features such as immersive parallax effect on apps like clock.

Minimalistic Look with subtle graphics.

The new update according to Xiaomi will be less distracting, and if the visuals are to be believed, the clean interface has some sweet graphics backing it. The new phonebook allows you to identify unknown callers; mark service numbers (as banks, scams, sales) and see a visible menu of the carrier’s hotline numbers so you can easily choose your option without trying to decipher the IVRS.

MIUI 6 will have new gestures for the home-screen and a redesigned notification shade with toggles for various settings. The notification center shows notifications on the lock-screen and the UI has support for more than 5,000 theme options.

The Flat design is almost reminiscent of sticky pads.

The flat design sure makes some of the apps seems as if they are sticky notes. The translucent features of the UI stand out and give dimension to the content that is also visually appealing.

The Color options are visually appealing.

The Color options are visually appealing.

The Color options are visually appealing.

The Color options are visually appealing.

Overall, the design is clean and easy on the eyes and will definitely impress the seasoned MIUI users as well as new adopters. But it’s time the company took a departure from blatantly copying Apple; even their website follows the Apple design. Now that the company is out of the Chinese borders and made its mark in countries across the globe, it needs an identity for itself. The company is still ahead in terms of product design, both interiors and exterior, than many of its competitors, but “Apple copycats” is not the tag they want when attracting a wide audience.

August 18, 2014
Xiaomi Releases a Fix to Address Privacy Scares

Xiaomi has faced all the spectrums of media coverage. From the good ones such as the phenomenal praise for being an innovative handset and equipment maker to the bad ones such as being an Apple copycat. Recently the company faced allegations of privacy lapse from its cloud messaging service. Some even alleged that Xiaomi was spying for the Chinese government. Xiaomi was fast on their feet to release an update that will try to put the hysteria to rest.

Here’s for some perspective on the news. A Finnish online security and Privacy Company called F-secure took it upon itself to inquire into claims of Xiaomi sending cloud based messages back to its servers in Beijing. What was more infuriating was the fact that the data that was being sent back was unencrypted, so anyone could intercept and sell it for profit. The data sent to the servers included phone’s carrier name, phone number, IMEI and even numbers and text messages back to HQ in Beijing.

The allegations were huge enough to harm the company’s potential consumer market, and hence, Xiaomi brings out this new upgrade. The MIUI cloud messaging service is a free SMS service. By routing messages via IP instead of using the carrier’s SMS gateway, the SMSes are sent free of charge. Xiaomi says it needs the data packets to determine if the message can be routed over the internet for free.

The issue was that the phone’s cloud messaging was enabled to be always on sync. Now with the new ROM update, folks who buy fresh Xiaomi or factory refresh their phones will have the option to enable cloud messages manually. So if you don’t want to use Xiaomi’s cloud service you can turn it off. The update also encrypts the data that is sent to servers so that it can’t be sniffed out for unscrupulous purposes.

Xiaomi’s VP Hugo Barra took to Google Plus (in an act of corporate transparency rarely seen) to explain the entire issue. He posted an in-depth FAQ’s in which he mentions that no user data or social graph is stored, and the messages leave the servers immediately to ensure quick delivery of the message. Hopefully with the new encryption and security update, Xiaomi can return to being a giant pain to competing smartphone manufacturers and an angel in consumer’s eyes.

August 11, 2014
Xiaomi Dethrones Samsung from the Top Spot in China

Seems like a bad day for Samsung, earlier we reported that their No. 1 position in India slipped away, and sounds like they’re headed towards trouble in China as well. Xiaomi is just four years old but the way the company has taken over the market in the last quarter is remarkable.

Just last year, Xiaomi was just another dubious Chinese handset maker. Well, things certainly have changed and according to the report by research firm Canalys, Samsung is no longer the top phone manufacturer in China.

Xiaomi distributed around 15 million phones in early 2014 while Samsung is lagging behind at 13.2 million. The report published on Monday by Canalys, revealed that Xiaomi’s remarkable growth, surpassing giants like Samsung and Lenovo to become the top player in China. Because of its huge growth in China, Xiaomi became the fifth largest smartphone maker in the world.

