Xiaomi Mi Note With 5.7-Inch Display and Snapdragon 801 SoC Launched

By NDTV Correspondent | Updated: 17 March 2015 19:43 IST

Xiaomi on Thursday launched its new flagship smartphone - the Mi Note phablet - which was previously teased by the company with the tagline "The bigger the better."

The company announced a pricing of CNY 2,299 (roughly Rs. 23,000) for the 16GB model, while the 64GB model of the Xiaomi Mi Note will come at CNY 2,799 (roughly Rs. 27,900).

Lei Jun, Xiaomi CEO, revealed the handset at an event in Beijing and stressed that smartphones are at the centre of its strategic goals. Jun also claimed that the new Mi Note is the "best looking phone in the company's history." Additionally, Jun at the event also showcased Mi Headphones that will cost CNY 499 (roughly Rs. 5,000).

Xiaomi, also referred to as China's Apple, compared its new Mi Note phablet to the iPhone 6 Plus. The company also contrasted the Xiaomi Mi Note's camera that's level with the smartphone body with the iPhone 6 Plus' camera that protrudes.

The dual-SIM and dual-standby Xiaomi Mi Note with Micro-SIM and Nano-SIM card support features a 5.7-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) Sharp JDI display offering a pixel density of 386ppi. It also packs Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. The handset sports a metal frame.

Jun also revealed that the new Xiaomi Note features a 2.5D glass at the front while the back features 3D glass for protection. The phablet is just 6.95mm thin and weighs 161 grams.

The Xiaomi Note phablet features a contrast ratio of 1400:1 and auto-adjusts dynamic contrast pixels. For the areas more exposed it reduces contrast, while for lower exposure it increases contrast. It also packs an anti-glare display. The phablet sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with a six-element lens, OIS, a Sony CMOS sensor, and two-tone flash from Philips. There is a 4-megapixel front-camera also onboard with large 2-micron pixels. The Xiaomi Mi Note also sports a dedicated chip for audio (ESS ES9018K2M) and the company touted that it sports "highest quality of audio on any phone". It offers 24-bit/192KHz lossless playback support.

The phablet is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.5GHz alongside 3GB of RAM and Adreno 330 GPU. The Xiaomi Mi Note also supports 4G LTE connectivity and is backed by a 3000mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0 technology.

The Mi Headphones are semi-open headphones with 50mm beryllium diaphragm speakers and interchangeable over-ear and on-ear covers. It features a low 32-ohm impedance, and a silver-plated straight cable.