Xiaomi is starting 2015 with a bang. Trying once again to disrupt the smartphone market, the Chinese OEM has unveiled the Mi Note and its even higher end Mi Note Pro sibling, sporting a combination some of the best hardware and features you're likely to see in recent and upcoming flagships. And of course, in the usual Xiaomi way, these sell lower than your usual flagship from your usual giant OEMs, though the rising numbers do seem to point to a general and rather worrying trend in smartphone prices.
Although there are two Mi Note models here, they share many things in common. Happily, they share even some of the interesting features. On the display side, the 5.7-inch screen definitely qualifies the device as a phablet. But that's no ordinary screen, as it is covered by what some have called a 2.5D glass, while the bottom side of the smartphone has a 3D curved glass. These accentuate the smartphone's curves and add comfort to holding the device as well as swiping gestures from the side. At least in theory. This definitely requires a more hands-on test, literally.
Displays aren't the only one getting the hi-def treatment these days. More and more manufacturers are turning their attention to Hi-Fi audio in mobile devices, delivering greater than CD quality inside those handheld computers. The Xiaomi Mi Note claims to deliver 24-bit/192 kHz lossless audio, be they from FLAC, WAV, DSD, or APE, thanks to the rather popular ESS ES9018 DAC audio decoder inside. But lossless audio do come with greater file sizes. Luckily there are 64 GB storage options available for both models, though the plain Mi Note also comes with a 16 GB only variant.
Although it won't match Sony's 20-megapixel sensors on its Xperia flagships, the 13-megapixel rear camera on the Mi Note is also made by Sony. Plus, it also boasts of that Optical Image Stabilization many want on their smartphone cameras. The 2-tone flash provided by Philips promises to give more natural colors versus the washed out ones of stronger and less refined LED flash. And don't let the 4-megapixel spec of the front camera fool you. That sensor uses a 2-micron pixel configuration, which is basically the same "UltraPixel" feature that the HTC One (M7) flaunts.
And now, for the differences. On the plain Mi Note, you get a 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 helped by 3 GB of RAM. The 5.7-inch display has a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Things heat up with the Mi Note Pro. Here you have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, the 64-bit octa-core chip that almost everyone is waiting for. There's also 4 GB of RAM crammed inside. Last but definitely not the least, the screen gets a 2K resolution upgrade. Hopefully, the 3,000 mAh batter on both will be more than enough to feed these power munchers.
The 16 GB Mi Note costs 2,299 RMB ($371) while for a slightly higher 2,799 RMB ($452) you get more storage space with 64 GB. It's not surprising that the Mi Note Pro would cost a lot more, at 3,299 RMB ($532). It's still a bit below 2014's flagships, but definitely outranks them in terms of specs. The Mi Note will be available in China starting January 27 but the Mi Note Pro won't arrive until sometime near the end of March. Given the features, many will be interested to know if Xiaomi will be bringing these Mi Notes to other markets, particularly the US, as well.