Xiaomi Mi Note: a real “iPhone killer”? iPhone killer Xiaomi iphone killer

Did you know that AliExpress celebrates its 8th anniversary? Quite a long and serious period for such a large-scale and world-famous project. This is especially pleasant for residents of Russia, who have been regularly buying various items on AliExpress for many years.

The creators of the site and sellers offer to celebrate the holiday with good discounts and prizes. During the period from March 28 to March 30, almost all products will be available cheaper than usual; some items will be discounted up to 50%.

Our friends from LetyShops, during the sale there will be an increased cashback and, according to good tradition, a drawing of worthy expensive prizes will take place among users who purchased something during this period.

How to find real sales discounts:

Even on AliExpress there are unscrupulous sellers, they inflate prices before the sale, and then, under the guise of discounts, they sell the goods even more expensive than usual. Our selection was made using the LetyShops extension, which monitors product prices over the last 30 days. How to use it:

2. Open the page of the desired product.

3. Before purchasing, check the seller for honesty. If the price has been increased, the extension will tell you about it.

A good reason not to waste your time on trifles, but to buy a really cool gadget at a reasonable price. Here are 10 decent Chinese smartphones that are not inferior to competitors from famous manufacturers.

1.

Affordable 5-inch smartphone with two GB of RAM and 16 GB storage. A 13-megapixel camera is provided for photos, and a 3,000 mAh battery provides good autonomy.

Price on Yandex.Market: from 6,500 rub.
Price on AliExpress: from RUR 5,193 ,

2.

A 6-inch phablet from a Chinese manufacturer with an 18:9 aspect ratio convenient for games and videos. The Snapdragon 625 is responsible for computing, with 3 GB of RAM and 32 internal memory. The battery is as much as 4,000 mAh.

Price on Yandex.Market: from 11,000 rub.
Price on AliExpress: from 9,119 rub. ,

3.

The smartphone was released under the AndroidONE program, which guarantees the device a long period of software support. The device is equipped with 4 GB of RAM and a dual camera with 13-megapixel sensors for shooting with bokeh effect.

Price on Yandex.Market: from 12,500 rub.
Price on AliExpress: from 10,447 rub. ,

4.

Huawei Honor 9 Lite stands out with two dual camera modules. This allows you to take cool photos with both the main camera and the front camera. There are four color options: black, white, gray and blue.

Price on Yandex.Market: from 13,500 rub.
Price on AliExpress: from 11,457 rub. ,

5.

Phablet with a huge 6.44-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The battery capacity is as much as 5,300 mAh, the smartphone confidently lasts a couple of days without recharging.

Price on Yandex.Market: from 14,500 rub.
Price on AliExpress: from 12,742 rub. ,

6.

A good gadget from Meizu with a high-quality Sony camera. 5.2-inch display, fingerprint scanner in the button below the screen and USB Type-C for charging or synchronization.

Price on Yandex.Market: from 14,500 rub.
Price on AliExpress: from 13,775 rub. ,

7.

6-inch smartphone with a powerful 8-core processor and 6 GB of RAM. There is a dual camera module, a biometric scanner and a beautiful rounded body.

Price on Yandex.Market: from 14,900 rub.
Price on AliExpress: from 13,869 rub. ,

8.

The smartphone with a 6-inch display diagonal absorbs the best from iPhone and Galaxy. The result is a stylish thin model with minimal frames around the display. There is a fingerprint scanner and a dual camera module.

Price on Yandex.Market: from 16,500 rub.
Price on AliExpress: from 14,975 rub. ,

9.

Meizu model with advanced photo and video capabilities. A dedicated display on the back of the device can act as a viewfinder, and in standby mode can show the time or missed notifications.

Price on Yandex.Market: from 25,750 rub.
Price on AliExpress: from 24,090 rub. ,

10.

Cool 6-inch frameless Xiaomi phablet. Top-end hardware and stylish appearance make the device memorable and distinguish it from its faceless competitors.

