Tag: Xiaomi

Xiaomi Launches the Mi Pad, its First Tablet in India For Rs. 12,999

Xiaomi’s launch event today wasn’t just about its new budget device, the Redmi 2. The Chinese electronics giant left the audience awestruck with the introduction of its first tablet in India, the Mi Pad. Priced at Rs. 12,999, the tablet is a direct opponent of Google’s Nexus 9.

At 9.4mm, the Mi Pad is thin and weighs just 360g. It sports a 7.9-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2048×1536 and a pixel density of 326 PPI. Corning Glass 3 protects the screen from accidental drops. The tablet is powered by 2.2 GHz Nvidia Tegra K1 SoC ARM Cortex-A15 processor paired with 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM. The MI Pad offers 16GB of in-built storage space which can be expanded up to 128GB via MicroSD card. The Xiaomi tablet runs on Android 4.4 KitKat with MIUI skin on top.

The optics of the device are great for its price. It sports an 8MP rear camera with Sony BSI sensor for full-HD resolution videos, along with a 5MP front snapper at the top of the display for selfies and video chats. The table is juiced up by a 6700mAh battery that keeps the device running all day long. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac.

The Xiaomi Mi Pad will be available for purchase on March 24 and there will be no flash sale for this device. Potential customers can buy the gadget through e-commerce website Flipkart. The Mi Pad comes in six colour options – Black, White, Red, Blue, Green and Yellow. So if you want a tablet with unique theaming options coupled with colorful exteriors, the Mi Pad can be a great option for you.

Specs	Mi Pad
Display	7.9-inch IPS326 PPI
Processor	2.2 GHz Nvidia Tegra K1 SoC ARM Cortex-A15
RAM	2GB
Inbuilt Memory	16GB
Expandable Up to	128GB
Rear Camera	8MP
Front Camera	5MP
Operating Stystem	Android 4.4 KitKat
Battery	6700mAh
Price	Rs. 12,999

March 12, 2015

Xiaomi Redmi 2 Launched in India, Priced to Compete With Moto E (Gen 2)

Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi, has today launched the new Redmi 2, a successor to the popular Redmi 1S. The smartphone packs some amazing specifications and is a budget superhero with a price tag of Rs. 6,999.

The Redmi 2 sports a 4.7 inch (720×1280 ppi) resolution display just like its predecessor. The device runs on MIUI 6 based on Android 4.4 KitKat. Powered by a 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 410 processor, the handset comes with 1 GB RAM. the phone has 8GB of internal memory storage, which is expandable up to 32GB.

On the camera front, the device sports an 8 MP rear snapper on the back and a 2 MP selfie shooter on the front. The phone gets its juice from the 2200mAh battery.

The company is holding the first flash sale on 24^th of this month and registrations for the sale begins today from 6pm onwards. Xiaomi hasn’t introduced the coloured variants and the device will be available only in white and grey colour options in India.

Just like last year, the Redmi 2 is directed towards capturing the Motorola’s budget market. Xiaomi has priced the new device at par with the new Moto E(Gen 2). The arrival of the Redmi 2 has raised the stakes in the brutal affordable smartphone landscape and poses a serious challenge to its competition.

March 12, 2015
Xiaomi Announces GoPro-Like YiCamera, Priced at a Mere $64

After dethroning Samsung as China’s top smartphone company, it seems Xiaomi is now eyeing the world of cameras. Xiaomi’s latest offering is the YiCamera, which looks like a GoPro HERO, but costs less than half its price.

The YiCamera, is going to be available for roughly Rs 3,964 ($64). As of now, the device is limited only to China, and can be bought via the official MI website. Features of this camera include a 16 MP Sony Exmor R CMOS image sensor with f/2.8 aperture, built-in Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity and capability to record videos at 1080 p along with 60 fps. Additionally, it is waterproof and supports adjustable time-lapse shooting and 155 degrees paranoma mode.

