Author: chris eilers

At the Zenfone 2 press conference, the official newsletter from Asus mentioned that Zenfone 2’s camera is the best of all. To test the real ability of this phone’s camera, we have compared it with Samsung Galaxy S6’s 16MP OIS Camera.

The Zenfone 2 has a 13 MP rear camera featuring a 5 element auto focus lens and dual LED flash. The 5MP front camera is ideal for video calls and selfie-purposes with 85-degree wide angle lens. The PixelMaster technology allows you to capture HDR photos that are 400% brighter in low light condition. The camera on the Zenfone 2 is very impressive for a device in its price range.

As for the Samsung Galaxy S6, The Galaxy Note 4 on the other hand sports a 16MP Main Shooter with wider F1.9 lens and OIS (Optical Image Stabilization). Turning to the 5MP front camera, it packs HDR and a low-light aperture for better quality pictures. A wide-selfie mode is included to take shots of a whole crew.

Theoritically, the Samsung Galaxy S6 camera should be better but looking at these pictures bellows, without looking at the zoom-in, we can hardly judge which camera is superior. In the zoom-in, definitely, with 16MP sensor lens, Samsung Galaxy S6 shows pictures with less noise and more clarity.There is a little difference between pictures taken by Zenfone 2 and Galaxy S6 but this diffence depends on the color palette of each phone.

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Samsung Galaxy S6 Camera Comparison

Honestly for a price of $200 for the Zenfone 2, we can’t expect more in Asus Zenfone 2 Camera!! What do you think?

Also Read:

Asus Zenfone 2 Official Launch with all Specs and Prices 

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Asus Zenfone 5

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Xiaomi Mi Note

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Galaxy Note 4

Asus Zenfone 2 Specs Comparison

Copyright infringement has always been a serious issue among software developers around the world. For being the biggest software company, Microsoft is sure to have extensive experience in handling with piracy. However, the company has decided to take a totally unusual approach toward the upcoming released Windows 10 in China by offering free upgrade for pirated Windows users as well.

This interesting information was announced by Terry Myerson, the Executive Vice President of Operating Systems for Microsoft in an interview with Reuters. Having that, Myerson only the upgrade would be provide to well-qualified PC but further clarifications on that matter are not explained.

Of course, without doubt, users with genuine Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 will receive the full update of Windows 10 within the first year of the release. But, we are still wondering whether there is any hidden agenda behind this strategic step of Microsoft.

Another question left is if Microsoft has the same strategy for other market outside China or not. It is interesting to see how the market will change responding to such move: positively or negatively, is Microsoft is willing to play similar game in other countries.

A few days ago, some pictures of the No.1 M2 smartphone were released. It was the third rough device from the smartphone manufacturer No.1 for the last three months. And it is targeted at those users who are looking for a compact phone that can survive any severe environment. At that time, not many details about the device were known, but now, the tech specs as well as pricing of the M2 are let loose.

The No.1 M2 features a 64-bit quad-core processor clocked at 1.3 GHz. While we don’t know the processor make, it could be from Mediatek, probably the MT6732 64-bit SoC. The phone comes with 1GB RAM on board and 8GB of internal storage. This rugged device has a 4.5-inch-screen display with Corning’s Gorilla Glass protection. So, the screen is totally scratchproof.

Other than being scratchproof, the No.1 M2 is waterproof and shockproof as well. In fact, to boast the resistant capacity of the device, two new videos have been released by No.1. The first YouTube video shows the M2 being dropped inside water without any visible damage. The second shows the phone being dropped from the top of the stairs, once again no damages at all. The IP68 certification also gives us an idea about the ruggedness of the phone.

No.1 M2 Waterproof Test:

No.1 M2 Shockproof Test:

As for the camera, the phone is equipped with a 13MP sensor camera at the back with LED flash and enhanced face detection and exposure controls. On the front, you get a 5MP camera, which is ideal for video calls and selfie-purposes. One of the highlights of the device is the new Android 5.0 Lollipop version to be pre-installed on the device once being unboxed. There are hardly any rugged phones out there that runs the new Lollipop OS, so this is definitely its biggest strength. Further, with good-looking appearance and the 14.1mm thinness, this device may be the most charming one among the rugged phones.

Those mentioned above are not the best part of all, according to No.1, the No.1 M2 will be available for sale by April this year for less than $100!

Available for purchase via here (check it out) with DHL shipping available in most countries.

At the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Shenzhen-China today, Microsoft announced its new partnership program with Xiaomi, the rising star Chinese smartphone manufacturer.

