It’s been an exciting day for fans of Android phones as China’s Xiaomi have released not 1 but 2 fantastic phones! Keep reading for full details of the Xiaomi M2 the world’s fastest quad-core phone!
A lot of what was officially released this afternoon at the Xiaomi M2 launch conference was already known and reported by us in the past days and weeks! But it is nice to finally know just how good the quad-core Xiaomi M2 is! It is AWESOME!
Xiaomi M2 Design
The design of the Xiaomi M2 was something I was personally worried about. We had rumors and photos suggest odd 2 tone phones, and designs which looked just like the Xiaomi M1 (which have actually turned out to be the Xiaomi M1s).
Thankfully though Beijing based Xiaomi have done us proud and wrapped the world’s fastest quad-core Android phone up in an extremely handsome body.
Fans of Chinese phones will already be pointing out the similarities between the M2 and Meizu’s 4-core MX, but rest assured that although the 2 phones look similar they are completely different beasts!
The Xiaomi M2 measures in at 126mm x 62mm x 10.2mm and weighs in at 145g. So while the M2 isn’t the thinnest or lightest Android phone on the planet it s certainly no porker either, and it very much is the fastest!
Like the Meizu MX the rear of the new Xiaomi phone is a glossy white plastic with an 8 mega-pixel rear camera sitting in the center with LED flash for night photos and a small speaker grill which should aid audio while capturing video.
The front of the Xiaomi M2 though is distinctly Xiaomi in design meaning there are no physical buttons on the face (there is a physical volume rocker and camera shutter button along the edge though).
Also new for Xiaomi is the front camera which is located in the top right hand corner above the screen (more on the cameras below).
Xiaomi M2 performance
We already knew the Xiaomi M2 was going to be one powerful device as we had already seen these leaked benchmarks, but it was nice of Xiaomi to confirm our suspicions today.
The Xiaomi M2 is now officially the world’s fastest quad-core phone, which is pretty impressive for a company only on their 2nd device, and for a phone which only costs $313 (1999 Yuan)!
What’s giving the Xiaomi M2 it’s world class level of speed and performance is a combination of both hardware and software.
The CPU is a Qualcomm Snapdraggon 8064 CPU quad-core chip clocked at 1.5ghz, so it is like 2 of the original Xiaomi’s strapped together and then attached to a ballistic missile when it comes to processing power!
To prevent any lack of memory to the powerful CPU, Xiaomi have been extremely generous and have given the M2 a full 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM.
This all adds up to a quad-core phone which is hugely powerful and capable of leaving other top of the range quad-core devices such as the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S3 spitting dust!
With all this power on tap you would be right in thinking the Xiaomi M2 will make for a very capable gaming phone with some who have tested the phone and are familiar with all the hardware suggesting the M2 is on par with the Xbox 360 thanks to the Adreno 320 graphics chip.
Xiaomi M2 Cameras
The M2 has 2 cameras this time which means you can take photos of your friends and also nice photos of yourself posing. In fact Xiaomi have really gone to town with the front camera which is a 2 mega-pixel unit capable of capturing 1080p HD video!
Gizchina News of the week
The rear camera on the M2 is also able to capture 1080 HD video, but is a much more capable 8 mega-pixel unit. While some might feel that 8 mega-pixel camera’s are a little last generation, Xiaomi have gone to great lengths to ensure the M2’s camera is the cream-de-la-cream of camera phones.
One of the highlights of the rear camera is that it features an f 2.0 apperture and is capable of shooting video at 90fps! The lens has also been improved to give better wide-angle ability.
According to those at the event the photos from the Xiaomi M2’s rear camera are absolutely stunning!
Xiaomi M2 Screen
Not content with producing the fastest quad-core Android phone, Xiaomi have decided to give the M2 a very impressive 4.3 inch display!
How impressive? Well according to the specifications the screen on the M2 is much better than the retina display used in the current iPhone 4S and boasts a resolution of 1280 x 720 and 342PPI.
Other Xiaomi M2 Hardware highlights
The M2 also packs some other impressive features which we would feel lucky to find on an Android phone costing double it’s price.
Along with the usual smart phone features such as Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS, Xiaomi have also bundled in Bluetooth 4.o, Bluetooth, gyroscope, altitude pressure sensors, Dolby speakers, DC-HSPA + and intelligent dual antennas!
If you like your phones to have all the bells and whistles then the Xiaomi M2 is definitely looking like the quad-core Android phone for you!
Xiaomi M2 Android Jelly Bean 4.1
Another awesome surprise is that the Xiaomi M2 is going to be China’s first ever Android 4.1 Jelly Bean phone, but this isn’t any ordinary Android Jelly Bean ROM, but instead the latest version of MIUI V4 based on Jelly Bean.
MIUI 4.0 Jelly Bean brings a ton of great features especially to users who really like to customise the look, feel and function of their phones.
One feature we really like is the “freestyle desktop” which you can set up work whichever way you like to access your home screens, with options to have them move left and right or up and down, then there are the many custom touch gestures to further optimise the feel and get it just right for you.
