Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s will come with wireless charging

We can add wireless charging to the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s' list of improvements over the Mi Mix 2.

The feature has been tipped by Xiaomi itself, via its official Weibo account.

 

Xiaomi is yet to release a phone with wireless charging, but hopefully this is a sign of things to come and all of its upcoming flagship devices join the trend.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 will be announced in Shanghai on March 27. It will have a 5.99-inch display (that will likely sport a notch), a Snapdragon 845 and a dual camera on the back.

Via

Video of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s confirms the selfie camera notch

Leaked images showed that the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 still will put its selfie camera in the top right corner to enable a uniformly thin bezel all around the screen. However, the authenticity of that image came into question after yesterday’s leak that showed the rear camera in a different position.

There is now video evidence now that the selfie cam will be in a little notch in the corner. As far as notches go, this one is by far the most inoffensive, it’s about the size of a status icon.

Unfortunately, we don’t see the bottom of the screen in this video. Leaked images of the front show that the thicker bottom bezel of the first two Mix models will be gone.

This older video does show the bottom of the screen. Xiaomi has gone for an iPhone X-style interface - the Mi Mix 2s will not have on-screen buttons, but instead rely on gestures (there will probably be a toggle to go back to buttons, MIUI loves to offer tweaks to its users).

As for an under-screen fingerprint reader, that rumor has been conclusively put to rest.

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Xiaomi launches Mi LED Smart TV 4A in India

Following the Mi LED Smart TV 4, Xiaomi has launched the Mi LED Smart TV 4A in India in two sizes, 43-inch and 32-inch.

The Mi LED Smart TV 4A 43 has a 1920x1080 LED backlit panel and a 20W speaker system. It has three HDMI ports, three USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, AV in and a headphones jack. It's powered by an Amlogic T950 SoC with 4x Cortex-A53 clocked at 1.5GHz and Mali-450 at 750MHz with 1GB RAM and 8GB storage. It runs Xiaomi's Patchwall UI with built-in applications for popular services such as Hotstar, Sony LIV, Voot, Hungama Play, ALT Balaji, ZEE5 and more. The television is controlled by an 11-key Bluetooth remote. The 32-inch model is largely the same, although it has a 1366x768 resolution and one less USB port.

The Mi TV 4A 43 is priced at INR 22,999 and the Mi TV 4A 32 is priced at INR 13,999. Both models go on sale on March 13, 12PM IST.

Xiaomi wants to enter the US smartphone market by the end of the year, or in early 2019

As you may know, Xiaomi has been doing quite well in the smartphone space with its devices that offer great specs for their prices. However, the Chinese company has only been officially active in a handful of markets so far. One of the biggest omissions has been the US, but that's about to change if a new report from the Wall Street Journalpans out.

According to Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun, the company is looking to finally enter the US market either towards the end of this year or in early 2019. Unfortunately no more specific details are available at the moment, but he did say he's aware of the hurdles facing such a move - among which are adapting to American regulations and accommodating US customers' specific needs.

Xiaomi has had an online store in the US since 2015, but so far it has only sold accessories and fitness trackers. Entering the US smartphone market makes perfect sense for Xiaomi, especially now when it's looking for new avenues of growth. Yet given what has recently happened to Huawei's push to sell smartphones through carriers in the US, it's likely that Xiaomi devices will be available over there only in unlocked form.

Source | Via

Xiaomi Mi LED Smart TV 4C appears on online store ahead of launch

The Xiaomi Mi LED Smart TV 4C has appeared on the Mi.com online store ahead of the March 7 announcement. Although the product page is not yet available, the television is visible in the store section, although actually on sale.

The Mi LED Smart TV 4C is the smaller sibling of the Mi LED Smart TV 4 launched in India last month. It has a smaller 43-inch display versus the massive 55-inch panel on the bigger model. The 4C also has 1080p resolution with no support for HDR while the bigger model supports both 4K as well as HDR.

