One of the founders of Xiaomi Corporation, billionaire Lei Jun, is called the Chinese Jobs. Lei Jun owns more than a third of the company's shares and currently holds the position of CEO. Over the past couple of years, the firm has solidified itself as a premium brand, standing side-by-side with Chinese giants such as Huawei, Oppo & OnePlus.
In the Russian interpretation, the following variants of the name of the Chinese brand Xiaomi are found: xiaomi, xiaomi, hayomi and others. The symbol of the company is a hare in a hat with earflaps with a red star and a pioneer tie around his neck. The main activity of Xiaomi Inc. (Xiaomi Keji) is the production of smartphones and their accessories.
The company's mobile business began less than a decade ago with the development of the MIUI software shell and the creation of its first own phone Mi1 in 2011. Three years later, releasing inexpensive and competitive devices, Xiaomi overtook Apple in the Chinese mobile market, and then confidently entered the world level. Today, the volume of production and sales of smartphones is such that the company "Xiaomi Keji" is ranked fourth in China and sixth in the world.
Characteristics of some of the main brand smartphones
The official entry of Xiaomi into the Russian mobile market dates back to 2017. Among the smartphones and “smart” devices presented at that time in our country by the manufacturer were: the Mi A1 smartphone on the Android One operating system, the full-screen concept flagship Mi MIX, the Mi Max 2 phablet smartphone and others. The most popular in Russia, as well as in European countries, have become Xiaomi Mi 4 and Mi 3 with their competitive technical characteristics and low cost. Probably the most affordable smartphone in the company's history, aimed at those who are definitely not ready to spend more than $ 100 on a gadget, the Redmi 5A. Gaming smartphones are represented by the Black Shark line. Xiaomi's portfolio also includes an interesting fitness bracelet Mi Band, capable, for example, of tracking user activity during the day and sleep phase.
Xiaomi Inc. is renowned for its range of mid-to-mid-high-end smartphones, as well as their good build. Some devices are manufactured at Foxconn factories, where Apple iPhones and iPads are made. The lineup includes different categories - from budget solutions using the latest version of Android to flagships with the latest technologies. The "conveyor" Xiaomi continues to work at full capacity and 2019 was marked by the release of several interesting gadgets with the traditional Chinese brand for the optimal combination of price and quality.
Budget smartphone Xiaomi Mi Play
The "chip" of the Play model, presented on the eve of the Chinese New Year, is a game filling, a spectacular appearance and an extremely attractive declared price of $ 160. Xiaomi Play became the first smartphone of the company with MTK Helio P35 chipset. The processor operates at a maximum frequency of 2.3 GHz, has a 12 nm process technology. Xiaomi Mi Play is available in 6/64 GB and 6/128 GB variants. The most available version is with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of ROM. The gadget does not have a long autonomy - a 3000 mAh battery.
This is the first model of the manufacturer with a gracefully beaten screen cutout in the form of a drop, where the front camera of 8 megapixels is hidden. The main module consists of two cameras (12 and 2 megapixels), which use artificial intelligence algorithms. The gadget has a small 5, 84-inch screen, IPS-matrix with a resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels. The current weighted average retail price of the Play model in the Russian Internet trade is 8,450 rubles.
"Ninth" flagships with a triple camera
Mi 9 technologies at a reasonable price - this is how the lineup of Xiaomi smartphones from the 2019 release can be positioned:
- flagship Mi 9;
- a stripped-down version of the Mi 9 SE;
- Premium Xiaomi Mi 9 Explorer Edition.
The difference between Mi 9 SE and Mi 9 is only in smaller dimensions, simplified camera and lack of wireless charging. The premium Explorer Edition features a transparent rear panel with up to 12GB and 512GB of RAM and ROM, respectively, and an improved main camera with a 7-element lens.
The flagship Mi 9 is recognized as the most affordable gadget on the top 855 "dragon" processor. According to the benchmark of the AnTuTu smartphone testing resource, Xiaomi Mi 9 came out on top in terms of performance, gaining a record 387,000 conventional points, beating the Samsung Galaxy S10 and Vivo iQOO Monster equipped with the same processor. "Nine" Xiaomi is built on the basis of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset with a maximum frequency of 2.4 GHz and support for 5G networks. The amount of RAM is 6 or 8 GB, and the UFS 2.1 standard ROM is 128 or 256 GB. It is currently the fastest among Android phones. And taking into account the price (for the junior configuration of 6/128 GB it does not exceed $ 450), this is also one of the most profitable gadget options. None of the competing brands offer analogues.
