Just moments ago we commended Xiaomi for taking a small innovative step with the Mi Mix, but it is now making me question the same with the launch of Mi Note 2. This is Xiaomi’s first-ever smartphone that sports a dual-edged curved display but highly resembles Samsung S7 Edge or the exploding Note 7. It (almost) exactly rips off the design from the famed Galaxy Edge lineup.
At a launch event in Beijing, Chinese upstart Xiaomi has today released the Mi Note 2 which follows pursuit to the Mi 5S. This sleek smartphone comes encased in a 7-series aluminum frame and sports a 5.7-inch flexible OLED display that is curved on both vertical edges. The display of the smartphone is covered in flexible 3D curved glass, but that not it. This is one of those devices that uplift the premium feel with the use of 3D curved glass on the back as well.
Unlike its sexy edgeless brethren Mi Mix which boasts of the highest 91.3 percent screen-to-body ratio, the Mi Note 2 limits the same at just 77.2 percent. But the smartphone still looks sleek and can be called a fairly decent attempt on the part of Xiaomi for trying to make a curved display. There are no software features that have been added to MIUI to complement and make use of the curves on the display.
Talking about the internals, the Mi Note 2 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC clocked at 2.35 GHz. This is coupled along with a monstrous 6 gigs of RAM and 128 gigs of onboard storage, with no info about MicroSD card support. It also packs in a 4070 mAh battery that can rapidly be juiced up with Quick Charge 3.0.
Instead of including the plain old 13-megapixel shooter, Xiaomi has gone a step further to include an excellent new rear camera module on this smartphone. The Mi Note 2 has packed in a 22.56-megapixel IMX318 camera with f/2.0 aperture on the rear. This is the same module used in Sony Xperia X and XZ smartphone and brings with it Phase Detection and Contrast Detection autofocus system. The rear camera also supports 4K video recording and Electronic Image Stabilisation(EIS). There is also the presence of a dual LED flash on the back.
The front camera, on the other hand, is a simplistic 8-megapixel shooter with a f/2.0 aperture and Auto Focus. It has added software features ‘Beautify’ to help you make your selfies pop and look amazing. Xiaomi has also packed in an AQSTIC audio processor for HD audio quality and low power consumption.
As for connectivity, the Mi Note 2 adds support for six types of global LTE networks which bring up the total to a whopping 37 bands across the world. Other connectivity options, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, microUSB Type-C remain pretty much the same, except for NFC. This is another avenue where Xiaomi has gone full-out and added NFC functionality coupled with read, write, emulation and P2P payments support.
Xiaomi will make the Mi Note 2 available in two colors — Piano Black and Glacier Silver and three different variants in China starting today. These, however, are more on the premium side as compared to its previous affordable offerings. The 4GB+64GB variant will retail at RMB 2799(approx Rs. 27,500) whereas the 6GB+128GB variant will retail at RMB 3299(approx Rs. 32,500). The global LTE variant with 6GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage will be available for RMB 3499(approx Rs. 34,500).