The television is priced in India at INR 27,999 ($429), which is competitive but not as aggressive as the INR 39,999 ($613) for the bigger model. Xiaomi's key differentiator will be the smart TV functionality similar to that on the bigger model. The company has tie-ups with various content providers in India and also has seamless integration with set top box systems, which should make it more appealing than its rivals.

The Mi LED Smart TV 4 went on sale in India last month but has largely been unavailable, partly due to the demand but mostly due to Xiaomi's patently absurd flash sale system. Angry buyers have taken to the internet to complain about the system, which had a helpful countdown timer on the website for the flash sale, only to immediately show Out of Stock after it counted down to zero.

As such, it's likely the prospective Mi LED Smart TV 4C buyers will have to go through similar ridiculousness before they finally manage to get one.

Xiaomi launches 55" smart Mi LED TV 4

Xiaomi has launched the Mi LED TV 4 in India, its first television on the Indian market. The TV will be available through Flipkart and Mi.com online and across retail partners for INR39,999 (€503/$623).

The smart Mi LED TV 4 has a 55" panel of 4K resolution that runs Android TV OS with Xiaomi's in-house Patchwall - a deep learning AI system that understands your preferences and classifies content automatically for personalized recommendations. Specs-wise, there is 2 GB RAM and 8 GB storage while the system is powered by 64-bit quad-core CPU.

   
Slides from Mi LED TV 4 launch

The most impressive feature of the TV is the design - it is only 4.9 mm at its thinnest point. Xiaomi has established a partnership with Voot, Hungama Play, and Sony Liv and promises more than 500,000 hours of content, 80% of which is free. The 55" TV connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, 3 HDMI, 2 USB and one Ethernet port.

    
Hands-on with the Mi LED TV 4

The remote for the Mi LED TV 4 has only 11 buttons and works through Bluetooth, so you don't have to actually point it at the TV. It works both for the set-top box and the smart TV.

Leaked Mi Mix 2S banner showcases stunning design and a Snapdragon 845 powerhouse underneath

Xiaomi has been stirring up quite a bit of commotion in the rumor mill lately. The Chinese manufacturer appears to have quite a few interesting devices in the works and info on release schedules and specs has been fluctuating massively, especially in regard to MWC 2018 and the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset.

With the Mi 7 flagship now, allegedly, pushed back for after the Barcelona event, tension is mounting around the Mi Mix 2S. It was recently spotted, flexing some serious Snapdragon 845 muscle in AnTuTu scores. If that wasn't enough proof of its impressive internals and Snapdragon 845 ambassador status, an official-looking Xiaomi banner for the phone was recently unearthed.

In explicitly lists a 5.99-inch panel, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for the handset, as well as the aforementioned beastly Qualcomm chipset. But perhaps more impressive still is the included render of the phone and what is described as Full Screen design 3.0. It really does take the edge-to-edge display concept to a whole new level. The Mi Mix 2s appears to have side bezels and top and bottom chins even slimmer than those on the Mix 2. Only the front-facing camera interrupting the all-display aesthetic of the handset and not by much, just taking up a small portion of the top right corner. We really do hope the render accurately represents the final product.

Other, less substantiated rumors about the Mi Mix 2s, include a dual 12MP main camera setup, based on the Sony IMX363 sensor. Also, an under-display fingerprint reader as well as an on-device AI technology, to allegedly power iPhone-like facial recognition algorithms, among other things.

Source (in Chinese)

Samsung stays on top with 317M shipments in 2017

International Data Corporation and Strategy Analytics published their reports on the global smartphone shipments in Q4 and the full year 2017. The data reveals that Apple shipped 77.3 million iPhones in Q4 2017, most of any other manufacturer. For the full year, Samsung held its top position, shipping more than 317 million phones.

Xiaomi impressed analysts by almost doubling its shipments - 28.1 million between October and December 2017 versus just 14.3 million for the same period in 2016.

Data from Strategy Analytics

The holiday season brought anything but smiles to manufacturers with 4 out of 5 top companies registering a decline in shipments YoY. According to Strategy Analytics, the period marked the “biggest annual fall” in smartphone history from 438 million shipments in Q4 2016 to just 400 in Q4 2017.