Xiaomi M2 Voice assistant
Many of the new MIUI 4.1 features seem to be a little Apple inspired, for example the new voice assistant on the M2 offers dictation and will follow commands much like Siri, however as the Xiaomi system is based on iFlytek’s voice recognition software it should work much better for Chinese speakers.
Xiaomi M2 Cloud Storage
Again like Apple and their iCould service Xiaomi have included their MiDrive software which allows users to back up or store, photos, files and apps in the cloud!
Xiaomi Wifi Streaming
This is a great function and one I’m really excited about especially with the Xiaomi M2’s great gaming performance.
Wi-fi streaming does exactly what you would expect and streams content, photos, music, videos and games from your M2 to your Android enabled smart TV which is great as it doesn’t require additional hardware to work!
Xiaomi M2 Price and availability
The good news is the Xiaomi M2 is not only the world’s fastest quad-core phone but it is also one of the cheapest at only $313 or 1999 Yuan, the bad news however is the M2 won’t be available until October this year and there has been no announcement yet if there will be an international release!
I think that pretty much covers most of the important points that were brought up at today’s Xiaomi M2 launch, if I’ve missed anything please feel free to let me know in the comments section below.
Also, what do you guy’s think? Are you tempted by the M2 and it’s low cost quad-core goodness?
Xiaomi M2 Videos!
Hi just called them and as of yet…no info on if they will be setting up shops or that awful lottery like last time. I might even prefer to source it thru UniCom.
Hell another 2 months and i might really wait for iDumb 5 or Note 2.
Anyway this certainly is much better in terms of service and product thn meizu which yet have to release a bug free reliable OS.
Well they said at the launch the M2 would be on sale in October so a September pre-order makes sense. I’m so buying one!!
Andi please help me to get the wonderful phone. Malaysia
月中旬
小米手机2 工程机预订
so preoder up n running from september…
Hi just called them and as of yet…no info on if they will be setting up shops or that awful lottery like last time. I might even prefer to source it thru UniCom.
Hell another 2 months and i might really wait for iDumb 5 or Note 2.
Anyway this certainly is much better in terms of service and product thn meizu which yet have to release a bug free reliable OS.
Well they said at the launch the M2 would be on sale in October so a September pre-order makes sense. I’m so buying one!!
Andi please help me to get the wonderful phone. Malaysia
月中旬
小米手机2 工程机预订
so preoder up n running from september…
Quiero uno !! Another reason to return to China !
The M2 is my next phone!
Xiaomi mi2 is the best phone actually, what about card slot, some sites announce there is, other sites announce that there’s not. As we stay waiting for Huawei ascend d1 quad to see also one good device.
Chinese vendors are really rocking in smartphone space and hope Huawei releases their Ascend D1 Quad soon
Quiero uno !! Another reason to return to China !
The M2 is my next phone!
Xiaomi mi2 is the best phone actually, what about card slot, some sites announce there is, other sites announce that there’s not. As we stay waiting for Huawei ascend d1 quad to see also one good device.
Chinese vendors are really rocking in smartphone space and hope Huawei releases their Ascend D1 Quad soon
Hi Andy. Thank you for the great news. You are buying yourself one and is there a shop in china where it can be preordered for that price 1999 Yuan 313 usd??? Maybe you can do for your self bussiness with it as I could be ordering a lot of them.
Hi Andy. Thank you for the great news. You are buying yourself one and is there a shop in china where it can be preordered for that price 1999 Yuan 313 usd??? Maybe you can do for your self bussiness with it as I could be ordering a lot of them.
He will have two dual sim gsm?
He will have two dual sim gsm?
Hello Andy,
Do you know if it would have international warrenty? As I’m planning to go HK in sept or Oct. Hopefully they would have it in HK by then?
Hello Andy,
Do you know if it would have international warrenty? As I’m planning to go HK in sept or Oct. Hopefully they would have it in HK by then?
hi andi, first of all, you got a very good website, 🙂 my first china phone was the ZOPO zp100, which i saw you were recommending. (got it from pandawill)
now about the xiaomi m2 , i already see it as my new next phone,
but where do you think is the best place to order\pre order it from ?
hi andi, first of all, you got a very good website, 🙂 my first china phone was the ZOPO zp100, which i saw you were recommending. (got it from pandawill)
now about the xiaomi m2 , i already see it as my new next phone,
but where do you think is the best place to orderpre order it from ?
hey andi, is the bootloder of the device unlocked and what about drivers as it will be critical while installing custom roms
and
you recommended http://www.android-sale.com but they seem to be faulty suppliers because other than xiaomi or meizu specs of other brands appear to be confusing (different in description and specification) also found different when compared to other websites like http://www.aliexpress.com
I really have no idea. You are best looking in to the various MIUI forums for that info there are plenty of them and I’m sure there are some awesome hacks and unlocks available.
Haha, MIUI with a locked bootloader? No. I’m from the US, and can definitely say that the bootloader will not be locked, and you’ll be able to upgrade the OS every Friday. It may not be 100% stable, but you’ll be on the cutting edge, and you’ll have the option to use a ROM that’s stable.
is the english language available in the software ?
hi andy
is the english language available in the software ?