Xiaomi is little known in Europe or in North America because it sells nearly all of its smartphones in mainland China. But strong growth in China and Indian-subcontinent (recently) was enough to get Xiaomi to a top five position among the world’s smartphone makers from nowhere the previous year.

“Over all, Xiaomi grew 240 per cent, compared with the second quarter last year, to take 14 percent of the Chinese smartphone market. Undoubtedly, this was helped by an under-strength Samsung performance during the quarter,” Canalys research analyst Jingwen Wang wrote in a statement, “But that is only half the story — Xiaomi has also executed on its strategy to grow volume shipments. It has delivered compelling products at aggressive price points, backed by effectively targeted marketing.”

To increase customer base, Xiaomi offered special software that customers cannot get with other Android devices. The company offers a customized version of Android, called MIUI, which customers can help design by giving feedback online; the company releases a new version of the operating system every Friday to keep fans excited.

Samsung reported last week its lowest quarterly profit in two years for the second quarter, partly blaming a slowdown of cheap smartphone sales in China. Samsung said it faced higher competition from local brands and weaker demand for its 3G handsets as Chinese consumers shifted to 4G smartphones.

China has highest percentage of mobile users than any other country and makes up 37% of the global phone market. Encouraged by its success at home, Xiaomi is looking to expand into other countries in the next year, including Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia, Russia and Turkey.

August 5, 2014
Xiaomi Becomes the Fifth-Largest Smartphone Vendor in the World

The year 2014 is definitely proving to be a great year for the “Apple of China”. Yes, Xiaomi Inc has overtaken LG to claim the fifth spot in overall smartphones shipped in the second quarter of 2014. The company, barely four years old, was labeled as the ‘star performer’ for the quarter by Strategy Analytics.

The market research firm today reported that Xiaomi captured a record 5.1% market share, up from a meagre 1.8% it captured last year. In physical numbers, the company showed a sharp growth. Xiaomi shipped an incredible 15.1 million units in the second quarter of 2014, as compared to only 4.1 million units shipped in the same quarter in the previous year. This incredible growth now puts it above LG and into the top five smartphone vendors for the first time in the company’s history.

This is largely due to its very competitively priced and high specs laden smartphones selling like hot cakes in developing markets. We recently published news of their Mi3 flagship phone selling out on Flipkart in less than 5 minutes. Even their latest smartphone, the Mi4, is being sold in China for only 1999 yuan (about Rs. 20,000), less than half the price of Apple’s iPhone 5s.

“Xiaomi’s Android smartphone models are wildly popular in the Chinese market and it shifts millions of them every quarter through its extensive online and operator channels,” says Strategy Analytics. “Their next step is to target the international market in Asia and Europe, where it will have to invest big money to familiarize western consumers with its unfamiliar brand name.”

Overall, the market continues to be dominated by Samsung and Apple, although their lead keeps on diminishing. Total smartphones shipped for the quarter stood at 295.2 million units, up from the 233 million units in 2013. Out of these, Samsung accounted for 74.5 million units, which surprisingly, was a fall from 76 million units it shipped in the same quarter in the previous year. Their market share also declined sharply from 32.6% last year to 25.2% this year. Samsung in a recent statement blamed cheaper Chinese competitors for this decline.

Apple continued to hold the distant second position with 11.9% market share, again a decline from the 13.4% share it held last year. Physical units shipped by them however, rose from 31.2 million units to 35.2 million units.

Korean giants LG, despite an increase in shipments, saw a decline in market share from 5.2% to 4.9%. “LG is performing relatively well in the United States and Europe, but it continues to lag in the huge China and India markets,” Strategy Analytics said. The third and fourth positions continued to be held by Chinese manufacturers Huawei and Lenovo, both of which saw an increase in units shipped and market share.

