Xiaomi Takes The Battle To Apple With Mi Note Phablets

Xiaomi has released two new flagship phablet devices which it hopes will accelerate the company’s progress towards the mobile industry’s A-list.

The Chinese manufacturer unveiled the Mi Note and Mi Note Pro devices at an event in Beijing last night, and immediately looked to pitch the phablets against Apple’s blockbuster iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Grand

Despite sharing some obvious aesthetic similarities, the Mi Note (pictured left and gallery below) is shorter, thinner, lighter and features a bigger screen than the iPhone 6 Plus, coming in at 6.95mm (0.27in) thick and weighing just 161g, said Xiaomi chief executive Lei Jun, as well as being half the price at 2,299 yuan ($371; £244) for the basic model.

Featuring a 5.7”Sharp/JDI Full HD display with curved ‘3D’ Gorilla Glass, the Mi Note packs a quad-core 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 processor alongside an Adreno 330 CPU, 3GB RAM.

The 4G device will also support dual 4G SIM (micro/nano) capabilities, and come with either 16 or 64GB of internals storage. There is also a 13MP Sony-built rear camera and 4MP front camera for selfie fans, both of which the company was keen to point out are seamlessly integrated into the phone’s body, without the unsightly bulge seen on Apple’s latest devices.

All this is powered by a 3000mAh battery equipped with Quick Charge 2.0 technology.

It will go on sale on January 27 via Xiaomi’s website.

Super-sized

The Mi Note Pro, (see lead image) is heralded by Xiaomi as “the best smartphone in the world to date”, and fits firmly into the phablet market thanks to a boosted 5.7in screen capable of 2K display.

It is powered by a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB eMMC 5.0 internal flash memory.

Upon launch, the Mi Note Pro will support LTE-Cat 9 networks, meaning users will be able to enjoy download speeds of up to 450Mbps where applicable.

It will cost ¥3299 ($532, £349) when it goes on sale, although Xiaomi did not reveal when this would be.

On the up?

Set up in 2010, Xiaomi has enjoyed a rapid rise in the technology industry. A few weeks ago, the company revealed its latest round of funding valued it at around $45bn, making it the world’s most valuable start-up.

However, the company, founded in 2010, continues to have slim profit margins and has faced intellectual property challenges outside of China, with sales in India recently suspended following an intellectual property complaint by Ericsson.

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