Though it seems that Xiaomi has made this device for more of indoor use than outdoor. It does not offer a rugged exterior casing like the GoPro and includes accessories like a selfie stick and a harness to strap the device to your pets.

The YiCamera is available on the company’s official Mi site and will go on flash sale in China. Its availability in India and other regions has been confirmed for later this year.

March 2, 2015
Xiaomi Drops the Flash Sale Model, 16GB Mi 4 Now Available Without Registration

Yesterday, Xiaomi made a declaration that Mi4 devices with 16GB inbuilt memory space will go on sale in India through the e-commerce website Flipkart. The sale will be registration-free and a person interest doesn’t need to make a prior booking to buy the device. On the other hand, the 64GB variant will still be available via flash sale only and registrations for the same commenced on Tuesday.

The Chinese producer made an official statement on Facebook and Twitter saying –

Registration has started! You can register now to buy your Mi 4 64GB at 2pm IST, March 3rd. Tell everyone!! Also, Mi 4 16GB will be available on Flipkart from Feb 26th – No registration required!

Throwing some light on its specification, the Mi4 features a 5-inch full-HD display and a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor. Running on Android 4.4 KitKat, the handset has company’s MIUI 6 on top. A 13MP rear shooter and a massive 8MP snapper comes paired with the device.

The gizmo is laudable at a price of Rs. 19,999 for 16GB. It got an excellent response in the first and the second flash sales. For those who are going for the 64GB model, it is priced a bit higher at Rs. 23,999.

Click here to buy now:

February 26, 2015
Xiaomi Sues Website For Illegally Selling Its Products

Chinese handset maker, Xiaomi, will be taking legal action against websites who are selling its phones illegally in India and infringing on the company’s trademark. The issue came into prominence when Ericsson alleged that Xiaomi was selling it’s products illegally through third party websites. The company is going through a patent dispute with equipment maker Ericsson.

Ericsson had alleged earlier this month that Xiaomi was selling Mediatek chipset powered smartphones through the site Xiaomishop.com. Ericcson claimed is it as a violation of the interim order of the Delhi High Court that allowed the company to sell only Qualcomm chipset based smartphones. Xiaomi, in turn, told the court that the site was not an authorised seller of its products.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Manu Jain” author_title=”Head of India Operations at Xiaomi”]

They’re infringing on trademarks and they’re making the world believe that it’s a genuine Xiaomi site, which it is not. The products sold on these websites are not meant for India and are sold at significantly higher price points. We have written to them multiple times, and we will be taking legal action against them.

[/quote]

Jain added that though Xiaomishop.com site is not functional anymore, the company will still proceed with legal action against it and four to five other sites, which were selling Xiaomi products illegally.

As of now, the only authorized Xiaomi sellers in India are Flipkart and Airtel. Xiaomi is also in talks with manufacturing partners Foxconn and Inventec to set up a proper manufacturing base in India following the Indian law. India is the company’s second-largest base after China.

February 21, 2015
OnePlus Finally Brings the 16GB Variant of the One to India

OnePlus has announced that the 16GB Silk White variant of the OnePlus One will be go up on sale in India by next week. Though, the exact date or day of the release and the price is still unknown, the company has opened up a contest for first invites for the smartphone which would require the buyers to fill in a form and answer a question. The winners of the contest will receive their invites on February 23^rd, which may indicate the approximate date of arrival of the device.

16GB Silk White is coming soon to @amazonIN! Enter our contest to win invites: http://t.co/0R97pAlmb5 pic.twitter.com/pjI4xtv4Tc

— OnePlus (@oneplus) February 19, 2015

The OnePlus One 16GB variant will be put up against the Xiaomi Mi4 16GB, which was launched in India for Rs 19,999.

OnePlus One features a 5.5 inch Full HD (1080×1920 pixels) IPS LCD Display and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It is powered by a 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Processor with 3GB of RAM. For graphics it has Adreno 330 GPU.

