With the Xiaomi Mi Note launched finished, journalists in China are now getting to go hands on with the 5.7-inch phablet, and from hands photos it looks very well made.
The renders of the Xiaomi Mi Note and Mi Note Pro don’t give the real phone justice (at least that’s what these photos are showing us). The black version of the 5.7-inch, 6.95mm Xiaomi phablet looks especially good-looking with a rich and glossy finish.
Xiaomi have certainly raised the bare with the Mi Note, offering high-end specifications in a larger, thinner body that is built to a high quality. The rounded body looks particularly comfortable to hold and is nicely complemented by the 2.5d curved display.
The overall design of the Mi Note doesn’t grab your attention until you look at the details. It certainly seems to be a premium product, and so it should be at the higher than usual asking price.
Gizchina News of the week
Xiaomi announced two versions of the Xiaomi Note, a base version with 1080p display, 3GB RAM, Snapdragon 801, and Mi Note Pro with Snapdragon 810, 4GB RAM and 64GB internal memory. Pricing starts from 2299 Yuan in China and rises to 3299 Yuan for the top of the range Pro.
It’s interesting to see Xiaomi’s change and how they once again hope to force the hand for their rivals. Over the years Xiaomi have forced brands to compete on price, now they are turning the tides to compete in the premium handset market.
Xiaomi Mi Note hands on photos
Will this strategy work, or are have Xiaomi just hurt the target audience with a phone that will be too expensive for many to afford?
Do the Note and Note Pro really have different bodies, or is that only because of the different color?
here is a short video of it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJhLE_K7sQ0
i honestly think this is too expensive…
they should have kept the PRO version BELOW $300 to beat off One Plus One competition..
I think the same, too expensive.
I want to buy a good smartphone, and I am considering the Oneplus One for a long time, and viewing other smartphones, I still have not seen one that pleased me, mostly because the price.
exactly ! this HARDLY defeats the purpose of the beating OPO … , i think chinese companies should invest in R&D + QC and make innovative tech WHICH allows more powerful hardware for lesser prices!
Oh you again. Give us all a f’ing break with your unrealistic expectations just for a day please? Even the IUNI U3 doesn’t sell for $300 USD. Actually even the Mi4 isn’t priced below $300 USD and you expect them to come out with a new phone with a bigger 2k screen, the latest cpu and 4gb of ram for less?
oh and its u again too!
i dont need you to read my comments and i dont need your replies. Im not arguing with anyone , only suggesting how to improve and revolutionize the low-end market , cos thats where a crazy big majority of customers exist!
If you dont like it , please dont read it.
Apple has proven you can become the worlds most valuable company by flipping the bird and telling the low-end to f-off. I suppose you think Ferrari and Lamborghini should lower the prices of the their cars to under 30,000 USD too “cos thats where a crazy big majority of customers exist!”. The low-end is also where crazy low profit margins exist. You can’t afford high-end products so you just want all companies to come down to your level, admit it.
yep … 😛
Glass back = usability fail.
But hey at least it blink right? lol
Glass backs are awesome. Ask the Xperia Z3.
The phone coming from a company who continuously net huge loss from their mobile division and currently under consideration of selling it.
Uh huh.
Oh if you mean by awesome from user’s POV then that’s subjective as heck also. I’ll take replaceable mate plastic cover over it.
If you think that affects the quality of the phone, your opinion is irrelevant. The Z3 is the best of the current crop of mainstream smartphones by a longshot.
Read my second pararaph please and that’s subjective as heck as well. That’s your opinion and I (kind of) respect as long as you don’t try to force it on other people. In my opinion Sony’s phone has always had horrible horrible screen for their price, even if Z3 get it right many consumers probably already wrote it off owning to the past resulting on the situation now.
I’m wondering which will be the pattern for Xiaomi. If they keep this up it won’t be long really.
You’re right about screens. The Z2’s is still disgusting. The Z3 and the Compact phones are the only exceptions.
+1020 for this. The Z3 is the best Android phone for 2014.
He’s just a troll, that’s what he like to do in his life, just ignore him.