Price on Yandex.Market: from 28,350 rub.
Price on AliExpress: from 26,307 rub. ,

Brave claim. And we will definitely check it. We simply could not pass by and not try to catch Xiaomi by the tongue - such things are no joke, because the “seven” has been reliably holding the position of one of the main camera phones on the market for a year now, with which only comparable-price Android flagships can compete.

Plus, this is a great chance to see what the Android One program is all about. If you've never heard of it, it's a Google initiative in which the corporation helps create high-quality, inexpensive devices in exchange for them being shipped with the latest version of Android without add-ons and unnecessary pre-installed applications.

Have we met somewhere before?

Of all the Android One versions released today, the Xiaomi version looks the most attractive: a solid aluminum body, a dual camera, a 5.5-inch screen, glass slightly rounded at the edges and antenna veins neatly inscribed into the edges of the body... wait, this has already happened somewhere. Well, yes, the iPhone 7 Plus was mentioned at the presentation for a reason - Mi A1 seemed to be designed by two designers from an old joke: one was holding the iPhone, and the second was tracing it. The device also resembles the OnePlus 5 with its narrower frames.

The color palette is almost identical to the iPhone: matte black, pink and gold. The polishing quality is also almost identical, it is pleasant to hold in your hands. In general, the product of the joint efforts of Google and Xiaomi looks quite good, but is completely devoid of individuality - only the branded three buttons under the screen and the fingerprint sensor placed on the back (like the Mi Max 2) save it from complete depersonalization. But these design solutions can hardly be called unconditionally successful - in 2017, touch buttons instead of on-screen buttons give off a Chinese budget phone a mile away.

Let's be honest - this is not an iPhone

When Jony Ive gets to work in his snow-white workshop in Cupertino, there can be no complaints about ergonomics. You can criticize the relatively nondescript design of the latest generations of iPhone as much as you like, but at least the smartphone itself is perfectly balanced and fits in the hand as if it had always been there: pleasantly heavy, smooth, fingers can easily reach all the necessary buttons - in a word, the Thing . With a 5.5-inch screen, the iPhone 7 Plus still feels like a shovel and you can’t do it without a second hand; even Apple is not capable of such miracles.

But the Mi A1 lacks this feeling of “Thing” with a capital T. It seems to be the same, almost 30 grams lighter, already a couple of millimeters, and the index finger fits perfectly on the fingerprint sensor, but still something is wrong. It may be a matter of weight, but there are other unpleasant little things. For example, although the edges of the glass are rounded, the joint with the metal is uneven; there is a noticeable “step” with a sharp edge.

And with such a diagonal, it is quite difficult to use the three touch keys under the screen - if you hold the device with one hand, your finger simply cannot reach them all. The iPhone has only one button, multitasking, in the center.

Moreover, for some reason they saved money on the NFC module, so you can forget about Android Pay. In 2017, for a device supported by Google, this looks like an unacceptable redneck.

"Pure" Android is good, but there are problems

It's funny, but if it were a regular Xiaomi smartphone with the proprietary MIUI shell, there would be no problem with the keys. The company's engineers are well aware that with a large diagonal it is impossible to use them, and have long ago added to the firmware the ability to reassign them, add an alternative action for a long press, or even switch to a special universal button that can be freely dragged around the screen.

All this is implemented in the twin brother of Xiaomi Mi A1, which is called Mi 5X - this is literally the same device, but on MIUI instead of pure Android and a couple of thousand rubles cheaper (in China).

In “pure” Android 7.1.1 these options are not provided; even on-screen buttons cannot be activated. But swiping on the sensor on the back panel opens a curtain with notifications and quick switches, just like on the Google Pixel, and the whole system works faster, more stable and completely in Russian with access to Google Play out of the box, no need to fool around with firmware.