August 1, 2014
Xiaomi Mi3 Sells Out for the Second Time Within Minutes on Flipkart

Xiaomi has created a huge wave in the Indian smartphone market by bringing in a high-end handset at a low-end price. Xiaomi is the top smartphone manufacturer in China which went from zero to the fifth position in just four years. After creating a success story back home, they have launched their devices in the Indian market, which have stirred up a storm, even before the users could get a unit in their hands.

The first time, when Mi3 went on sale last week, it was sold out within 40 minutes of its availability. A reported 100,000 people registered for the phone before the day of sale on July 22. On the day of sale, Flipkart ran out of their entire inventory within a record 39 minutes and also managed to get the website to its knees.

The Xiaomi Mi 3 went on sale again via the website today at 2PM IST. However, same as the last time it sold reported 10,000 units within half an hour, 23 mins to be exact. The Flipkart page of the Xaiomi Mi3 thanked buyers for ‘tremendous response’ and also notified that next date for sale will be on 5 August while the registration for the next sale will start at 6PM IST today.

The Xiaomi Mi 3 runs a highly tweaked version of Android 4.4 KitKat, with MIUI version 5 on top. It comes with a 5-inch full-HD LCD display (1080×1920 pixels) offering a pixel density of 441ppi; a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8274AB) processor; 2GB of RAM; Adreno 330 GPU; 16GB of inbuilt storage; 13-megapixel rear camera; 2-megapixel camera, and 3050mAh battery.

Xiaomi also launched its latest flagship smartphone, called the Mi 4, at the company’s “The Journey of a Piece of Steel” launch event along with the Mi Band, a budget fitness tracker priced at just $13 (roughly Rs. 790).

July 29, 2014
Xiaomi Issues MiUi Update to fix some Mi3 Issues

Xiaomi seems to be pumped up about its new Mi3 sales in India, and the company is hell bent on proving that they are here to stay. The new MiUi update comes just days after the initial batch of phones were sold in India. This update addresses some of the crashing issues that people have been facing, along with other bug fixes and add ons.

The new MiUi update adds a new “saver” feature in data usage, which will allow users to possibly save on data costs. The MiUi update also adds a new version of Block and optimises the online music page.

The file is 592 MB in size and will essentially do a software re-flash, so is recommended that you back up your data before you proceed.

The Xiaomi Mi3 competes with the flagships for a price that is considered lower than mid range. The Mi3 is powered by a Snapdragon 800 chipset and features a 1920 x 1080p display, has a 3050 mAh battery and comes with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage. MiUi comes on top of Android 4.4 Kitkat and hopeful the company will issue the next version of Android, currently known as Android L.

For more details on the Mi3, read our review here.

July 27, 2014
Xiaomi Mi3 Review : Get it Now!
The era of saying, “that’s a Chinese phone” in a negative manner may have finally ended, and that will be purely thanks to the fact that a lot of Chinese manufacturers are ready to put that norm to rest.

With Gionee taking the market horses by the reins last year, Xiaomi is the latest player and is ready to play in the heated battle zone with the right approach for India.

OVERVIEW

India is the most price sensitive market in the world, one of the largest markets for Mobile Phone users, even those who switch handsets frequently. The country is flooded with manufacturers and brands trying to reach a level of excitement in the mobile space. With the Xiaomi Mi3, the Chinese manufacturer hit the right note with Indian buyers, by simply launching the product. There was a huge demand for a good budget phone; However Xiaomi dissolved their overheads by launching the product at a marvellous price of Rs 13999/- for the 16 GB variant.

The stocks are very limited, and only those who preregister can buy the phone. Every few days the phone will go on sale on shopping website Flipkart, making it excruciatingly difficult to own one right now. What makes it more painful is the long list of dealers who have multiple accounts on Flipkart, waiting to snatch this phone, just so that they can sell for a markup.

Is the handset really worth all that worship? Let’s find out.