He’s not a troll. He’s around here a lot. He’s usually got interesting and debatable things to say.
Metal or good plastic like the meizu are much more beautiful and practical
My girlfriend has one. Never again. It scratches so easy. Glass backs are a bad idea.
That cartoon ROM is what turns me off
You mean MIUI?
That’s the one
Xiaomi is falling into the classic trap of “Premium”- Showoff – high end..and will fall flat on its face..because others will surely take up the space which gave it market share i.e. VFM..Value for money..the Smart phone has been commoditized..and the main market is in Billions by numbers, and not a few million of high end CNY 3k devices.
Xiaomi realizes that the competition to bring down prices is a dead end game for them. Meizu also has a similar pricing for their phones to which its clear Xiaomi is targeting.
Yes, the competition for Xiaomi is not the same and this was expected. There are many players offering/will offer such pricing and specs, and soon enough all flagships will have the Qualcomm 810 in 1st half by the time Xiaomi releases their Note pro phone taking away any wow factor in that note pro specs, and then we will have Chinese manufacturers bringing out MTK variant of Qualcomm 810 with better pricing. 2015 will be the year deciding which phone manufacturers shut down in 2016.
In my opinion, Xiaomi is just showing to its rivals on how a premium phone should be done.
This is a new product line, which is for phablets.
They still have the original Mi series.
As well as the value for money, Redmi and Redmi Note.
I think they have everything covered now.
raised the “bare”
Mi Note Pro priced too close to Note 4 (who has microSD, removable battery & S-Pens etc)
Isn’t the Note 4 $700+? Damn, the prices go down quickly.
That’s around the price you’re going to pay for if you want it asap. By the time the phone is available in your country, Note 4 isn’t probably too far off.
pretty much, and it’s a little too…. “iPhone-wannabe” to my taste. At the very least they should include Stylus in some way, a Phablet without specific/unique gimmick is pretty much “just” an over-sized phone.
I don’t like the pricing, but I’ll reserve my judgement for when I get my hands on one. I used to think the Vivo Xshot was overpriced, look at me now.
It seems these prices are exclusively for the Chinese market. $371 and $532 respectively for these two models are hardly a bargain outside of China when you consider the typical 40-45% markup Chinese re-sellers will tack on to the price. Case in point is the recently introduced Xiaomi RedMi 2 which sells for just $110 USD in China – is being sold by popular online Chinese re-sellers for $155 USD. At these prices, Xiaomi may have succeeded at preventing Apple and Samsung from dominating the smartphone market in China but the added cost for international markets will prevent them from ever growing beyond their existing territories.
The phone is obviously more expensive than their previous phones because of manufacturing costs and the premium materials used.
In my opinion Xiaomi has the right approach,It’s true that they started off as a great value for money company and that’s what made their success.
However with companies like Oppo and Oneplus ,more and more consumers are not only seeking affordability but premium affordable devices .
That’s why Xiaomi needs to cater to the low end ,mid range and Premium markets.
Do the Note and Note Pro really have different bodies, or is that only because of the different color?
here is a short video of it
i honestly think this is too expensive…
they should have kept the PRO version BELOW $300 to beat off One Plus One competition..
I think the same, too expensive.
I want to buy a good smartphone, and I am considering the Oneplus One for a long time, and viewing other smartphones, I still have not seen one that pleased me, mostly because the price.
exactly ! this HARDLY defeats the purpose of the beating OPO … , i think chinese companies should invest in R&D + QC and make innovative tech WHICH allows more powerful hardware for lesser prices!
Oh you again. Give us all a f’ing break with your unrealistic expectations just for a day please? Even the IUNI U3 doesn’t sell for $300 USD. Actually even the Mi4 isn’t priced below $300 USD and you expect them to come out with a new phone with a bigger 2k screen, the latest cpu and 4gb of ram for less?
oh and its u again too!
i dont need you to read my comments and i dont need your replies. Im not arguing with anyone , only suggesting how to improve and revolutionize the low-end market , cos thats where a crazy big majority of customers exist!
If you dont like it , please dont read it.