  
Data from IDC

According to both analyst companies, one of five shipped smartphones in 2017 is a Samsung. Apple stays second with 14.7% market share, followed by Huawei and Oppo, keeping the Top 4 the same as in 2016.

Although data from Strategy Analytics and IDC differs a bit, both companies report shipments for the past 12 months of around 1,5 billion smartphones. The amount is almost the same as in 2016, revealing a massive oversaturation of the market.

Source 1 • Source 2

Xiaomi Mi Max 3 leak confirms dual camera setup

The successor to the Xiaomi Mi Max 2, likely to be called Mi Max 3, has leaked in an image. It confirms the dual rear camera setup that rumors so far had suggested. Both Mi Max 2 and the original Mi Max featured a single main camera.

Not only image, but some key specs have also leaked. The device is said to be powered by Snapdragon 635 and feature a 6.99-inch tall 18:9 display. It should come in 3GB/64GB and 4GB/128GB memory configurations, and sport a 5MP front shooter. A large, 5,500mAh battery is also rumored.

While most of this is inline with what we've already heard, one of the earlier rumors had said the phone will be available in two variants - one powered by Snapdragon 630, while the other by Snapdragon 660.

As for pricing, the device is said to start at around CNY 1,699, which currently translates to $265.

Via

Xiaomi Mi Max 3 to have 7-inch display, 5,500mAh battery

In love with large screen smartphones? Here's an exciting piece of news for you: the next Xiaomi Mi Max series smartphone is rumored to feature a massive 7-inch display. That will be an 18:9 panel with minimalistic bezels on both top and bottom.

Mi Max 2

The rumor further says there will be a bump in battery capacity as well, with the Mi Max 3 packing in a 5,500mAh battery. There will be a dual camera setup on the back, and the phone will also feature Quick Charge 3.0. As for SoC, there will be two variants - one powered by Snapdragon 630, while the other by Snapdragon 660.

Source

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 rear panel leaks

Xiaomi's Mi Mix lineup, the one that started the bezelless craze, is about to get a new member - Mi Mix 3. A photo of the rear panel appeared, suggesting the new phablet might have a dual vertical camera setup on the back.

The panel looks a lot like the back of the iPhone X but with a fingerprint scanner and a “Mi Mix designed by Xiaomi” slogan on it.

This is quite an early leak and this might be just one of series of prototypes Xiaomi is working on for the next Mi Mix flagship. The manufacturer has introduced two completely different designs of vertical camera setup: two lenses under the same piece of glass (Mi 5s Plus) and two lenses in separate holes (Mi 6).

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TENAA spilled the beans on a new Xiaomi phone. Likely the Redmi Note 5.

A pair of unannounced Xiaomi devices popped up on the Chinese certification authority's website, bearing the model numbers MET7 and MEE7. Both share identical specs sheets, including a trendy new ultra-wide, 18:9 panel and only differ in color, leading us to believe this might be the eagerly-anticipated Redmi Note 5.

We've already heard a lot about the next generation of the company's most popular, value-centric offer, but recent renders and leaks appear to agree on a dual main camera setup for the device. The two listings at TENNA both show a single snapper above an LED flash and a round fingerprint reader on the back of the phones.

    
Xiaomi MEE7

Also, most sources seems to land on a 5.5-inch panel for the upcoming Redmi Note 5 - a logical choice, given the popularity of this particular diagonal, while TENAA describes a bigger 5.9-inch phablet. We are not exactly sure what to make of the MET7/MEE7 and where to place it in the company's lineup. Perhaps, it's another Redmi Note 5 variant. A "Pro" or a "Prime", but definitely not a Redmi Note 5A or Note 5A Prime, since those two handsets already exist, seemingly only to make the naming convention that little bit more confusing. But, we digress.

    
Xiaomi MET7

The unannounced MET7/MEE7 measures 158.5 x 75.45 x 8.05 mm and weighs in at 179.5 grams. That is including the 18:9, 2160 x 1080 pixel, 5.99-inch, LCD display and a sizeable 4,000 mAh battery. Although not nearly as bezel-less as its Mi Mix 2 cousin, the phone does appear to have less plastic on the front than its predecessors and should look pretty good in all listed colors: Black, Gold, Rose Gold, While, Blue, Red, Pink, Gray and Silver.

