Xiaomi Announces Mi Note & Mi Note Pro–5.7” Flagships, Metal Build & Curved Gorilla Glass

January 16 06:45 2015 by Alexei Rivera Print This Article

In an announcement held yesterday, the fastest growing smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi unveiled the Mi Note & Mi Note Pro – both of which fall into the top-of-the-line category as we’d usually expect from such a trendsetting company. The Mi Note packs a 5.7” Full HD Display and is powered by a Snapdragon 801 processor, while the Note Pro takes that up a notch with a Quad HD display and Quallcom’s newest Snapdragon 810 Octa-Core 64-bit processor. Both devices are impeccably designed with narrow bezels, metal frames, curved Gorilla Glass; and features lossless audio amplification and Optical Image Stabilization – some true worthwhile upgrades. Priced as low as $370 (PHP 16k Est. direct conversion) these are essentially half the price of more traditional brand counterparts.

Xiaomi Mi Note – 370$ / 450$ = PHP 16k / PHP 20k (Estimated Straight Conversion)

• 2.5ghz Quad-Core Snapdragon 801 Processor (46k antutu)
• 5.7″ 1920×1080 IPS Gorilla Glass 3 Display
• Android 4.4 Kitkat with MIUI
• 13MP Camera IMX214 + Dual Tone Flash with OIS
  • 4MP 1/3″ sensor front
• 3GB DDR3 RAM, 16 / 64GB ROM, No MicroSD
• 3,000mAh Battery
• Dual SIM LTE (Micro/Nano)
• available in black & white / Q2 2015
• lossless audio playback with dedicated amplifier
• metal frame, curved gorilla glass 3 front & back. 6.95mm

Xiaomi Mi Note Pro – $540 = PHP 24k (Estimated Straight Conversion)

• 2Ghz Quad + 1.5Ghz Quad 64-bit Snapdragon 810 Processor
• 5.7″ 2560×1440 IPS Gorilla Glass 3 Display
• Android 5.0 Lollipop with MIUI
• 13MP Camera IMX214 + Dual Tone Flash with OIS
  • 4MP 1/3″ sensor front
• 4GB DDR4 RAM, 64GB ROM, No MicroSD
• 3,000mAh Battery
• Dual SIM LTE (Micro/Nano)
• available in black, white, & gold
• launching in China this January, elsewhere no announcement
• lossless audio playback with dedicated amplifier
• metal frame, curved gorilla glass 3 front & back, 6.95mm

While most of the phone’s hardware features and physical design need no explanation, (as they’re both quite excellent) we’re quite excited about the developments with its OIS camera and lossless audio playback. OIS helps a lot in creating smooth videos and blur-free low light pictures, while a lossless amplifier will enable audiophiles to enjoy their music without any compromises.

Availability for the Mi Note for us international folks is around 2nd Quarter of 2015 so we still have a bit of wait before these phablets emerge in our shores. The Mi Note Pro is even more elusive as no slated information about its availability outside China has been announced.