When Windows 10 is released, the Mi 4 owners can choose to use Windows 10 ROM, replacing the stock Android-based MIUI on their device. In a blog post, Microsoft said:

“Through a new program with Xiaomi, one of the top smartphone distributors in the world, a select group of Xiaomi Mi 4 power users will be invited to help test Windows 10 and contribute to its future release later this year. These power users will have the opportunity to download the Windows 10 Technical Preview – installing it and providing their feedback to Microsoft.”

We have contacted Xiaomi for further information about this partnership but athe answer did not satisfy the press and technicians. Will Xiaomi sell Mi 4 phones with Windows 10 pre-installed? Will it be available on any other Xiaomi devices, such as the Mi Pad or Mi Note? Who would want to replace MIUI with Windows, anyway?

In a canned statement, Xiaomi gave the following response to our questions:

“This is an experimental program entirely led by Microsoft, working directly with select members of our Xiaomi fan community in China. Microsoft will create a custom build of Windows 10 and provide it to select Mi 4 power users who are already familiar with re-flashing their devices with custom ROMs.This is not a commercial partnership announcement and Xiaomi continues to fully embrace the Android ecosystem through our MIUI software platform.”

According to Microsoft’s announcement yesterday, Windows 10 would be launched this summer in 190 countries and 111 languages in a campaign for globalization. It also set strategic partnerships with other Chinese tech giants Lenovo, Tencent, and Qihoo 360 so that they can boost the number of people upgrading their current laptops or PCs to Windows 10.

But the cooperation with Xiaomi is probale the most interesting, as its popular MIUI operating system has been a pillar of its success from the beginning.

2014 is a remarkable year for Chinese OEM Meizu, who traditionally would only launch one flagship per year. However, in fall 2014, we saw 2 flagships from this fast-growing company, the Meizu MX4 and MX4 PRO and again in December, the company announced a new device that guide a new generation of Meizu owners. Conventionally, Meizu’s products are in mid-range price class but their spec can be considered high-end ones. Now, the M1 Note is going to cost you only a half of that price without scarifying much. A full review of this amazing phone will be revealed. This phone is available for around $220, or just half of the Maize MX4.

Meizu M1 Note Specs

With $200, you have a wide range of choices to buy a smartphone. These phones impressive quality as well. So does Meizu M1 Note. Compared to Meizu M1 Note’s biggest opponent, the iOcean Rock M6752, it have a lot in similarity, such as: same chipset for similar price, scarifying battery size for extra RAM and slightly different build. About the spec, this fits what we have expected from an iOcean Rock M6752’s competitor. Check it out:

• 5.5-inch 1080p Sharp IGZO display
• MediaTek MT6752 64-bit 1.7GHz Octa-core
• Mali-760 MP2 GPU
• 2GB of RAM
• 16GB or 32GB internal storage, no microSD card support
• 3,140mAh battery
• Android 4.4.4, Flyme 4.0 skin
• 13MP rear-facing camera, LED flash
• 5MP front-facing camera
• 150.7mm tall x 75.2mm wide x 8.9mm thick
• 145g

Meizu M1 Note Display

The display of Meizu M1 Note is one of the most amazing feature since very few phones carry Sharp’s IGZO displays. This type of display is rarely used in smartphones as manufacturers tends to apply IPS LCD or AMOLED display for their products. IGZO displays use Indium gallium zinc oxide as a semiconductor instead of silicon. These materials is useful in case the manufacturers want to increase the resolution of the display because they can show more information in the same space thanks to their higher electron mobility. These also allow the device save more power since lights are easier to travel through them. IGZO displays can also have much higher response time than LCD displays can.

Meizu’s use of IGZO display is surprising because the company isn’t in the race of resolution of the smartphone industry, and the refresh rate of the display is just as poor as the displays used in the MX4 and MX4 Pro. That obviously means you will see ghosting when moving things around the screen, such as playing games, watching movies, scrolling through the IU, etc. It is not a big deal but it’s disturbing, especially, to anyone who is sensitive to such implicit issues like this. However, on the bright side, the display is pretty bright and visible outdoor. Colors are pithy, contrast is fantastic and the black levels are as good as those found on the MX4 and MX4 Pro, which are among the best in non-LCD display. The viewing angles are exceptional and they are exactly what we could expect from this neat little device. Touch sensitivity is outstanding and can rank among the most responsive mobile displays.

Meizu M1 Note Hardware and Build

Reducing the price to around $220, Meizu had used much cheaper materials in the M1 Note than in the MX4 or MX4 Pro, but that doesn’t mean it feels like a cheap one. Many phones at this price range choose to have shiny plastic back which may have resulted in a loathe-feeling, and Meizu M1 Note is not out of this trend. That’s exactly what we’ve got here as the M1 Note got an ultra-shiny, non-removable back that look exactly like Iphone 5C. Everything it has makes it look like an Iphone, from the colors available to the shape pf overall, from the circular capacitive Home button to even the bottom speaker grille. If you take a closer look or touch it, you will mistake it for an Iphone 10 out of 10 times.