BUILD QUALITY AND HARDWARE

Let’s say this, finding a phone this well made, for this price, is practically impossible. The Xiaomi Mi3 is encased in a solid brushed aluminium shell and laden with Gorilla Glass 3 in the front. Possibly one of the only phones with a reinforced micro USB port, the Xiaomi Mi3 has held no bars in design and build quality.

The rigid frame also gives it fantastic looks and the rounded sides and edges relate to the fit in the hand, and it all feels great. Each time you pickup the Mi3 the first words out of your mind would be “No way this costs only Rs. 13999?.

Hardware wise, the Xiaomi Mi3 is pretty top notch, unlike its latest version; the Mi4, the Mi3 carries a Snapdragon 800 chipset with quad cores clocked at 2.3 GHz, a full HD 1920 x 1080p IPS LCD display made by Sharp or LG, 2 GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a whopping 3050 mAh battery. Apart from that you get the Adreno 330 GPU and Bluetooth 4.0 LE along with Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac.

Just putting the parts together will cost you more than a phone. However someone at Xiaomi has the right contacts with suppliers.

ANDROID AND MIUI

The Xiaomi Mi3 in India comes preloaded with Android 4.4.2 out the box, which is skinned with MiUi, a very iOS like skin which does not contain an application drawer. The UI is fast and snappy and offers a lot of customisations including themes which can be downloaded from the Mi Store. The Mi3 will give full access to the Play Store and allow for launcher downloads as well as launcher replacement if so be the case.

The UI is snappy and not laggy at all, the phone has good multitasking capabilities and will blaze through the live applications, despite few software glitches, that may often cause slowdowns and crashes.

PERFORMANCE AND GAMING

The phone is a beast for the price range. It does not break any records as per say, but is truly top notch in its price bracket, in fact pretty much compares to phones in double the price bracket. The phone runs through mostly all our tests and scores good results in our benchmark tests.

Test

Score

Quadrant Benchmark 20376

Antutu Benchmark 30537

Nenamark 60.0 FPS

As far as gaming is concerned, the Mi3 can handle anything that is thrown at it, basically, any game that exists on Android will run on the Mi3, which is mostly thanks to the heart of the handset being a Snapdragon 800 – one of the most stable chipsets when it comes to apps and software.

We gamed on the Mi3 extensively and found it to be seamless and smooth, although the 16 GB runs out, and it runs out fast. You would be better waiting for the 64 GB variant if gaming is your bit because space is tight.

The Xiaomi Mi3 is excellent in day to day use and offers excellent performance, whether its running apps or multitasking, you will not be disappointed.

MULTIMEDIA AND CAMERA

The Xiaomi Mi3 has a beautiful display with excellent viewing angles and a full HD resolution. Xiaomi has gone as far as calling it a “retina” display, because the panels are made either by LG or Sharp, both of which supply to Apple for the iPhone.

The display is big and bright, and you will enjoy consuming media on this phone, the audio is excellent out of the 3.5mm jack, and you will be happy with the overall experience. The onboard speaker is not overly loud, but can be adequate, of course, which could be different for different folks, we would have liked a better speaker though.

The camera is the best in class, with a 5 element lens and f2.2 aperture, the 13 MP shots are right on the money. The colours are accurate, and images are perfectly sharp. Low-light performance is excellent, and video is good. The front camera is good for 2
MP shots which will more than suffice for the selfie nerd in you.

PHONE AND BATTERY LIFE

Phone networks are strong, and network performance is good where we tested (Delhi/NCR and Mumbai), the phone supports 3G networks mostly globally and without issues in India. There is no 4G/LTE and expecting it would be inappropriate.

Battery life is impressive thanks to a well balanced chipset, which helped us get through almost two days without a recharge on the 3050 mAh battery pack.

Talk Time 6-7 hours

Music 19 hours

Internet 10+ Hours

CONCLUSION

Just a few months ago, Motorola broke the bank in India by launching the Moto G in this price bracket using a similar sale strategy (the Flipkart way). Now Xiaomi seems to have this in their pocket for the Xiaomi Mi3 and possibly for the Mi4 in the near future. There are several complaints, already of handsets with faulty Sim card trays, heating issues and handsets that refuse to boot or get charged.