Apple has proven you can become the worlds most valuable company by flipping the bird and telling the low-end to f-off. I suppose you think Ferrari and Lamborghini should lower the prices of the their cars to under 30,000 USD too “cos thats where a crazy big majority of customers exist!”. The low-end is also where crazy low profit margins exist. You can’t afford high-end products so you just want all companies to come down to your level, admit it.
yep … 😛
Glass back = usability fail.
But hey at least it blink right? lol
Glass backs are awesome. Ask the Xperia Z3.
The phone coming from a company who continuously net huge loss from their mobile division and currently under consideration of selling it.
Uh huh.
Oh if you mean by awesome from user’s POV then that’s subjective as heck also. I’ll take replaceable mate plastic cover over it.
If you think that affects the quality of the phone, your opinion is irrelevant. The Z3 is the best of the current crop of mainstream smartphones by a longshot.
Read my second pararaph please and that’s subjective as heck as well. That’s your opinion and I (kind of) respect as long as you don’t try to force it on other people. In my opinion Sony’s phone has always had horrible horrible screen for their price, even if Z3 get it right many consumers probably already wrote it off owning to the past resulting on the situation now.
I’m wondering which will be the pattern for Xiaomi. If they keep this up it won’t be long really.
Metal or good plastic like the meizu are much more beautiful and practical
+1020 for this. The Z3 is the best Android phone for 2014.
My girlfriend has one. Never again. It scratches so easy. Glass backs are a bad idea.
He’s just a troll, that’s what he like to do in his life, just ignore him.
He’s not a troll. He’s around here a lot. He’s usually got interesting and debatable things to say.
You’re right about screens. The Z2’s is still disgusting. The Z3 and the Compact phones are the only exceptions.
That cartoon ROM is what turns me off
You mean MIUI?
That’s the one
Xiaomi is falling into the classic trap of “Premium”- Showoff – high end..and will fall flat on its face..because others will surely take up the space which gave it market share i.e. VFM..Value for money..the Smart phone has been commoditized..and the main market is in Billions by numbers, and not a few million of high end CNY 3k devices.
Xiaomi realizes that the competition to bring down prices is a dead end game for them. Meizu also has a similar pricing for their phones to which its clear Xiaomi is targeting.
Yes, the competition for Xiaomi is not the same and this was expected. There are many players offering/will offer such pricing and specs, and soon enough all flagships will have the Qualcomm 810 in 1st half by the time Xiaomi releases their Note pro phone taking away any wow factor in that note pro specs, and then we will have Chinese manufacturers bringing out MTK variant of Qualcomm 810 with better pricing. 2015 will be the year deciding which phone manufacturers shut down in 2016.
In my opinion, Xiaomi is just showing to its rivals on how a premium phone should be done.
This is a new product line, which is for phablets.
They still have the original Mi series.
As well as the value for money, Redmi and Redmi Note.
I think they have everything covered now.
raised the “bare”
Mi Note Pro priced too close to Note 4 (who has microSD, removable battery & S-Pens etc)
Isn’t the Note 4 $700+? Damn, the prices go down quickly.
That’s around the price you’re going to pay for if you want it asap. By the time the phone is available in your country, Note 4 isn’t probably too far off.
pretty much, and it’s a little too…. “iPhone-wannabe” to my taste. At the very least they should include Stylus in some way, a Phablet without specific/unique gimmick is pretty much “just” an over-sized phone.
I don’t like the pricing, but I’ll reserve my judgement for when I get my hands on one. I used to think the Vivo Xshot was overpriced, look at me now.
It seems these prices are exclusively for the Chinese market. $371 and $532 respectively for these two models are hardly a bargain outside of China when you consider the typical 40-45% markup Chinese re-sellers will tack on to the price. Case in point is the recently introduced Xiaomi RedMi 2 which sells for just $110 USD in China – is being sold by popular online Chinese re-sellers for $155 USD. At these prices, Xiaomi may have succeeded at preventing Apple and Samsung from dominating the smartphone market in China but the added cost for international markets will prevent them from ever growing beyond their existing territories.