Everything in this phone solid, solid clicks of the volume and home buttons, and overall solid feel of the device. Many phones in this price range feel slightly hollow or overly light but this phone somehow is light and well built. At 8.9mm thin, this isn’t the thinnest phone in the world but it’s not considered thick either. All the edges of the device, including the back corners, are smooth and slick. They bring the device a premium look than it actually is priced at and really good to hold in hand. Some pretty small bezels here between the edge of the phone and the screen help the phone have a slightly smaller frame than many other 5.5-inch-screen phones out there.

On the right side of the device, you’ll find the dual SIM holder, which actually fits two SIM cards inside at a time. On the top is a 3.5mm headset jack. Thankfully, the home button functions as a power button for turning the screen off, and the notification light as well. The left side of the phone holds both volume buttons, which are separated instead of being a unified volume rocker as many other Android phones have, and feel absolutely excellent thanks to the solid click they get when pressed. The bottom of the device holds the microUSB port and the single small speaker. On back you’ll find the camera and dual-tone dual-LED flash, while the front of the device features only a single circular home button.

Meizu M1 Note Performance and Memory

Without knowing about the phone, you would never think that it was in the range of $200. That’s because the Meizu M1 Note doesn’t feel like a phone, especially not in the performance aspect. This phone is every bit as fast, if not faster, as many high-end phones being tested. Apps launch in a wink, multi-tasking is lightning fast, and even though it’s “only” got 2GB of RAM I never once saw an app reload or redraw when moving back and forth between them. Swiping up from either side of the home button pulls out the multi-tasking menu, which disappointedly shows a row of only 4 icons with the app’s name under the icon. We couldn’t identify which apps were running but having the thumbnail appear above the app would have made things considerably easier to identify what’s running rather than trying to remember what the app’s icon looks like.

As for the gaming, I was entirely impressed with the performance of this device. Every single game tried ran like a dream on a full HD 1080p screen. Performance with a resolution like this is usually only reserved for phones doubling the price. Games like Assassin’s Creed Pirates, Temple Run 2 and Into the Dead ran extremely fast, just to name a few ones that were tested. The only exception into was Brothers in Arms 3, which seems to have a problem with MediaTek chips in general as it performed as horrible as on other phones with MediaTek chipsets. There is not much to complain about this phone at this price class.

Meizu M1 Note Battery Life

Some people have doubted the trend of including non-removable batteries in phones. And if you really care about it, you are going to have problem here. Meizu has tried to ease the problem of not being able to carry around a spare battery by including a quite generous 3,140mAh battery, which is the same size found in powerhouse phones like the Galaxy Note 4 and Nexus 6. Having a chipset that’s should theoretically be more energy efficient than those phones too, and the IGZO display cut down on energy usage as well. In fact, we didn’t find the battery to be any better or worse than the aforementioned phones, which means it got a full-day battery life no matter what you do.

Having too much activities on the first day of using the phone, including playing intensive 3D games, stream music, chatting all day on Hangouts, making phone calls, the battery still got 25% battery left at the end of the day, and that trend continued in the following days. Super serious users may have to lessen the brightness or carry an external power supply around with them, but most people wouldn’t have any issues with the battery life here.

Meizu M1 Note Phone Calls and Network

Many users have said that phone quality does not always play well with Chinese phones. We didn’t have as many problems with the Meizu M1 Note as we’ve had with some other Chinese phones I’ve reviewed, the experience was very good. While using the phone the call quality was just fine, and we was impressed with the signal strength of the phone as we could move from areas to areas where telcom network had poor signal without dropping a call.The M1 Note also includes dual-SIM capability for countries that need and support that sort of thing, with strong support for SIM management.

Data was the biggest issue for us as we found we had got disconnected from T-Mobile’s network and having to reset the radio on the device. When we did have a data connection it was a good one though, pulling down great speeds from T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network. We also had trouble with WiFi networks. It did not stay active while the phone was idle, getting us to wait a couple of seconds after turning the screen on until data was active again. This didn’t usually happen but probably no matter what WiFi device the phone connect to, and the problem would likely be fixed in a software update.

Meizu M1 Note Software

The Meizu M1 Note we used for this review was packing Flyme OS V4.2 (pronounced fly-me), which is a little newer version than what was on the Meizu MX4 Pro. In general, as mentioned in the performance, there was not much to criticize here except for the repeated oddness that Chinese manufacturers made to Android.