Around 35-service centres will offer, support and Flipkart has a brilliant reverse pickup for faulty and dead on arrival products. So device and support “should not be” a problem. However, there is no clarity on who is behind the sales, an Indian partner or the company itself? How dedicated are they and how serious do the consider one of the larger mobile markets?

With confirmed news of the new Mi4 coming soon, and OnePlus showing interest in India, the Mi3 may be a miss for some. However for those who need a phone now, it doesn’t get any better than this. If you were considering a last generation Nexus 5, this overthrows that with half the price. Get the drift? Now get the phone!

Buy Now

[tw-column width=”one-half”]

GOOD THINGS
- Excellent Build
- Uber Hardware
- Stunning Looks
- Android 4.4 and MiUi
- Excellent Performer
- Great Battery
[/tw-column]

[tw-column width=”one-half” position=”last”]

BAD THINGS
- No Official Company to find
- Flipkart only Sales
- Limited Units
- Faulty on Arrival Units
[/tw-column]
July 27, 2014
10 Reasons That Will Help You Decide Whether Or Not To Buy Xiaomi Mi3

Xiaomi has entered the market in India with a bang, everyone is talking about the ‘Apple of China’ that gives you amazing features at just 15k. But before buying any gadget, you need to make sure you know it well. Well, there is a certain taboo in India about things with the “Made in China” tag. Although Xiaomi is a Chinese company, we have to admit, they’re offering an amazing device.

Anyhow, here are our list of pros and cons, that’ll should help you decide:

1. Price

When Xiaomi was rumored to launch Mi3 in India, it was expected to be priced at Rs.14,999 and which was already pretty impressive, enough to give tough competition to the big players in the market. Surprisingly, Xiaomi reduced the price of the Mi3 further by Rs. 1000 at the Official press event held in Delhi and finally the 16Gb version Xiaomi Mi3 was priced at Rs.13,999. With all the hardware this smartphone has in it, the price of Rs 13,999 is a steal.

2. Hardware and Performance

The first thing that you will notice about the Xiaomi Mi3 is its impressive hardware specifications. The Xiaomi Mi3 is powered by a 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 quad core processor which is coupled with an ample 2GB of Ram and a Adreno 330 GPU . As for the display, the smartphone has a 5 inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080p (441 ppi pixel density). No other Android device in its price range offers a Snapdragon 800 processor and this is a major reason why the device stands out in the crowd.

3. Camera

The Xiaomi Mi3 has rear facing 13 MP camera with f/2.2 aperture and Dual led flash. Again, the best camera in its price range. Thanks to the F/2.2 aperture, the smartphone is able to capture impressive low light photography and adding to that the Dual led flash is a also a useful feature.

4. Android 4.4

Well, as we all know the retail units of Xiaomi Mi3 in India come loaded with Android 4.4.2 KitKat and this makes the Xiaomi Mi3 an amazing deal.

5. Non Removable Battery

The Xiaomi Mi3 has a non detachable/removable battery. In case the battery dies out, you won’t able to replace the battery yourself. You’d be required to make a tedious visit to the service centre.

6. Memory

With all the things that we would want to store on our smartphones, the option of expandable storage always comes in handy. However, the Xiaomi Mi3 has no option for expandable storage which is a major let down for a phone with such impressive specifications.

7. Tendency to Heat Up

While all phones tend to heat up while performing resource intensive tasks, but since the Mi3 has got an aluminum body, you get to feel more heat.

8. Warranty

A total of 36 service centers were announced by Xiaomi at the press event held in Delhi. Among these 32 service centers, two service centers located in Delhi and Bangalore will be exclusively operated by Xioami itself and will have a maximum turnaround time of 2 Hours.

9. Slippery build

The Xiaomi Mi3 body is made of brushed aluminum and this makes it extremely slippery. If you are planning to buy this smartphone, you should also consider investing in a good case and mind your clumsy habits.

