If you are an Android fan there is a pretty good chance you have either heard of the Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi or at the very least heard of their popular MIUI ROMs. Their premium “MI” smartphone line is one of the best selling set of devices in their home country, combining high end specs with a bargain price. In fact last December when the company released the MI-2, potential customers had to endure a maddening process similar to what we seen in many other countries with the Nexus 4 launch, high demand with limited stock.
So now as we wait for the upcoming ultra high end MI-3 and the possibility of Xiaomi bringing their wares outside of the Chinese borders for sale, the company is releasing a pair of mid range (by their standards) devices to whet the appetite of consumers in the meantime. The MI-2A and the MI-2S will certainly never be compared to the phablets that a lot of companies are pumping out in between their flagships, a good thing for those of us who like a normal sized smartphone, but when you get a look at what these two are packing under the hood, you may want to start looking at how to import one here.
The MI-2S is the “better” of the two devices that were just announced. According to Xiaomi’s own benchmarks this device scored 25,913 in AnTuTu which is better than what Samsung’s Galaxy S IV has gotten in similar benchmark tests. Coming in at 1,999 Yuan ($319) for the 16GB variant, and 2,299 Yuan ($367) for one that has 32GB of internal storage, The MI-2S also comes with the following specifications:
- 4.3-inch IPS display with a 1,280 x 720 pixels resolution
- Quad-core 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 CPU
- 2 GB of RAM
- Rear facing 8MP camera
- Front facing 2MP camera
- A 2,000 mAh battery
- Jelly Bean-based MIUI
Next is the “cheaper” of the two handsets the MI-2A. This smartphone has only one variant with 16GB of on board storage. The MI-2A will be priced at 1,499 Yuan ($239) and carries with it these stats:
- 4.5 inch display
- Dual-core 1.7 GHz S4 Pro CPU
- 1 GB of RAM
- Rear facing 8MP camera
- Front facing 2MP camera
- A 2,000 mAh battery
- Jelly Bean-based MIUI
So what say you? If either of these devices were able to make it out of the Chinese market would you be likely to pick one up? let us know in the comments.