We just took a quick glance at some of the things that told Meizu apart from other manufacturers. Firstly, the most obvious thing is the home button. Meizu uses only a single home button and nothing else on the front of the device, making this completely unique compared to other Android phones out there. Pressing home is exactly what it should be, while swiping up on the home button acts like pressing the back button. Swiping up from the bezel on either side of the home button opens up multi-tasking, and holding down home while the screen is on shuts the screen off and locks the device.

The notification panel is a bit different from other Android phones in that some of the quick toggles, like WiFi and Bluetooth, actually have an expandable menu to quickly connect to a network or other devices. One disturbing thing is that there’s no quick way to get to phone settings but you can change around the default buttons and choose from 15 in total to display. Another noticeable oddity is the way to control the volume on the phone. The volume rockers adjust media volume at all times no matter what you’re doing, so adjusting the volume is done only by going into settings. This is irritating to say the least and needs to change in the following versions of Flyme OS for sure.

Users will also find that when using a 3rd party keyboard on some apps, like Hangouts, for instance, to fix a word or move the cursor simply doesn’t work. You need to put the keyboard away to move the cursor, and it has something to do with the built-in system keyboard on the phone.One way to completely fix the issue is gaining root access and removing the system keyboard, or you can just use the built-in keyboard if that works well enough for you. This is a bug that is known and will hopefully be fixed in a future update as well.

Sound

The single speaker of Meizu M1 Note is featured to be at the bottom of the device, ensuring that your hand cupped around the bottom echoes the sound better than a speaker on the back. That doesn’t mean this brings better quality sound than most single back speakers you could find on plenty of Android device out there, just better placed. The speaker itself is loud enough to hear. Even when you are in a truck on the highway, a phone call with loudspeaker will also be audible. Listening to other audio such as YouTube videos was simply fine on this speaker, as the clarity and volume are appropriate.

The DAC on the Meizu M1 Note seems to be better than many other phones in the $200 class, but it doesn’t mean to be able to compete with many more expensive phones. Something has to be sacrificed to fit this price level. The audio output is acceptable whereas I found it to be adequate on a less quality sound system. There’s a built-in equalizer but because this is not a very high powered amp inside the phone, adjusting any of the levels in the EQ lowers the volume. There’s also a DAC setting in the music app for certain headphone brands and models, but none of them are sufficient to improve the sound of a truck. This phone certainly wouldn’t be the first choice for those who like listening to music on, but it’s passable with cheaper ear buds or other lower quality sound systems.

Meizu M1 Note Camera

When you think of a $200 phone, you normally think about lower-quality camera, but the Meizu M1 Note is here to change that prejudice completely.13Mp sensors are now common in the wide range of Android phones out there, but there’s a level of quality that comes with a better sensor that you can find here. There’s very little noise even in lower lighting, and the overall color reproduction is absolutely stellar.  Meizu’s filter isn’t too harsh although we find that in some lighting conditions it tends to cause some haloing on certain parts of the image, especially when zooming in. Overall I’d put this right up there with the camera on the Galaxy S4 or Note 3, except for much faster shutter speeds, resulting in significantly high-quality low-light images with less blur.

On the downside, HDR is again nearly useless as it is on all Meizu phones. We don’t know what problem Meizu gets with HDR is but the shutter speed is way too slow in many conditions but the brightest lighting conditions (i.e. direct sunlight). It’s painfully obvious that exposure bracketing is used here, and the camera is very slow to change exposure, leading to longer shutter times and plenty of double imaging in most HDR photos.  On the other hand, there are some really interesting options here including a mode to take shots with all items in focus and refocus after the shots is taken.  There’s also slow motion video and up to 1080p 30FPS too, all of which were in great quality.  Since there’s no OIS (optical image stabilization), video can be a little shaky in some situations, but there’s nothing we haven’t seen before in other Android phones, and certainly have not expected at this price range.  Overall this is by far not the best camera we’ve seen on a average price range phone.

Conclusion

For just under $200 or RM699, we wouldn’t recommend any other phone on the market but this phone, so long as you’re not on T-Mobile or one of their MVNO’s of course. You’re getting a phenomenal build for a reasonable price and a great looking phone od that budget, but it’s definitely going to make some people think you’ve got an iPhone if you’re OK with that sort of thing. The camera is definitely the best in this price range, and the display is on the top line as well. Performance is by far the best in this category and can compete even with phones at doubled price or more.  Meizu’s Flyme OS is unique and has its quirks, but it’s ultra-fast, responsive and can be very pretty too.  The biggest complaint is the sound output, which could be better, especially when used on higher-end sound systems.