In addition, in Android, starting with version 7.0 Nougat, one of the best on-screen keyboards, G-Board, is used today, and swiping to the right from the main screen opens the search screen and personal feed - at first an unusual, but very convenient thing that will show the weather, and traffic jams on the way home, and interesting news (I don’t know how exactly this happens, but I almost always get something that I would really like to read). In addition, by the end of the year the device should be updated to Android 8.0 Oreo, and there are also several useful innovations there.

As for the talking Google Assistant, so far it only understands queries in English. But sooner or later it must be adapted for our country.

The only Xiaomi application that has crept into the Mi A1 is Mi Remote, which allows you to use the IR port built into the top edge as a universal remote control for any home equipment such as a TV or air conditioner. And this is rather a plus, nevertheless, since version 7.0 Android has become an exemplary operating system with good stability on all devices, which makes no sense to clutter it with unnecessary elements.

There is enough power, but it doesn’t conquer peaks

Inside the Xiaomi Mi A1 there is an eight-core Snapdragon 625 and 4 GB of RAM. This is not a flagship level, but a good supply of RAM and OS optimization allows a mid-level processor to quickly cope with any everyday tasks: menus open and scroll through quickly and smoothly, applications launch and run without slowdowns, and even a heavy PDF document of almost 500 pages was loaded with all the graphics in seconds.

Mi A1 does not conquer the peaks of benchmarks, but thanks to the energy-efficient Snapdragon 625, Full HD IPS screen and 3080 mAh battery, it confidently lives for one and a half to two days with average use (several calls, one and a half hours of the Internet and social networks at 80% brightness, two hours of online music, periodic replies in instant messengers and mail with push notifications) and confidently lasts until late in the evening if you use maps a lot, take photos and watch videos on YouTube in addition to standard downloads.

The screen is good. For their money

For a device costing 15 thousand rubles, the Xiaomi Mi A1 has a really good, even excellent display. In direct comparison with the iPhone 7 Plus, it is inferior, but not without a fight: with identical resolution, brightness and pixel density, the Chinese budget device has less saturated colors and lowered contrast, which makes the image seem flat and less expressive. Viewing angles are excellent, but it could be calibrated better; blacks are a little purple.

The display is covered with a Gorilla Glass 3 panel, but there are some doubts about this - on the very first day a noticeable scratch appeared on the glass, although the smartphone was not put in the same pocket with keys or anything like that. It looks like an ordinary large speck of dust on the table was enough.

Between the white glass of the front panel and the screen, a thin black frame around the display is noticeable, but you can’t get away from it - white iPhone 7s also have it.

Camera - main test

A balanced verdict in the unexpected comparison of Xiaomi Mi A1 and iPhone 7 Plus can be made based on the results of the main comparison - the camera test. Below are examples of images taken from both devices under equal conditions.

When viewing the captured photos on smartphone screens, I was even a little upset; the iPhone 7 Plus looked like the undisputed winner. But upon closer examination on one computer monitor, the difference turned out to be not so significant. Photos from Xiaomi even look brighter and more contrasty!

You can check out more photo comparisons in our gallery. Photos are signed and presented in full resolution.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus

Xiaomi Mi A1

The devices take photographs in the same resolution of 12 megapixels (4000x3000 pixels), matrices with enlarged pixels are used, and pairs of modules consist of one wide-angle lens and one telephoto lens, but the characteristics of individual modules differ. Apple uses fast (f/1.8 and f/2.8) lenses with focal lengths of 28 mm and 56 mm, respectively, while Xiaomi has a simpler camera: f/2.2 at 26 mm and f/2.6 at 50 mm.

As expected, both smartphones cope well in bright daylight, but Xiaomi produces slightly oversaturated colors (this can be corrected in the camera settings, but we specifically shot at standard values).

They were bought by Samsung for the Galaxy S8.

As a result, the Chinese announced the premiere of Mi 6 just a week before the event itself. By this time, all the characteristics of the future flagship were already on the Internet, so the surprise was ruined. However, this is not a tragedy: leaks have long been perceived as the most effective tool for stirring up interest in the expected device.

