What’s All This Talk about Xiaomi’s Apple Competitor, the Mi Note?


XiaomiMiNoteChinese Tech company Xiaomi has been gaining rapid popularity since its first smartphone released in 2011. After tripling its smartphone sales in 2014, Xiaomi has become the world's 3rd largest smartphone distributor, also expanding into other consumer electronics and mobile apps. In fact, the startup recently added some new items to its portfolio, including an air purifier, an IP camera, and smart light bulb (Engadget). Now, we're seeing Xiaomi hit up Apple's territory by announcing the high-end Mi Note. How very iPhone 6 Plus of them. Literally.

XiaomiMiNote1Lots of things to say about the Mi Note. It's a fast and powerful sub-$400 option, going against the expensive competition out there. When face-to-face to the 6 Plus, it's thinner and lighter, measuring just 6.95mm-thick, and weighing just 161 grams (that's even lighter than the Galaxy Note 4). Featuring a 5.7-inch 1080 display, with its curved panel mostly wrapped in Gorilla Glass 3, the Mi Note comes with 16GB-128GB of storage, a 13MP rear camera (compared to the 8MP on the 6 Plus), and a 4MP front-facing camera (the 6 Plus only sports 1.2MP) (Tech Times). Under the hood is a Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 3,000 mAh battery.

XiaomiMiNote2Should Xiaomi get flack for going after Apple's design? Externally, no. According to Tech Times, its curved glass back doesn't feel like an iPhone in your hand. Further, Xiaomi blended the Mi Note's rear camera a little more flush with the phone, rather than the protruding camera on the iPhone 6 Plus. Despite Apple getting a little irritated at the company for being a copy cat, I am sure Xiaomi lovers out there will fully support the Mi Note.

Retailing for two-thirds less than the 6 Plus, the Mi Note is priced at 2299 yuan, or $370 US. Wow! However, don't go running to the market just yet because no one is sure when the device will be sold beyond the Asian markets.

Topics: Technology News Apple Smartphones & Mobile Devices Tablets

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