Microsoft is getting determined to grow its mobile platform with the latest Windows 10. During its Windows Hardware Engineering Community conference in China, they have announced a new program together with Xiaomi to test their Windows 10 on the Xiaomi Mi 4. This opens up Xiaomi to a new mobile stage and the promising future is open to a selected group of Xiaomi Mi 4 powerful users.

Those who are adequate will be invited to download Windows 10 Technical Preview and they are encouraged to give their feedback to Microsoft for further improvements. The full version will be unveiled later this year and if you have a Mi 4, you could probably check it out yourself. So is Xiaomi going to manufacture a Windows Phone device out of the box in the future? It is too early to tell but there is a possibility so far. It makes sense for Microsoft to cooperate with fast-growing Chinese brands to increase its platform adoption.

In case you’re still wondering, the Mi 4 isn’t coming to Malaysia officially. This is because of the limited 4G radio support (1800MHz only) and they would be focusing on the Mi Note as it’s the new flagship in Q2 2015.

Keep wating till we get next announcement from Microsoft and Xiaomi.

The Asus Zenfone 2 might be the Number 1 phone in Asia that most of you are waiting for.  Now our contact at Asus Malaysia has confirmed the official Date for a regional Launch in South East Asia. Asus also confirmed that the Asus Zenfone 2 Launch will include Malaysia and Indonesia for sure. This confirms earlier news about a Zenfone 2 Malaysia April Launch and also we know that probably India will be in the Launch List as well.

The Asus Zenfone Series has already been doing very well for Asus in 2014 with more then 700.000 units sold. The Asus Zenfone 2 promises to be the next Hotseller for Asus. At the Official Launch Event last week in Taiwan, Asus won many hearts by keeping the prices as low as initially promised at the CES 2015 in January. The Prices in Taiwan are 165USD for the smallest 5″ Version, 220USD for the 5.5″ 2GB RAM Version and 285USD for the Spec Monster 4GB RAM Version. We really hope that Asus will keep this amazing pricing stable in South East Asia. Our contact at Asus said for Malaysia:“we are looking within the range of RM800 – RM1100”. This sure looks very similiar to the original prices in Taiwan.

Lets recap the Specs Quickly. There are 3 Versions of the Zenfone 2. The Premium Edition comes with 4GB RAM and 5.5″ Full HD, Quad-Core 64BIT Intel Atom CPU and Dual SIM Support in addition to 4G Lte. The cheapest Version has a smaller 5″ HD screen, and 2GB of RAM. We have already seen some Antutu Scores of the Zenfone 2 with 2GB RAM and they are very strong! Check also our Zenfone 2 Spec Comparison vs other 2015 Smartphones

For the official Asus Zenfone 2 Release for the Region our contact at Asus said “we will be doing a regional launch happening in Indonesia on 20-22 April”. This confirms earlier information that the Asus Zenfone 2 would launch in SEA and Malaysia in early Q2 in April.

Asus Zenfone 2 initial Hands on 

The official Regional Launch Event for Asus Zenfone 2 will be on 20-22 April 2015. That is overall very good news for Asus fans. For those of you who are still a bit concerned about the official pricing, in general Asus Zenfones are very close to the original pricing in Taiwan. This means you could get the Asus Zenfone 2 with a whopping 4GB RAM as low as 285USD (RM1049-1099) and the 2GB RAM Version for 220USD (RM799) Good days!

Also Read:

Asus Zenfone 2 Official Launch with all Specs and Prices 

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Asus Zenfone 5

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Xiaomi Mi Note

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Galaxy Note 4

Asus Zenfone 2 Specs Comparison

Xiaomi is certainly the fastest growing company in the smartphone industry worldwide to date. The upstart OEM stay on the top leader in their local market where it earns 5 spots out of 8 world’s largest smartphone manufacturers. Last year, the revenue of the company increased by 227% despite the fact that it only entered only 6 countries. Lately, it’s been struggling for the third largest smartphone producer in the world beside Apple and Samsung.

In fact, Xiaomi’s flagship Mi 4 was unveiled last year, a super affordable clone model on high-end Iphone, which had drawn all our attention. Though being criticized a lot, the device made us all surprised by the built quality inside. That was in smartphone segmentation. But now, in high-end phablet segmentation, Xiaomi is targeting directly on Apple Iphones Pluses and Samsung Galaxy Notes with its Mi Note.

Like Mi 4, the Mi Note is another bang from Xiaomi. With just $370, you will get 5.7-inch, 1080p LCD screen, a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 with 3GB of RAM – nearly top of the line specs – smartphone.