This is what happened now. News about the next Xiaomi flagship appeared every day and automatically presented buyers with a choice: take an expensive smartphone (Galaxy S8 / iPhone 7 Plus) or wait until the presentation of Mi 6 and, perhaps, save a few hundred dollars.

When creating Xiaomi Mi 6, the Chinese were faced with three tasks. The first is to keep up with the trends set by Apple and Samsung. The second is to save your own face. The third is to keep the attractive price tag on the verge of dumping.

After the presentation, we can safely say: yes, Xiaomi did it. Mi 6 is a very promising product, not so much because of the price, but because the smartphone is practically devoid of weak points.

The design of the case combines the features of the iPhone (bottom end), Galaxy S8 (iridescent back cover) and Xiaomi itself: externally, Mi 6 is not much different from last year’s Mi5. The only caveat is 3D glass on all four sides: previously it was only curved on the sides.

The frames around the perimeter of the screen have been preserved - they are huge by the standards of the Galaxy S8, but tiny when compared with the iPhone 7. It would be more correct to call them optimal: they do not spoil the appearance, and there should be no accidental touches.

By the way, the screen here is 5.15-inch with Full HD resolution. Nothing unusual: installing a QHD display would be pointless both from the point of view of use (zero advantages) and from the point of view of cost (it would seriously increase).

The main complaint about the design is the dual camera format. Apple cleverly combined two modules into one lens, but the Chinese did things differently and decorated the back panel with rather specific “eyes”.

At the same time, there are no questions about the camera itself: Xiaomi Mi 6 received a module from with optical zoom (2x), 4-axis optical stabilization, dual flash and 4K video recording.

There is also a background blur mode - again, like in the iPhone 7. Considering that the previous Xiaomi flagship (Mi5) had a generally mediocre camera, a noticeable step forward is obvious.

The Xiaomi Mi 6 has two external speakers, like the iPhone 7, which is again an improvement over the Mi5, where the sound was flat and quiet. Also, Xiaomi parted ways with the 3.5 mm jack in favor of splash protection. A controversial sacrifice, especially considering that the Samsung Galaxy S8 combined both a classic hole and a water-resistant case.

What are the main advantages?

The main advantage of Xiaomi Mi 6 is the price. The most affordable 64 GB option will cost $360 (20,500 rubles). The second modification has 128 GB on board and costs $420 (23,500 rubles).

There is also a third version of the smartphone - Mi 6 Ceramic, equipped with a durable ceramic body (8 points on the Mohs scale) and gold rims around the camera lens (18 carats). For a premium gadget they ask for 435 dollars, or 24,500 rubles. Inside there is, of course, 128 gigabytes of internal memory.

For that kind of money, Xiaomi simply has no competitors, because the Chinese installed the Snapdragon 835 processor (the most powerful and energy-efficient in the family), 6 GB of RAM and a 3350 mAh battery with fast charging support in their flagships.

In practice, this means that Mi 6 will be able to “fly” in all applications without overheating or freezing for a couple of years (at least). With the battery, everything is also very simple: a day and a half with an average load, a day with an intensive load, a full charge in just over an hour. It is important that in 15–20 minutes you can provide Mi 6 with enough energy for 5–6 hours of operation.

And if the Galaxy S8 can also recharge quickly, then the iPhone 7 (and especially the 7 Plus) will gain a maximum of 10–12% of its battery capacity in the same 15 minutes.

Start of sales

Mi 6 sales are scheduled to start on April 28. At the same time, on the 25th the first ever presentation of Xiaomi will take place in Moscow, where with a high degree of probability the Mi 6 will be shown. It is naive to think that in Russia the phone will immediately be sold at par for 20–25 thousand - rather, at the start you should expect price tags at 30–35 thousand. But there are very serious chances that the smartphone will come to us faster than in previous years. In any case, the excitement will subside around mid-summer, and the cost will drop to reasonable values.

Will iPhone 7 and Galaxy S8 replace?

