A new low-priced Chinese smartphone is giving top dollar flagship smartphones a run for their money. Personal Tech Columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler reviews Xiaomi's Mi Note.
There’s a new phone from China that quashes the myth that a smartphone must cost a fortune to be any good.
And also the notion that Americans get all the best stuff first.
The new 5.7-inch Mi Note from the world’s most valuable startup Xiaomi (pronounced “shiao-me,” like “shower”) goes toe to toe with goliaths Apple and Samsung . In some ways, Xiaomi even one-ups its rivals—the Mi Note is slightly thinner and lighter than both the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus and 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 4. And, no joke, the Xiaomi camera makes you look younger in selfies.
The Mi Note is the best phone you can’t get in America—it’s only sold in China. Xiaomi says it doesn’t yet have plans to sell phones in the U.S. But it’s blazing a path that will likely bring everyone better, cheaper phones.
Here’s the really impressive part: This Android phablet costs just $370, half as much as the $750 you really pay for an iPhone 6 Plus in the U.S. out of contract, or over the course of two years. (In China, the iPhone 6 Plus costs $970.)
Xiaomi’s prices are low, in part, because it sells its phones online and spends little on traditional marketing. The company has been accused of lifting designs from rivals: Ericsson has sued Xiaomi in India, a case which Xiaomi is contesting. The company says intellectual property battles aren’t holding it back from the U.S. Xiaomi also has an unusual way of developing software, tapping tens of millions of customers for ideas and updating its software once a week, as opposed to the several times a year that Android and iOS get new features.
Another Chinese startup has also figured out how to sell a lustworthy phone for a lot less money—and it’s available in the U.S. OnePlus sells the 5.5-inch One for a mind-boggling $300 without a contract. You can buy it through the OnePlus website (though, oddly, only on Tuesdays). Still, buying any unlocked phone in the U.S. at this point requires an adventurous spirit.
More@
http://www.wsj.com/articles/xiaomi-mi-note-review-changing-the-smartphone-game-from-china-1424810010
There’s a new phone from China that quashes the myth that a smartphone must cost a fortune to be any good.
And also the notion that Americans get all the best stuff first.
The new 5.7-inch Mi Note from the world’s most valuable startup Xiaomi (pronounced “shiao-me,” like “shower”) goes toe to toe with goliaths Apple and Samsung . In some ways, Xiaomi even one-ups its rivals—the Mi Note is slightly thinner and lighter than both the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus and 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 4. And, no joke, the Xiaomi camera makes you look younger in selfies.
The Mi Note is the best phone you can’t get in America—it’s only sold in China. Xiaomi says it doesn’t yet have plans to sell phones in the U.S. But it’s blazing a path that will likely bring everyone better, cheaper phones.
Geoffrey A. Fowler tested a pair of Chinese smartphones—Xiaomi’s Mi Note, bottom, and the OnePlus One, top—against the iPhone 6 Plus, right, and the Galaxy Note 4, left. Photo: Peter Earl McCollough for The Wall Street Journal
Here’s the really impressive part: This Android phablet costs just $370, half as much as the $750 you really pay for an iPhone 6 Plus in the U.S. out of contract, or over the course of two years. (In China, the iPhone 6 Plus costs $970.)
Xiaomi’s prices are low, in part, because it sells its phones online and spends little on traditional marketing. The company has been accused of lifting designs from rivals: Ericsson has sued Xiaomi in India, a case which Xiaomi is contesting. The company says intellectual property battles aren’t holding it back from the U.S. Xiaomi also has an unusual way of developing software, tapping tens of millions of customers for ideas and updating its software once a week, as opposed to the several times a year that Android and iOS get new features.
Another Chinese startup has also figured out how to sell a lustworthy phone for a lot less money—and it’s available in the U.S. OnePlus sells the 5.5-inch One for a mind-boggling $300 without a contract. You can buy it through the OnePlus website (though, oddly, only on Tuesdays). Still, buying any unlocked phone in the U.S. at this point requires an adventurous spirit.
More@
http://www.wsj.com/articles/xiaomi-mi-note-review-changing-the-smartphone-game-from-china-1424810010
