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Portability
We measure the portability of a device by calculating its battery life to (weight x volume) ratio. Due to its average battery life, the Mi3 ranked second last in the Portability Index even though it is one of the slimmest and lightest phones.
Real World Battery Performance
But benchmarking gives only one view to the above assessment. To give you a more realistic understanding on how the Mi3 fared under real world usage conditions, we included screenshots of the usage and history graphs based on our usage.
As seen from the graphs above, the Mi3 could last about 18 hours before the battery dipped below 20 per cent . Screen-on time is about 4 hours and 48 minutes. Some notes:
The device logged onto the 3G network because the Mi3 does not support 4G LTE connectivity and the SIM card used is a 3G SIM card. The device logged onto Wi-Fi connections from time to time. Our typical usage scenarios include making some voice calls, texting via WhatsApp, capturing some photos and sharing them on social networking sites, the occasional web browsing via Pulse News Reader and emailing.
Do note that battery mileage varies depending on your usage patterns. For us, the Mi3 had no problems lasting through a day at work with enough battery juice to last till we plugged in the charger at night.
Conclusion
So does the Xiaomi Mi3 has what it takes to take on the big boys? In our opinion, the Mi3 does pose a strong challenge to all other brands and their offerings. Although top devices from Samsung, Sony, LG and more have other premium features that justify their price - be it in the form of software functionality, hardware features, to waterproof design and others - the Xiaomi Mi3 offers great performance with all the required basic features and at a price point that's delectable. If you require even more out of your device, or just a more premium build, then you would have to look beyond the Xiaomi Mi3 and consider other top tier offerings.
Aside from its lack of 4G LTE connectivity, no memory card slot and average battery performance, the Mi3 is a great deal for consumers who want a smartphone with flagship specs without burning a hole in their pockets.
The Mi3 may not have the premium build and finish of some Android flagship smartphones, but at its price point, it doesn't need to. Its build quality is nonetheless solid and provides good handling. The 5-inch Full-HD display is comparable to the competition, although its screen brightness can be better.
MIUI OS remains the key differentiator for the Mi3; users have total control over how they want the interface to look and how the phone functions, and software updates are issued on a weekly or monthly basis. This is in stark contrast to the closed system approach of Apple and the OS fragmentation issues faced by other Android vendors.
The Mi3 (16GB) is available for purchase on Xiaomi's Singapore website tomorrow at 12 noon for S$419 (inclusive of GST and without line contract). At this price point, you would be hard pressed to find any compelling alternative in its category.
The US$349 LG Nexus 5 comes close, but you have to factor in additional costs such as shipping and the lack of warranty coverage. The Nexus 5 has speedy software updates and 4G LTE connectivity (for Japan, Australian and Hong Kong models) to its advantage though. Certain local retailers do carry stock of the phone and as seen here, for a S$550, you do get a phone of comparable performance, but it has 4G LTE support and wireless charging. However, the Nexus 5 doesn't have the ease of customisation that the MIUI offers on the Mi3 device. In our opinion, both devices offer equally good value and it depends what you require on your smartphone.
Another affordable 'flagship' model that you can consider is the Huawei Ascend P6, which boasts an ultra slim side profile of 6.18mm and has a full metal chassis. While its launch retail price is S$638, the street price is more affordable at S$489. Unfortunately, it loses out to the Mi3 on several performance aspects and it only has a 720p display. Other than its sleek and nice build with microSD support, the Xiaomi Mi3 offers a more compelling device - for less.
For those who are wondering whether Xiaomi Singapore will sell the 64GB model, it will not be available at launch. However, Hugo Barra did not rule of the possibility of bringing it in if there is sufficient demand.
Visit Hardware Zone for more stories.
Source: http://news.asiaone.com/news/digital1/first-batch-xiaomi-mi-3-smartphones-sold-out-singapore?page=0%2C3
Portability
We measure the portability of a device by calculating its battery life to (weight x volume) ratio. Due to its average battery life, the Mi3 ranked second last in the Portability Index even though it is one of the slimmest and lightest phones.
Real World Battery Performance
But benchmarking gives only one view to the above assessment. To give you a more realistic understanding on how the Mi3 fared under real world usage conditions, we included screenshots of the usage and history graphs based on our usage.
As seen from the graphs above, the Mi3 could last about 18 hours before the battery dipped below 20 per cent . Screen-on time is about 4 hours and 48 minutes. Some notes:
The device logged onto the 3G network because the Mi3 does not support 4G LTE connectivity and the SIM card used is a 3G SIM card. The device logged onto Wi-Fi connections from time to time. Our typical usage scenarios include making some voice calls, texting via WhatsApp, capturing some photos and sharing them on social networking sites, the occasional web browsing via Pulse News Reader and emailing.
Do note that battery mileage varies depending on your usage patterns. For us, the Mi3 had no problems lasting through a day at work with enough battery juice to last till we plugged in the charger at night.
Conclusion
So does the Xiaomi Mi3 has what it takes to take on the big boys? In our opinion, the Mi3 does pose a strong challenge to all other brands and their offerings. Although top devices from Samsung, Sony, LG and more have other premium features that justify their price - be it in the form of software functionality, hardware features, to waterproof design and others - the Xiaomi Mi3 offers great performance with all the required basic features and at a price point that's delectable. If you require even more out of your device, or just a more premium build, then you would have to look beyond the Xiaomi Mi3 and consider other top tier offerings.
Aside from its lack of 4G LTE connectivity, no memory card slot and average battery performance, the Mi3 is a great deal for consumers who want a smartphone with flagship specs without burning a hole in their pockets.
The Mi3 may not have the premium build and finish of some Android flagship smartphones, but at its price point, it doesn't need to. Its build quality is nonetheless solid and provides good handling. The 5-inch Full-HD display is comparable to the competition, although its screen brightness can be better.
MIUI OS remains the key differentiator for the Mi3; users have total control over how they want the interface to look and how the phone functions, and software updates are issued on a weekly or monthly basis. This is in stark contrast to the closed system approach of Apple and the OS fragmentation issues faced by other Android vendors.
The Mi3 (16GB) is available for purchase on Xiaomi's Singapore website tomorrow at 12 noon for S$419 (inclusive of GST and without line contract). At this price point, you would be hard pressed to find any compelling alternative in its category.
The US$349 LG Nexus 5 comes close, but you have to factor in additional costs such as shipping and the lack of warranty coverage. The Nexus 5 has speedy software updates and 4G LTE connectivity (for Japan, Australian and Hong Kong models) to its advantage though. Certain local retailers do carry stock of the phone and as seen here, for a S$550, you do get a phone of comparable performance, but it has 4G LTE support and wireless charging. However, the Nexus 5 doesn't have the ease of customisation that the MIUI offers on the Mi3 device. In our opinion, both devices offer equally good value and it depends what you require on your smartphone.
Another affordable 'flagship' model that you can consider is the Huawei Ascend P6, which boasts an ultra slim side profile of 6.18mm and has a full metal chassis. While its launch retail price is S$638, the street price is more affordable at S$489. Unfortunately, it loses out to the Mi3 on several performance aspects and it only has a 720p display. Other than its sleek and nice build with microSD support, the Xiaomi Mi3 offers a more compelling device - for less.
For those who are wondering whether Xiaomi Singapore will sell the 64GB model, it will not be available at launch. However, Hugo Barra did not rule of the possibility of bringing it in if there is sufficient demand.
Visit Hardware Zone for more stories.
Source: http://news.asiaone.com/news/digital1/first-batch-xiaomi-mi-3-smartphones-sold-out-singapore?page=0%2C3
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