The unit TENAA received is running on an undisclosed 2GHz, octa-core chipset, which sources are still debating over. It could be the MediaTek Helio P25, or a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630. Perhaps a Snapdragon 660, or even a choice between the latter two, depending on the selected tier. If this is, indeed the Redmi Note 5, that is. Those are claimed to be as follows:

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	CNY	USD (est)	EUR (est)
3GB RAM / 16GB storage	999	$150	€128
3GB RAM / 32GB storage	1,299	$195	€167
4GB RAM / 64GB storage	1,699	$256	€218

The TENAA MET7/MEE7 listing also mention a 12MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash and a 5MP selfie one. LTE and Dual-SIM support, with a hybrid slot to substitute one of the cards with a microSD memory expansion. Also a rear-mounted fingerprint reader, IR blaster, Dual-band Wi-Fi a/c, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + GLONASS. All controlled by a MIUI 9 ROM, running on top of Android 7.1.2 Nougat.

Source 1 (In Chinese) | Source 2 (In Chinese)

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 official with Snapdragon 835, 6" screen

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is finally official. This is the highly anticipated follow up to the original bezelless phone and Xiaomi has gone smaller with its successor.

Instead of the 6.4-inch 17:9 display of the first-gen Mi Mix, the Mi Mix 2 opts for a 5.99-inch 18:9 FullHD+ (2160x1080p) making its overall footprint smaller and bringing a higher screen-to-body ratio. Xiaomi boasts of a 12% reduced bottom bezel too and the front glass is curved on all sides.

The Mi Mix 2 naturally gets the top of the line Snapdragon chipset - the 835. It can be paired to 6GB or 8GB of RAM - the 6GB model has either 64GB, 128GB or 256GB of storage while the 8GB model is dubbed Special Edition has 128GB storage and a ceramic body.

   
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

There is a single camera on the back - the same a 12MP Sony IMX386 module, identical to the primary camera on the Xiaomi Mi 6 back and features 4-axis OIS. The front snapper has a modest 5MP resolution.

   
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

Power is delivered through a 3,400mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 - that's a drop of 1,000mAh compared to the original Mi Mix, which handled itself brilliantly in our battery life test. It's interesting to see how the Mi Mix 2 fares.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 comes with MIUI 9 based on Android 7 Nougat.

      
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 Special Edition

The standard aluminum Mi Mix 2 comes in black, while the 8GB RAM ceramic Special edition is available in black or white. The 6GB+64GB Mi Mix 2 will run you RMB 3,299 (€420), the 6GB+128GB costs RMB 3,599 (€460), the 6GB+256GB is RMB 3,999 (€510). The 8GB+128GB ceramic unibody special edition is €700.

Xiaomi Mi Note 3 debuts with dual camera, Snapdragon 660

As expected, the Xiaomi Mi Note 3 arrived alongside the Mi Mix 2 today.

The Mi Note 3 is an interesting phone that sits slightly above the Mi 5X (or Mi A1) with a Snapdragon 660 chipset (not the expected 835) but has plenty of RAM and storage - 6GB and either 64GB or 128GB.

   
Xiaomi Mi Note 3

Another similarity with the Mi 5X (and Mi 6) is the dual camera. The Mi Note 3 packs two 12MP cameras on the back - a regular and a 2x telephoto one. The back cameras offer Portrait Mode while the 16MP front snapper has Adaptable AI Beautify which smooths skin and can even change the shape of a face.

   
Xiaomi Mi Note 3

The Xiaomi Mi Note 3 packs a 3,500mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0

You can get the Xiaomi Mi Note 3 in the following configurations - 6GB + 64GB in Black costs RMB 2,499 (€320), 6GB + 128GB in Black is RMB 2,899 (€370) and for RMB 2,999 you get the Blue 6GB + 128GB Mi Note 3 (€380).