When buying a device from Xiaomi, there is no need to save money - this is a real flagship without obvious shortcomings. To the delight of buyers, the Chinese continue to pursue a policy of killer prices, when devices are sold slightly above cost.

Xiaomi Mi 6 is the very case when a Chinese smartphone is still inferior to devices from Apple and Samsung. The iPhone has a more refined interface and platform, while Samsung has an excellent screen and original design, although in terms of practicality, the Xiaomi flagship is at the level of devices costing $600–800.

If we return to the price category of Xiaomi Mi 6, then everything is completely dull with competitors: representatives of Meizu, Huawei and other Chinese are much weaker in terms of characteristics.

True, Xiaomi still disappointed in one thing. Together with Mi 6, the premiere of Mi 6 Plus with a 4500 mAh battery was expected, but for unknown reasons it did not take place. It is likely that Xiaomi will release this gadget later, without a special event.

Attention! Saving! Get some money back from purchases in online stores: Aliexpress, Booking.com, Ebay, Svyaznoy, ROZETKA, Lamoda and 900+ others. By registering on the Letyshops.ru website, you can return up to 60% of the cost of the product to your bank card from each purchase.

Cashback service Letyshops.ru For every purchase you make on the websites of partner stores, you receive a cash reward. This is what the service shares with you, reimbursing part of your expenses. Spend and earn at the same time!

Join us on

First you need to understand what “kill iPhone” means. It’s definitely not a matter of the number of copies sold: here Apple is already consistently second after Samsung.

In fact, the murder will consist in the fact that the generally recognized “number one smartphone” will be a device from another brand. Now only the iPhone forces people to stand in line three days before the device goes on sale. The most difficult task for competitors is to create a truly iconic gadget that would sell millions of copies within the first weekend after release.

In 2017, the iPhone is still in a different dimension compared to its pursuers. But in the future the situation may indeed change.

1 Samsung

Photo © AFP/EAST NEWS

2 Huawei

Photo © AP/EAST NEWS

3 Google

Photo © AP/FOTOLINK

4 Xiaomi

5 Who else could compete with the iPhone?

I tested a cool new product that can compete with Apple. It's time to forget about other Android smartphones.

Everything is as always - thoughtful copying leads the company to incredible popularity without classic advertising in the spirit of presentations. And if you look at the ratio of price and functionality, there are no questions left about what to buy.

Where else can you find an ergonomic glass (ceramic) body, a dual camera (created with the participation of Samsung) and new Quallcomm platform yes for 23-25 ​​thousand? You can forgive a lot for this if you are a geek and a bit of a hipster.

Convenient flagship on Android - and not Samsung

Apparently, Xiaomi has adopted the Tick-Tock tactics used by Intel and Apple. The radically new generation is followed by an intermediate one, in which engineers work out minor but significant shortcomings. The results are transmitted to the next generation.

Xiaomi Mi6 may seem like a minor update to Mi5s. But this is rather a more convenient (and therefore more popular) Mi5, which has absorbed the best from the intermediate S-series.


The new product uses a 5.15-inch screen in a glass or ceramic case. Ceramic - for the maximum configuration in black; glass - for cheap black, white and blue devices with lower processor frequencies and reduced memory.

Interestingly, the engineers refused to flirt with unusual shapes: Mi6 has a completely flat screen without rounded edges. In the future, the decision will become decisive when choosing a smartphone - no more problems with film or glass!


What about ergonomics? Everything is fine. This time the smoothed edges went to the body. They surround the display on all sides and are incredibly convenient. How were the designers able to implement this without turning the device into a bar of soap? I can't imagine.

Although, what am I talking about? This is the good old redesigned Samsung S7! Even the colors shimmer the same way. But without Chinese fanaticism: the case is not easily soiled (although oleophobics were not introduced), the color is expressive and pleasant.


In all this, a conventional IPS display with AMOLED colors and contrast looks like a given. There is even a slight “eye-catching” quality to the flowers. True, in the system you can customize everything to suit your needs and preferences - even in blue shades, even in red. Or replace the white backlight with yellow.