It comes with a 13 megapixel Sony IMX214 sensor and f/2.0 aperture rear camera with LED flash. It also comes with a 5 Megapixel front camera. It comes in 16 GB and 64GB variants, but doesn’t have the option of expanding storage via microSD. It packs a 3,000 mAh battery. The 16 GB variant will be exclusive to Amazon and will be sold via India Specific invites only.

February 19, 2015
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G Recieves OTA MIUI 6 Update in India

During the Mi 4 launch event in India last month, Xiaomi India had confirmed that all the Xiaomi smartphones released in India will be receiving the MIUI 6 update in the coming weeks.

Xiaomi’s 2013 flagship phone, the Mi 3, received the MIUI 6 update in January. Now its the turn of the Redmi Note 4G to receive the latest MIUI update. According to user reports, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G has started receiving the MIUI 6 v6.3.5.0 update over-the-air in India and Taiwan, a few days after the first week of February, as promised by the company.

According to TheNextDigit, the MIUI 6 update for the Redmi Note 4G is available for download and is about 577MB in size. This update primarily fixes bugs for the lagging in the camera and music playback issue, plus other performance improvements including enhanced notifications, better security functions, improved email app, upgraded notifications shade and UI improvements.

Considering the fact that Xiaomi is rolling out the MIUI 6 update based on Android KitKat, the Android 5.0 Lollipop update may take some more time to reach the handsets. Redmi 1S and Redmi Note 3G are set to receive the update in early March.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G, priced at Rs. 9,999, is available via a flash sale model for online sales of the smartphone in India, and via an offline sales model through exclusive Airtel stores.

February 18, 2015
IDC : Xiaomi Takes Samsung’s Top Spot as China’s Biggest Smartphone Vendor in 2014

Samsung was leading the race of the biggest smartphone vendor race in China. But it was before Xiaomi stepped into the battle ground. The five-year-old Chinese smartphone producer has now dethroned Samsung from the top spot and has become the leader of China’s smartphone market, as per a report by research firm IDC.

According to the firm, Xiaomi showed a splendid 150 percent year-on-year unit growth in the fourth quarter of 2014, which was followed by Apple at 99.7 percent. Samsung was at the fifth place with a declined smartphone shipment numbers at -49.9 percent after Huawei and Lenovo.

The news in not at all astonishing as IDC and Strategy Analytics dubbed Xiaomi as the biggest smartphone vendor of China in the third quarter last year in August. They also confirmed that Xiaomi is the third-largest smartphone vendor in the world.

A total of 420.7 million smartphones were shipped to China in 2014. The IDC’s analysts say that Xiaomi has gained success due to the flash sale strategy and low prices.

Samsung is going through a rough patch since the past few months. After losing the world’s leading smartphone vendor position from Apple, its situation became more critical after Indian-grown Micromax snatched another accolade from the South Korean electronics producer. Samsung continues to launch more phones with low specs and high prices, which are failing dramatically to impress the potential customers.

February 17, 2015
Xiaomi Prepares to Step into the US market

Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi is slowly trying to take over the world. The company is currently preparing to build a concrete ground for itself in the US market. The Vice President of Xiaomi, yesterday said in a meeting that the company intends to inaugurate an online marketplace Mi.com in the US in the coming months. He also made it clear that the on-sale products will not be smartphones, but other accessories like headphones, smart wristbands, etc.

Barra commented in the press meet –

The amount of effort required to bring those products to the market is an incredible amount of work. We’re accelerating our entering by bringing simpler products.

Barra gave the reason for not bringing out smartphones and tablets in the US saying that there are hardware certification, software testing, infrastructure, and other similar logistical challenges. He said that the company will start trading with those products that don’t have regulatory challenges.

Xiaomi said that they were about to secure a manufacturing partner in Brazil, which will help the company avoid tariffs on imported electronics.

The five-year-old company is doing tremendously well. It kicked off with smartphones and expanded its reach to different segments with Mi Purifiers, power banks, wristbands, etc. It has become one of the biggest smartphone makers in the world in a short span of time. With its first step in the US, if the Xiaomi plays its cards right, it may lead the game soon.