Even sophisticated users are surprised by the photo capabilities of the flagship of Xiaomi: there is a minimum shooting distance of 4 cm, and 900 fps video, and instant focusing in difficult conditions. Beating the iPhone XS Max, the Xiaomi Mi 9 ranks third in the mobile photography quality ranking published on the DxOMark website. The camera, three modules of which solve numerous user tasks of mobile photographers, should be recognized as the most important achievement of the "nine". The 48-megapixel matrix of the main sensor Sony IMX586, equipped with an coated lens at f / 1.75, collects one sub-pixel from 4 pixels (as in Redmi Note 7). The other two cameras, the 12MP Samsung S5K3M5 and the 16MP wide-angle module, provide a telephoto and wide-angle combination. The smartphone got rid of the “bangs” that its predecessor Mi 8 had. A number of sensors and a 24-megapixel front camera, working with artificial intelligence, are located in a waterdrop notch. The fingerprint scanner is integrated into the display and is 25% faster than the Xiaomi Mi 8.
One of the problems of the Xiaomi Mi 9 is the lack of a corporate identity. Copies from several smartphones are clearly visible: the back panel is inspired by the iPhone, the front side is Oppo and Sharp. As for the prices, the manufacturer has made them very democratic. For the initial 6/128 GB version, the price tag was set at 2999 yuan ($ 450). A smartphone with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of ROM costs 3299 yuan ($ 490). The MSRP of the premium model Mi 9 Explorer Edition with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of ROM is $ 590. The cost of Xiaomi Mi 9 SE is $ 295 for the version with 64 GB of ROM, and for the version with 128 GB of flash memory, $ 340. The "lightweight" model of the flagship Mi 9 SE in Russia is an ideal mobile device in the price range "about 20 thousand rubles."
"Youth couple" CC9 - CC9e
The presentation date of the Xiaomi CC series smartphones is July 2019. The announced price for the junior Xiaomi CC9e is at $ 232, the cost of the senior Xiaomi CC9 is from $ 378 to $ 451. CC is an acronym for Colorful and Creative. The new boot animation using these two letters replaces the familiar plain white Mi logo on a black screen that was present in past models.
Both smartphones have a 32MP front camera housed in a waterdrop notch at the top of the display. The photo capabilities of the gadgets are represented by a triple main camera with a main 48-megapixel Sony IMX582 sensor. The difference in the resolution of the auxiliary modules in the older and younger models: 16 and 12 Mp, 8 and 5 Mp. The AMOLED display integrated with a fingerprint scanner in the Xiaomi CC9 has a size of 6, 39 inches and a resolution of 2340 × 1080 pixels. The screen on the CC9e is slightly smaller (5.77 inches), and the scanner is located on the side panel.
An analysis of the hardware base shows that the CC9 is built on the mid-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 chipset, and the CC9e is based on the older Snapdragon 710. The RAM is 6 or 8 GB, and the eMMC 5.1 ROM in two versions is 64 and 128 GB. Smartphones run MIUI 10 proprietary shell based on Android 9 Pie. There is a USB Type-C connector, an infrared port and high-quality Hi-Res sound. NFC contactless payments are not available.
Xiaomi makes a hidden camera
Modern smartphones are far from perfect: insufficient battery capacity, low reliability of face recognition technology, interruptions in updates. This will likely annoy users for a few more years. But design flaws like the notches that manufacturers hide front-facing cameras in are coming to an end.
A video of a smartphone has been posted on the YouTube channel, in which Xiaomi engineers have implemented the technology of installing a camera by analogy with a fingerprint scanner, right under the screen. The hidden camera is equally effective for taking selfies and scanning a face. This means that from now on, it will be possible not to decorate the camera with design elements in the form of a bang, droplet or mole, while fully preserving its functionality.
Will the company refuse to produce cheap smartphones
In early 2019, the CEO of Xiaomi Corporation announced to his subscribers on the Weibo social network that he intends to change the company's policy and move away from the image of a manufacturer of cheap devices. One of the first measures in this direction was announced a little later by Xiaomi product director Van Ten Thomas. He said that next year the company may refuse to release a "lightweight" version of the flagship smartphone Xiaomi Mi 9 SE.
Manufacturers explain that the reduced form factor, along with ease of use, is difficult to manufacture, as it leaves less room for maneuver. There are too many features in flagship models to be implemented in gadgets with a small screen. So it is likely that Xiaomi smartphones will only go up in price in the near future.