In its press material, Xiaomi means to compare the Mi Note to the Iphone 6 Plus, where it has the most resemblance. Though having a bigger screen (57 inches versus 5.5 inches of Iphone 6 Plus), the Mi Note struggles to have a thinner, lighter body (155.1mm × 77.6mm × 6.95mm versus 158.1mm × 77.8mm × 7.1mm and 161g versus 172g). While you are expecting for a competitive device in the same segmentation with similar price, Xiaomi is this for half of the price. A 16GB iPhone 6 Plus costs you $749, so do similar Android phones from Samsung or Motorola cost.

What makes us all surprised about Xiaomi is its ability to produce higher-quality products for less money. The Mi Note is irreproachably well made with premium materials and constructions all around. The aluminum alloy frame with polished chamfered edges and matching aluminum buttons makes it look gorgeous. The front and the back are covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which means -apart from some tiny strips for insulation- there is not a single plastic part on the exterior on a $370 device.

With the thickness of just under 7mm with no bulges of any kind, the Mi Note really gets us think of its own vulnerability (though no smartphone is built to be dropped). We would have preferred a thicker device with more battery, to be honest. However, with all-glass cover, aluminum frame and high quality, Xiaomi does sells it as a premium device. The glass back of the Mi Note is a low-friction surface as it slowly slips off on a table.

However, the Mi Note is not flawless at all. Users most complain the hardware buttons, which are really an annoyance. Normally, the order is Back, Home and Recent Apps. As for the Xiaomi Mi Note, this order is a bit different: Menu, Home and Back. And the Menu button will open the Menu if you long-press it or else it is defaulted to open the Recent Apps, despite looking like one.

Almost none of the apps on this phone have a menu. Google ejected it from Android ecosystem years ago. Xiaomi’s own Android ROM, has stopped counting on the menu button in the latest version. That’s unnecessary now. It’s somehow like the hardware and the software do not get in sync. The hardware gets a button that the software hardly use it. Practically, it still runs well. It’s just a mislabeled Recent Apps button. The question here is why?

Xiaomi’s rapid development

The ability that Xiaomi listens to customer feedback and use them to upgrade its next products is the most impressive aspect compared to how Samsung works. It’s been 4 years since Samsung Galaxy S2 was released but we can see similar complaints on Galaxy S5, such as: cheap-feeling plastic back panel, boring Touchwiz and ton of gimmicks.

On the other hand, Xiaomi is developing surprisingly. In the Mi 4, the back panel is plastic, still brings cheap-feeling, so for the next season of Xiaomi’s smartphone, the Mi Note, it is replaced by Corning Gorilla Glass. The company’s custom Android ROM, MIUI 5, relied on a lot of skeuomorphic elements, but MIUI 6 has a more modern, flat design. Hiding options behind the menu button is a dated, confusing interface feature. Therefore, the Mi Note still has a menu button but the company default it as a Recent Apps button.

The appearance of the Xiaomi Mi Note is also improved. When Mi 4 was released, people said it looked like Iphone on the front and Samsung on the back. But, circumstances alter cases. The Mi Note gets unique design touches that can tell it apart from others.

Visually, there is still a metal band around the outside, but it tapers along the sides of the phone, giving it a more distinct look. The curved-along-the-sides glass back not only give it an odd and unique design, but also makes it easier to hold. The most interesting point is that these are all the improvements from the Mi 4, which was released just 5 months ago.

Recently, Xiaomi announced that it was slowly approaching the US market by launching a version of its e-commerce site, Mi.com. Though being criticized for copying Apple’s design, the company itself proves to be a strong one in the Amazon mold. It want to makes money on building a good system of service.

For now, Xiaomi says selling smartphones in the US is not planned yet but it will start selling accessories like headphones and external batteries instead. Still, it is hard for us to imagine that a company opens store in the US but not to sell its mainstream.

The reason for Xiaomi not to sell smartphone in the US is mainly that, with the current lineup, Xiaomi will be vulnerable to trade dress and patent lawsuits from such companies like Apple and Samsung. The company will play intellectual property game, though. The company hopes to double the number of this patent as this figure was 2000 last year. If Xiaomi does want to spread out to countries with strong IP laws like the US, it will need to innovate its software and alter any feature that could be intruding. If Xiaomi starts selling smartphones in the West, lawsuits for it is certain since, in an IP landscape, every smartphone company seems to suit the others.