February 13, 2015
Xiaomi Allowed To Sell Devices Till March 18 Despite Ericsson Complaint

Late last year telecom equipment maker, Ericsson filed a complaint in Delhi High Court that Xioami was violating their patents. This complaint had led to a temporary ban on the Chinese smartphone maker. The ban was later lifted, and Xiaomi was allowed to import and sell their devices in the country till the 5th of February with the condition that these devices only have Qualcomm processors. Now Ericsson is alleging that Xiaomi is violating by selling non-Qualcomm devices through a website.

The lawyers for Ericsson claimed that Xiaomi was selling its non-Qualcomm devices through a website called www.xiaomishop.com. The website at present seems to have been taken down.

Responding to the complaint, Xiaomi’s lawyer said that the company has no stake in the website, and someone else was misusing their name. He also added that the company was complying with the court order, and this is a case of third party sale where Xiaomi has no control.

There was also good news for Xiaomi as a single judge allowed the company to further sell their devices till March 18. The company would have to deposit Rs.100 per imported device to the Registrar General of the Delhi High Court.

Xiaomi is currently selling its last flagship, the Mi4 in India and the extension of the sale period would be a good news for the company’s consumers. The next sale will be held on February 10th where the Mi4 and the Redmi Note 4G will go on sale.

February 7, 2015
Xiaomi Reportedly Setting Up a Manufacturing Unit in India

Xiaomi is doing incredibly well in India as well as overseas. Infact India is one of the most critical markets for Xiaomi both in terms of user base as well as revenue. That’s the reason, the heads at Xiaomi are seeing India as the major market place. A report has arrived which says that the China-based smartphone manufacturer may enter India soon.

The Chinese producer is planning to expand outside China, and India and Brazil are reportedly the possible destinations. With latest updates coming from Digitimes, the Chinese giant has joined hands with Inventec and the former company will be doing its manufacturing business in Chennai, India, through the Inventec. It is said that the smartphone production will commence in second or third quarter of 2015.

A few days ago, Xiaomi said that it would soon retail its devices in India on its official Mi India website, rather than Flipkart. It shows the company’s inclination towards the Indian smartphone market. Additionally if this deal does materialise there would be an even further reduction in the prices on account of savings due to custom duty and octroi.

Meanwhile, there is no official word from the company and these continue to be mere speculations. An event is going to take place on February 12 in San Francisco, in which Xiaomi is expected to make certain announcements including this one.

February 5, 2015
Xiaomi Rolls Out MIUI 6 Update for Mi 3 Devices in India

A couple of days back, Xiaomi launched its flagship device Mi 4 which comes with the latest MIUI 6 update. The company announced that it would soon roll out the update for Mi 3 based on Android 4.4 KitKat in India, and the company has kept up its promise.

Xiaomi has released the update for the Indian Mi 3 users, and one can download it from the official Forum page of Xiaomi. It will take some time for the OTA update to appear on the device. Meanwhile, other models like Redmi Note 4G will receive the update by February, while it will reach the Redmi 1S and Redmi Note 3G by March.

The new MIUI 6 has some fantastic features that are simple yet beautiful. The key features of the new Mi User Interface are Motion, Colour Content, Customisation and Security. Also, it introduced animation to apps like Clock, Weather, and Device unlock, etc.

The Dialler has been tweaked to give it a clean look. Now, users can identify unknown numbers, and avoid fraudulent and sales calls. There is a brand new notification panel that has toggles for convenient on and off. Also, the Notifications is divided; so one can classify important and unimportant as per preference. Also, it facilitates you to access notifications through the Lock Screen itself.

The MIUI 6 adds more than 5,000 themes and powerful tools to achieve more in less time. The Calendar has been improved to subscribe your interests ranging from games, holidays to TV shows and more.

January 30, 2015
Xiaomi to Setup its First Ever R&D Base in India

Xiaomi, who recently boomed the Indian Market with the MI handsets, is ready to establish its research and development base in Bangalore, India. It will be the first such facility outside China.