No microSD and removable battery? Next!
This looks like slippery as fuck. LOL.
The phone is obviously more expensive than their previous phones because of manufacturing costs and the premium materials used.
In my opinion Xiaomi has the right approach,It’s true that they started off as a great value for money company and that’s what made their success.
However with companies like Oppo and Oneplus ,more and more consumers are not only seeking affordability but premium affordable devices .
That’s why Xiaomi needs to cater to the low end ,mid range and Premium markets.
Too expensive.
I’m more exited about low budget and phones and the features and performance they can pack on a $80-$160 device that high end phones that actually no one needs other than for novelty and bragging rights, high end phones have become so fucking boring.
Overall its a good phone. Just dissapointed about colour options for the PRO version. Seems Xiaomi doesnt want its users to buy a black phone.. Is it such a problem to pack PRO hardware into black chasis of standart note?
No microSD and removable battery? Next!
Can we have an S Pen or Mi Pen to go with this phablet.
This looks like slippery as fuck. LOL.
Too expensive.
I’m more exited about low budget and phones and the features and performance they can pack on a $80-$160 device that high end phones that actually no one needs other than for novelty and bragging rights, high end phones have become so fucking boring.
Overall its a good phone. Just dissapointed about colour options for the PRO version. Seems Xiaomi doesnt want its users to buy a black phone.. Is it such a problem to pack PRO hardware into black chasis of standart note?
Can we have an S Pen or Mi Pen to go with this phablet.
not as good as official picture, those bezel thicker than in official picture especially the black line they hiding it!
that’s cheating!
still no phone beat the aquos crystal, it is the best in term of bezel
Slightly better looking piece of gigantic slab.And unwieldy as hell.I have a feeling that it is going to be flop of the year.
not as good as official picture, those bezel thicker than in official picture especially the black line they hiding it!
that’s cheating!
still no phone beat the aquos crystal, it is the best in term of bezel
Slightly better looking piece of gigantic slab.And unwieldy as hell.I have a feeling that it is going to be flop of the year.
In the past I haven’t been the biggest Xiaomi fan, but I will admit it was genius of them to make the white/rose gold colour variant available only on the Mi Note Pro, with the Mi Note only available in the black/grey or white/silver colours. So when you see a white/rose gold Mi Note, you know its a Pro which gives a little bit extra prestige to Note Pro buyers.
This is something Apple could actually learn from since I swear 95%+ of the iPhone 5s’ and 6’s I see in China are always the white/rose-gold variant. The Chinese consumers haven’t figured out that once everyone has one it isn’t special anymore. Apple should have reserved the white/rose gold iPhones for 64gb or 128gb models only and squeeze customers more to get their precious rose gold.
In the past I haven’t been the biggest Xiaomi fan, but I will admit it was genius of them to make the white/rose gold colour variant available only on the Mi Note Pro, with the Mi Note only available in the black/grey or white/silver colours. So when you see a white/rose gold Mi Note, you know its a Pro which gives a little bit extra prestige to Note Pro buyers.
This is something Apple could actually learn from since I swear 95%+ of the iPhone 5s’ and 6’s I see in China are always the white/rose-gold variant. The Chinese consumers haven’t figured out that once everyone has one it isn’t special anymore. Apple should have reserved the white/rose gold iPhones for 64gb or 128gb models only and squeeze customers more to get their precious rose gold.
Please credit the right source. You are using photos from http://oizoioi.com.my/blog/xiaomi-note-hands-on/
Please credit the right source. You are using photos from http://oizoioi.com.my/blog/xiaomi-note-hands-on/
Very VERY very BIG !!
Not needing more than 5” , 4’7 is the best
Also what price is that ???? Are you crazy ? We say we love xiaomi because are excellent phones with low price … but now this series is looking to apple prices. Just a big NO from me for those devices. I prefer Mi4
Very VERY very BIG !!
Not needing more than 5” , 4’7 is the best
Also what price is that ???? Are you crazy ? We say we love xiaomi because are excellent phones with low price … but now this series is looking to apple prices. Just a big NO from me for those devices. I prefer Mi4