MIUI 6—Flat, but a little too overwhelming

MIUI (pronounced “Me-You-I”) has changed a lot since we last saw it on the Mi 4 – the whole new version has been released. When MIUI 5 was skeuoumorphic and could do crazy things like making voice recorder a cassette tape, the MIUI 6 has gone totally different direction. The OS now is really flat with no shadow or bevel to be found. Backgrounds are usually a flat color, with some popups having an iOS 7-style hint of the blurred colors underneath.

The ‘getting thing done” area of an app is usually white with gray header, and sometimes you can’t choose other colors. Some may say it follows minimalism but, the others says it dull plain. The good news is you can change the theme whenever you get bored with the screen. Right on the home screen can you find an icon for theme shop, where you can change the icons, wallpapers, fonts, sound… and the look of many included app.

There is a microcosm of the OS. That you can customize MIUI is the best part of it. The setting panel contain all the changes you want such as the font and icon size, the display of battery as a percentage, the display of your connection speed in the status bar and the notification light color. Also, you can add long-press shortcuts to the hardware buttons, configure in-line headphone buttons, and lots more. If you like to tweak your phone, MIUI has got everything you can think of.

As for the functionality, it will take you some time to get used to MIUI as it is an iOS/Android mix. MIUI 6 is based on Android 4.4 KitKat, but the heavy customization makes it hard to realize. There’s no app drawer – icons all sit on the home screen iOS-style. The notification panel can be opened by a horizontal swipe, not a vertical swipe as usual. Recent Apps now uses horizontally scrolling full-screen thumbnails just like iOS (and WebOS).

Unlike the customized Android built from many other vendors, Xiaomi has started making its own Android ROMs even before it shipped a phone. The company takes its software very seriously. Above is the released MIUI schedule. It gets weekly OTAs while many other smartphones are so lucky to get an OTA once or twice a year. Though the weekly updates on MIUI are not as big as bi-annual changes on others, bugs get fixed particularly quickly. Small features are also added through time.

The incredible speed of MIUI makes it better than other Android version as it runs so quickly and smoothly. While many OEM skins seem to slow down and add bloat, MIUI feels faster than “stock” Android.

According to the Mi Note preview units, provided to the US press by Xiaomi, the phone fits full suite of Google Play app. You got the Play Store, Gmail, Google Play Services, YouTube, Google Now, Google Keyboard, and everything you would expect. This is a full upgrade from the Mi 4 as the Mi 4, imported from China, did not come with Google Play and had to use Xiaomi’s app store. Google has not entered China yet, so Xiaomi is not forced to ship Google Play on China-bound devices.

At the beginning, the Mi Note asks you to pick location from the list containing only countried where Xiaomi sells phones. Oddly, when choosing the location, you are picking Xiaomi’s ecosystem model for your phone. If you choose the place where Xiaomi has just entered the market, like Singapore, you will only get Google Play for an app and that’s all. Nevertheless, wipe it out then pick Hong Kong instead, you will immediately get Google Play and Xiaomi’s app store. The app loadout changes depending on the country you pick.

Weirdly, China, where Xiaomi has the biggest ecosystem, wasn’t on the list of countries. There the company sells games, apps and themes. Among the wide range of apps we tried, the most we could get from Xiaomi app store was free apps and themes. The e-commerce ecosystem is apparently an important part of Xiaomi’s business model, so it’s interesting to see the company dispatch Google Play and sell apps and themes in most territoties.

Performance

Xiaomi has given the Mi Note two performance modes: “Balanced” and “Performance”. The “Balanced” mode is default. Performance of this mode is normal and unlimited that most phones use. “Balanced” violently infringes the CPU, and if all four cores are running, it seems to reach the limit of the max of 1.7 GHz. Generally, benchmark shows it was about 22% down in CPU performance. This does affect the GPU or storage speed.

We doubt that consumers will never dig through the Setting to find “Performance” mode, so for most of the time, they will be running “Balanced” mode. The interface design expects users to be mostly in “Balanced” mode. Enabling “Performance” mode initiates an unremovable battery usage warning in the notification panel. We were encouraged to switch to “Performance” mode when starting a benchmark but never for a game.

In the OS, the “Balanced” mode does not tend to slow the phone down. Everything runs at an acceptable pace, properly owing to how smooth MIUI is. CPUs are powerful enough to handle loading and scrolling 2D app. We also played some games, like Minecraft, and it ran well. But the “Performance” is always available if you want.

Apart from being a funky power-saving mode, it’s standard Snapdragon 801, which is normally good.

Here are some comparisons between 2 modes of Xiaomi Mi Note and other popular smartphones.

Battery life of the Mi Note is acceptable. The “Balanced” mode gave the phone an extra hour to runtime, this makes sense. The SoC will use less power but a blazing 5.7 inches LCD will definitely draw more power.