10. Flipkart Angle

While the company has made a smart choice of cutting its retail costs by partnering with Flipkart. It is also one of the reasons we’re vary of the Mi3. The anonymity of suppliers is an issue. When there is a problem discovered in the delivered device, there is that possibility of Flipkart refusing to claim responsibility or help out.

So there you have it – the 10 pros and cons of the device. If these weren’t adequate, wait a while. We’ll be reviewing the phone soon.

July 26, 2014
Xiaomi Announced a Super Cheap Mi Band Along With Mi 4

Since the Xiaomi Mi 3 sold in India like hot cakes, we’re keeping our eyes on any and every device the company might soon offer. Yesterday, Xiaomi not only introduced the new flagship phone Mi4, but also a fitness tracker. The band looks quite simple with no display. It is a bold step for the company to enter the wearable market, but with their aggressive pricing strategy they are mostly likely to sell out within hours.

The Mi Band tracks your movement (walking or running) plus sleeping pattern, and you can also use it as a smart vibrating alarm to wake up feeling better. Interestingly, a single charge on this waterproof device will last up to 30 days, which easily beats its competitors that tend to last for a week or less.

Just like Xiaomi’s smartphones, the band is super-cheap compared to the ones available in the market priced at CNY79 (approximately Rs 789). At this price point, the Xiaomi could take the reach of wearable tech to a new level, in case it is launched as a standalone device that works with other devices too. However, there is the possibility that it may work only with Xiaomi phones.

Equipped with an aluminium surface with a micro laser perforation and no display screen, the Xiaomi Mi Band is water resistant (IP67). Once paired with the smartphone, the Mi Band can be used to unlock the user’s smartphone without typing a password or patterns. The Mi Band will be available in range of colour variants including Blue, Pink, Brown, Black, Purple and Grey.

There is no word on the availability of the device in India. We wonder if Xiaomi plans to bundle it with the Mi 4. While, Xiaomi is little known in the West, where it does not yet sell devices, there is an emerging popularity of the company in India. Furthermore, the firm disclosed that its first batch of Mi 3 went on sale in India and sold out within 38 minutes earlier.

July 23, 2014
Xiaomi Introduces The Mi 4 With LTE and an 8MP Selfie Cam

After taking India by storm with their Xiaomi Mi 3, the chinese smartphone dragons have released their next “flagship,” the Mi 4. Yesterday Xiaomi did something that nobody thought was possible; they pulled a MOTO. Xiaomi’s first India offering, the Mi 3, flew off the shelves within an hour of launch on Flipkart. Even though the companies had provided a pre-registration option, the phones simply vanished, and also managed to crash the website.

Coming back to the star of the moment, the Mi 4. The phone comes with stainless steel styling elements which sets it apart from the Mi 3. The 5-inch 1080p smartphone gets its processing powers from the 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 SoC. The phone has 3GB of RAM and comes with 16/64 GB internal storage options.

The camera on the phone is a 13 megapixel shooter with a wide f/1.8 aperture, so night shooting is going to get a boost from it. The selfie camera is a massive 8 MP; a major upgrade in the MI series. The phone also gets an LTE radio and is juiced up by a 3080 mAh battery. The phone will be sold at CNY 1999 which in Indian currency is about Rs. 19,000 and CNY 2,499 for the 64 GB model which would come out to Rs. 24,000 in India.

The Phone provides multiple back panel options

The phone also comes with IR blaster so that it can be used as a TV remote, a feature that is available in some of the top-end phones in India. Staying true to its customizable origins, the MI 4 also comes with options for designer back panels.

Xiaomi and MIUI fans will probably wait for the phone to come to India as it is only released in China currently. Considering the massive response the Mi 3 got in India, Xiaomi would want to take maximum advantage of the market. It has also increased the appreciation for Chinese products in India. With the amount of specs packed in the Mi 4, its seems that the ‘Apple of China’ already has the next winner of the smartphone race in their hands.

July 22, 2014