@USAIN BOLT: You’re THAT Usain??? anyway, yup, most probably it supports multiple language, being English as one of them
@Ivan haha I told my wife Usain Bolt was commenting on Gizchina and she started to tell her friends on Weibo 😉
hey andi, is the bootloder of the device unlocked and what about drivers as it will be critical while installing custom roms
and
you recommended http://www.android-sale.com but they seem to be faulty suppliers because other than xiaomi or meizu specs of other brands appear to be confusing (different in description and specification) also found different when compared to other websites like http://www.aliexpress.com
I really have no idea. You are best looking in to the various MIUI forums for that info there are plenty of them and I’m sure there are some awesome hacks and unlocks available.
Haha, MIUI with a locked bootloader? No. I’m from the US, and can definitely say that the bootloader will not be locked, and you’ll be able to upgrade the OS every Friday. It may not be 100% stable, but you’ll be on the cutting edge, and you’ll have the option to use a ROM that’s stable.
is the english language available in the software ?
hi andy
is the english language available in the software ?
@USAIN BOLT: You’re THAT Usain??? anyway, yup, most probably it supports multiple language, being English as one of them
@Ivan haha I told my wife Usain Bolt was commenting on Gizchina and she started to tell her friends on Weibo 😉
I want to buy one too, but how i can get one if now i’m living in Cambodia?
October is when the lottery launch will begin. I hope M2’s will be in the shops for everyone for December (I want Santa to bring me one :))
I want to buy one too, but how i can get one if now i’m living in Cambodia?
October is when the lottery launch will begin. I hope M2’s will be in the shops for everyone for December (I want Santa to bring me one :))
Will this be available to buy in DealExtreme or AliExpress? If yes, then i got an x-mas purchase to make.
Maybe, but also with a nice mark up on the price…
Will this be available to buy in DealExtreme or AliExpress? If yes, then i got an x-mas purchase to make.
Maybe, but also with a nice mark up on the price…
hi andy
is the dutch language available in the software ?
Walter
hi andy
is the dutch language available in the software ?
Walter
hi andy
from which site can i preorder xiaomi m2 ?
@usain bolt It’s not available for preorder yet sorry.
hi andy
from which site can i preorder xiaomi m2 ?
@usain bolt It’s not available for preorder yet sorry.
@Andi What about the microsd? Cuz’ for some people 16GB will be not enough.
@Andi What about the microsd? Cuz’ for some people 16GB will be not enough.
Actually, I though Usain Bold had an Iphone…
Other thing, yes, what about the micro sd card ? Is there one ?
Actually, I though Usain Bold had an Iphone…
Other thing, yes, what about the micro sd card ? Is there one ?
Hi there,
Hope this phone will come to europe and maybe even to Holland, i’ll have one.
Hi there,
Hope this phone will come to europe and maybe even to Holland, i’ll have one.
Hey Andi, i’m really looking forward to this phone but i’m from Jamaica. I was wondering which website do you think that is best to order a phone like this one from. I know that some sites are selling fakes and i really don’t want that happening to me because money is hard to come by. I just need to know which website do you recommend me getting a real Xiaomi Mi-2 from? Is here any good http://android-sale.com/xiaomi-mi2.html
I also know that the phone isn’t out yet but its definitely gonna be my next phone. However, please could you reply to my previous comment. Furthermore, i just wanna commend you on such a very well written article, its very informative, on what is currently known about this powerhouse of a phone.
Hey Andi, i’m really looking forward to this phone but i’m from Jamaica. I was wondering which website do you think that is best to order a phone like this one from. I know that some sites are selling fakes and i really don’t want that happening to me because money is hard to come by. I just need to know which website do you recommend me getting a real Xiaomi Mi-2 from? Is here any good http://android-sale.com/xiaomi-mi2.html
I also know that the phone isn’t out yet but its definitely gonna be my next phone. However, please could you reply to my previous comment. Furthermore, i just wanna commend you on such a very well written article, its very informative, on what is currently known about this powerhouse of a phone.
Will it work on LTE?
Will it work on LTE?
This might just be the worlds most powerful Smartphone…I wonder how it ranks on antutu…??
This might just be the worlds most powerful Smartphone…I wonder how it ranks on antutu…??
Sure do wonder how scratch resistant the screen glass is
Sure do wonder how scratch resistant the screen glass is
Hi there,
It’s octobre, where can i buy this phone and be sure i won’t get a fake one.
And also with english as language?
Greetz
Hi there,
It’s octobre, where can i buy this phone and be sure i won’t get a fake one.
And also with english as language?
Greetz
Is this phone unlocked to use different sim cards in the UK if its bought from china?
If you get the China Unicom model
Is this phone unlocked to use different sim cards in the UK if its bought from china?
If you get the China Unicom model
The gps isn’t that good as it won’t locate where I am for the weather app
The gps isn’t that good as it won’t locate where I am for the weather app