Xiaomi Mi Note
Xiaomi Mi NoteXiaomi ENMIUI Blog

Technology start-up firm Xiaomi, on 15 January, came up with a couple of devices - Mi Note and Note Pro - which may finally put the company in a league of its own.

Xiaomi, in its bid to shed the tag of 'Apple copycat', has launched the top-end Mi Note series phablets with state-of-art internal hardware, keeping the cost of the devices less than half of that of iPhone 6 Plus (unlocked models).

All through the presentation, company's CEO Lei Jun made a point to compare the new Mi Note and Note Pro with the Apple's flagship phablet.

[For more details and photos, check our live event coverage story: Xiaomi Flagship Product Launch Live Update: Mi Note, Note Pro Announced; to Take on Apple iPhone 6 Plus]

To provide clear perspective on the new Xiaomi Mi Note, Note Pro and the Apple iPhone 6 Plus. We have done a quick rundown of the key features of these three devices, check it out here:

Display:

Apple iPhone 6 Plus features 5.5-inch LED-backlit IPS screen with Retina HD (aka full HD) and 1920x1080p resolution; and like all previous iPhones it flaunts premium metal chassis (on corners) and shell on the rear-side.

Xiaomi Mi Note sports a 5.7-inch full HD (1920x1080p) display manufactured by LG, the company which is known to be one of the screen supply partners of Apple iDevices.

On the other hand, the top-end Xiaomi Note Pro flaunts 5.7-inch 2K (2560x1440p) screen protected by 3D curved Gorilla Glass 3 on top and metal frame around the corners. The less expensive sibling of the model also features same metal based chassis.

Processor, RAM and Storage capacity:

Xiaomi Mi Note Pro
Xiaomi Mi Note ProXiaomi ENMIUI Blog

Apple iPhone 6 Plus comes packed with advanced 20-nanometer class-based second generation 64-bit A8 chipset which is 25-percent faster (50-percent faster graphics too) than the A7 in iPhone 5S. It is supported by second generation, M8 motion co-processor 1GB RAM and 16GB/64GB/128GB memory.

Xiaomi Mi Note ships with 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU with Adreno 330 and is supported by sumptuous 3GB RAM and 16GB/64GB storage space.

Xiaomi's Pro model is more like a Mi Note on steroids. It is said to be the first smartphone in the industry to ship with the Qualcomm's new processor Snapdragon 810 SoC (System on Chip), which supports 4G-LTE Cat 9 network enabling download speed close to a staggering 450 mbps. It comes paired with new generation LPDDR 4 series 4GB RAM and 64GB inbuilt memory.

Camera:

Apple iPhone 6 Plus Series Smartphone
Apple iPhone 6 Plus Series SmartphoneApple Inc.

Both Xiaomi Mi Note and Pro models house same camera specifications. They come with a 13.0-megapixel Sony main camera with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), 6 physical lens, f/2.0 aperture, Philips 2-Tone LED flash and pack a 4.0-megapixel camera with large 2-micron pixel lens on the front.

Apple iPhone 6 Plus features a 8-megapixel iSight camera with 1.5µ pixels, f/2.2 aperture, True-Tone flash, hybrid IR filter, five-element lens and 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera with f/2.2 aperture, auto-HDR and 720p HD video recording.

Xiaomi Mi Note and Note Pro Price & Availability details:

Xiaomi has confirmed that the normal Mi Note models - 16GB and 64GB models - cost ¥2299 Yuan (around $371/€315/₹22900) and ¥2799 Yuan (around $451/€384/₹27,900), respectively. They will go on sale in China on 27 January at Mi.com.

Meanwhile, the premium Mi Note Pro 64GB model is slated to hit stores a little later in the year, for ¥3299 Yuan (around $532/€452/₹32,900), as mass production of the device is expected to take-off in March.

Key specifications of Xiaomi Mi Note, Mi Note Pro and Apple iPhone 6 Plus:

Models Xiaomi Mi Note Xiaomi Mi Note Pro Apple iPhone 6 Plus
Display 5.7-inch full HD (1920x1080p) NEGA Negative LCD Panel with Adaptive dynamic contrast(contrast ratio: 1400:1)Add-ons: 3D curved Gorilla Glass 3 with metal frame 5.7-inch 2K (2560x1440p) screenAdd-ons: 3D curved Gorilla Glass 3 with metal framePixel density: close to 515 ppi (pixels per inch) 5.5- inch LED-backlit IPS screen with Retina HD (aka full HD) with 1920x1080p resolutionPixel density: 401 ppi (pixels per inch)Add-ons:- Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front- Dual-domain pixels for wider viewing angles
OS Android 4.4.4 KitKat OS with MIUI v6.0 Android 4.4.4 KitKat OS with MIUI v6.0 iOS v8.0.2
Processor 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU with Adreno 330 64-bit class Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 Octa-core CPU with Adreno 430 graphics engine 20-nanometer class based second generation 64-bit A8 chipset which is 25-percent faster (50-percent faster graphics too) than the A7 in iPhone 5S.It is aptly supported by second generation, M8 motion co-processor
RAM 933MHz 3GB (LPDDR 3) 4GB (LPDDR 4) 1GB
Storage capacity 16GB and 64GB 64GB eMMC 5.0 Flash 16GB/64GB/128GB
Camera
  • Main: 13.0-megapixel Sony camera with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), 6 physical lens, f/2.0 aperture, Philips 2-Tone LED flash
  • Front: 4.0-megapixel camera with large 2-micron pixel lens
  • Main: 13.0-megapixel Sony camera with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), 6 physical lens, f/2.0 aperture, Philips 2-Tone LED flash
  • Front: 4.0-megapixel camera with large 2-micron pixel lens
  • Main: New 8-megapixel iSight camera with 1.5µ pixels, f/2.2 aperture, True-Tone flash, hybrid IR filter, five-element lens, sapphire crystal lens cover, Optical Image stabilization,
  • Front: 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera with f/2.2 aperture, auto-HDR,720p HD video recording
Battery 3000 mAh (lithium-ion) with quick charge 2.0 technology 3090 mAh (lithium-ion) with quick charge 2.0 technology Talk time: up to 24 hours (3G)Standby time: close to 16 days (384 hours)
Network 4G-LTE (Cat 4 with 150/50 mbps: download/upload speed) 4G-LTE Cat 9. which supports download speed close to a staggering 450 mbps 3G & 4G-LTE (with new VoLTE technology for high quality voice-calling)
Add-ons Dual 4G dual card standby. Dual card support small card, a nano SIM card, a micro SIM card and others include Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi (802.11ac), GPS / Glonass / Compass, Hi-Fi audio system, 24-bit/192KHz lossless playback support Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi (802.11ac), GPS / Glonass / Compass, Hi-Fi audio system, 24-bit/192KHz lossless playback support Finger-print sensor (much better Tough-ID security feature), Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac), Wi-Fi calling (in select markets), Bluetooth v4.0, NFC. GPS/GLONASS
Price
  • 16GB: ¥2299 Yuan (around $371/€315/₹22900)
  • 64GB: ¥2799 Yuan (around $451/€384/₹27,900).
¥3299 (around $532/€452/₹32,900) In India (Unlocked)
  • 16GB: 62,500 (around $1016/€860/¥6284);
  • 64GB:₹71,500(around $1161/€984/¥7,187);
  • 128GB:₹80,500(around $1308/€1118/¥8,084);