By the way, it is worth recalling that in Xiaomi Mi6 the yellow backlit mode has been seriously improved. Therefore, unlike younger models, this smartphone’s screen does not actually turn yellow.


Usability and convenience are at their best. Unlike Mix, everything here is familiar and indistinguishable from other Xiaomi devices - except that the button is fashionable, touch-sensitive. Yes, the scanner works fine, unlocking the smartphone the first time.

Samsung engineers (?) even managed to convince us to implement at least some kind of moisture protection in the smartphone. They say it even works (but this is not certain).

New filling - new opportunities

The heart of Xiaomi Mi6 is the latest platform Quallcomm Snapdragon 835. If it were not for its shortage (Samsung selected an exclusive batch), this smartphone could have become the first with a new processor. But due to the participation of Korean specialists in the development of Mi6, Xiaomi management had to wait.

Today, Quallcomm 835 is the most successful processor, or more precisely, SoC (single-chip platform), second only to Apple products. And the point is not at all in the frequency of the computing cores or the power of the graphics subsystem - this is enough so that you can reproduce whatever your heart desires on the gorgeous (bright, contrasting, with correct color rendering) display of the Xiaomi Mi6.

Powerful filling - powerful battery

By the way, about the energy efficiency of the Xiaomi Mi6 processor when working with MIUI. The passport data does not please the battery a little more 3000 mAh- just like in the last century. But this is where Snapdragon comes into play. And it turns out that a smartphone with such a tiny battery lasts much longer than many devices with thick batteries of 5000-7000 mAh!


During testing, a fully charged smartphone lasted almost 14 hours. If you imagine that I would use it on a regular basis, and would not spend the lion's share of the time poking at the screen, it would easily be enough for a day.

In airplane mode, the screen can work for 8 hours at medium brightness, and 14 at quarter brightness.

New processor and fast charging system compliant with the latest Quallcomm Quick Charge 4.0 standard. With it, a full charge takes only an hour and a half.

Our iPhone is a style icon. The Chinese have sound.

Additional features include a user-favorite IR transmitter and even a system of two microphones. But there is no jack - just like the iPhone 7.

And just like Apple, Xiaomi jumped in by releasing a corresponding headset (only an adapter included).

In addition to two (reinforcement and dynamic) drivers, it promises noise reduction and Hi-Fi sound - but only for Mi6 and Mi5s, although as regular, “stupid” headphones (without a microphone), it will work with all smartphones.


This season, Xiaomi has picked up another mobile trend - stereo sound: one speaker is hidden in the bottom end, and the second... Well, there is no second, it works with an amplified conversational speaker. Because of this, if you listen closely, the sound is slightly distorted.

But this is still the most “musical” Xiaomi smartphone. Even without any audiophile stuff.

Chinese smartphone instead of a camera?

Initial rumors about Xiaomi Mi 6 said that Samsung engineers were working on the smartphone's camera. There was no official confirmation of this after the announcement.

But judging by the brief acquaintance with the device, a colossal amount of work has been done on the camera. Declared 4-axis stabilization, 10x digital and 2x optical zoom.

Mi6 uses a bunch of modules as its main one Sony IMX386 And Samsung S5K3M3 with 12 megapixel matrices. This is necessary to compare sensor data and optimize the image, as well as to implement optical zoom. Like this:

The result of this multi-brand solution was properly working stabilization and high-quality zoom.

White balance and light level are determined automatically almost instantly - artifacts can only be noticed in difficult lighting conditions when shooting at night.

Although, out of 100 night photos taken, only 7 turned out to be spoiled - this is an excellent result even for a branded smartphone.

To take or not to take?

We can say that the smartphone turned out great. Taking into account the price, of course: 430 bucks for the “minimum”, for 6/128 GB. I bet that the fate of Mi4 and Mi5, popular much longer than their generation, awaits it. In a couple of years it will be a great workhorse with no complaints.