India is one of the largest market for Xiaomi. All the three devices by the company, Mi 3, Redmi 1S and Redmi Note, cumulatively sold more than a million devices since it was first launched in 2014.

Xiaomi India Head Manu Jain said-

We have always stated that India is one of our most important markets. We are in process of signing the lease on a facility in Bangalore, which will be our R&D unit. This is the first one outside China, the R&D unit will focus on India-specific products to begin with. We will focus on localization, themes and then India specific features to cater to local requirements here.

He, however, refused to disclose the investment details and the number of people who would employed at the centre.

The company expects the centre to be fully operational in the next few months.

This could be a big step to boost their sales even further espcially with the launch today of the Xiaomi Mi4, which will be available on Flipkart on 19th February, 2015.

January 28, 2015

Battle of the Fittest : Xiaomi Mi4 vs OnePlus One vs Mi3 vs Honor 6

Xiaomi’s much awaited Mi4 handset has been launched in India. The popular smartphone was unveiled in July last year, and has been widely appreciated for its high end features and specification in the budget segment. The Xiaomi Mi4 will go up against likes of OnePlus One and Huawei Honor 6. Lets see how the Mi4 matches with its opponents in our Spec Battle.

Specs	Xiaomi Mi4	Xiaomi Mi3	OnePlus One	Huawei Honor 6
Display	5.0 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels	5.0 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels	5.5 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels	5.0 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels
Processor	Quad-core 2.5 GHz, Snapdragon 801	Quad-core 2.3 GHz, Snapdragon 800	Quad-core 2.5 GHz , Snapdragon 801	Quad-core 1.7 GHz + quad-core 1.3 GHz, Kirin 920
RAM	3GB	2 GB	3 GB	3 GB
Storage	16GB, non expandable	16/64 GB, non expandable	64 GB, non expandable	16/32GB, non expandable
Camera	13MP Rear and 8MP Front	13MP Rear and 2MP Front	13MP Rear and 5MP Front	13MP Rear and 5MP Front
Battery	3080 mAh	3050 mAh	3100 mAh	3100 mAh
OS	Android 4.4.3 KitKat With MiUi 6	Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.4.2 (KitKat)	CyanogenMod 11S	Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat)
Price	Rs. 19,999	Rs. 13,999	Rs. 21,999	Rs 17,999

Xiaomi has enjoyed lot of success lately with its pocket friendly devices, Mi4 seems to be directly competing with OnePlus One in terms of Specs. With the company’s improved and smoother MiUi 6, the device’s look and feel is expected to be phenomenal too. The Mi 4, however, lags behind the One in important parameters, less internal storage and lack of 4G network support.How will the device do in the Indian market? Stay tuned for the follow up news, unboxing and full review of Xiaomi Mi4 on iGyaan.in.

January 28, 2015

Apple Takes The Top Spot in China, Dethrones Xiaomi and Samsung

We are all familiar with Apple’s soaring sales of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Apple recently revealed its record Q1 sales, surpassing even the highest analyst iPhone sales expectations as it set new iPhone sale records and new company record, too.

Now, a Chinese data firm Canalys has released its latest report that the Cupertino based manufacturer has risen to the top spot in the highly competitive Chinese market for the first time. The report also mentioned that it is highly surprising considering the price of its devices is ‘nearly double those of its nearest competitors’.

While the home grown smartphone giants of China are aiming for global expansion, the iPhone maker has turned the table towards the domestic market. The report highlights that the major reason of the success is the that Apple is finally embracing the LTE and large screen trends which are the most vital parameters in Chinese market.

Apple captured a record 33 percent market share in South Korea in November 2014, according to Hong Kong-based market research company Counterpoint. Samsung, arch-rival of Apple has been shunned to the third place, tailing behind Apple is China’s Xiaomi.

Apple will be reporting it last quarter earning next Tuesday in detail.

January 28, 2015

Tag: Xiaomi

Specs

Xiaomi Mi4

Xiaomi Mi3

OnePlus One

Huawei Honor 6