At 5.7-inch-sized screen, we can have expected a bigger battery capacity than 3,000 mAh. The similarly sized Note 4 got a battery of 3,220 mAh and the 5-inch-sized Mi 4 itself got 3,000 mAh. Sometimes, pursuing thinness is not necessary. We want more battery.

There are still many complaints about this but it’s hard to complain about a $370 device.

Camera

There is no doubt that the camera department of the phone is great. Xiaomi Mi Note’s 13Mp camera (with OSI) gives wonderful pictures, sometimes better than the Note 4, which is twice as more expensive. You also get lots of options, like manual exposure time—up to 32 seconds—selectable ISOs, and a torch mode for the flash.

Xiaomi is probably the best Android OEM

Though Xiaomi’s criticized designs create many jokes in the US, this company should be taken seriously. Both phones from Xiaomi to be tested prove to be fantastic devices.

Beside prices, both bring customers with premium feelings that can compare to the best of Apple and Samsung. But when the prices are under consideration, it is obviously an unfair fight. $749 iPhone 6 Plus and $700 Note 4 versus $370 Mi Note. We can only compare the pros and cons of each product to that of the others. Why do you have to pay twice for a device that has got everything similar to the Mi Note?

There will be some aspects that Iphone and Note are certainly win. The Note did get Samsung’s S Pen or multi-window functionality to use with big screen. It also has a few more pixel and GHz. However, the Mi Note is not done with the spec sheet war. The Mi Note Pro is as Xiaomi announces that is has a Snapdragon 810, 4GB of RAM, and a 1440p display for—somehow—$528. As for the Apple Iphone, it has its own ecosystem, so that it is more resistant to competitor (in Q1 of 2015, the sale of Iphone increases considerably by 70% in China) but it’s no wonder Samsung is reeling.

Honestly, we don’t know how the company does it. There doesn’t seem to be any corner that Xiaomi had cut to create such an incredible device. There is no light bleed from the display, and either the camera or the speaker is really good. It makes all wonder how come we should spend $600 for a high-tech toy with similar spec.

Xiaomi proves itself a disturbing agent in the smartphone industry. The company listens to customers’ feedback and immediately improves. Weekly software updates are also offered to users for better experience. It can make a high-end device for half of price compared to similar ones of other players in the competition. One thing that makes us feel disappointed in this phone is the country availability, for which is mostly China now. If you can buy it in the US, it will be the best phone with just $370.

Good

• It will only costs you $370 for something that other OEMs sell for $600-700.
• It’s one of the best-designed Android smartphone with all glass and aluminum cover.
• The performance is really fast.
• Weekly software updates.
• The camera has lots of control and different choices of mode.

Bad

• The Menu button opens to Recent Apps rather than the Menu.
• The glass back is nice but it slips off when being put on an imperfectly flat surface. It’s almost frictionless.
• The glass exterior causes fragile feeling to users. Don’t drop it.

Ugly

• Almost available in China only.

According to the unveiling last December of OnePlus, the official Power Bank which boasts 10,000 mAh of capacity, will go on sell tomorrow for just $15. You will be able to get this Power Bank with colors that match your One smartphone from OnePlus online store.

“Ready…Charge!”. The teaser image that OnePlus tweeted last Friday had confirmed the launch day of this Power Bank. It is on March 17^th. The device is expected to be sold in all markets that OnePlus currently does business, including the US and Europe.

The OnePlus Power Bank is a 10,000 mAh battery featuring two USB 5V / 2A output, which is approximately 5.5 hours of charging. It also offers built-in protection from overcharging, overheating and short circuits, and 4 LEDs that show you how much battery power remains.

“Featuring world-class lithium-polymer technology, our Power Bank is surprisingly lightweight and easy to tote,” OnePlus boasts. “At the airport or in the great outdoors, never again worry about straying too far from an electrical outlet.”

“Sleek lines, gentle curves, and an emphasis on minimalism”, described by OnePlus, “create the ideal companion for your OnePlus One”. This design makes Power Bank much more attractive than any other external packs. Also, it will be sold in Silk White and Sandstone Black colors, which match the two colors of the OnePlus One smartphone.

The Power Bank is really an ideal companion of your OnePlus One or other smartphones, tablets if your devices frequently run out of battery before the day ends and you can’t get find any electric outlet nearby.

Xiaomi is an OEM in China. By launching a couple of new products last January, the company has made its own way to the leading company of the industry. Now, Gearbest conducts this special promotion for all of its customers.

In the last few years, the sport/action camera industry seems to be dominated by GoPro. Sony has also entered the race with its Action Cam, which is considered the direct opponent of GoPro. Now, the Chinese company Xiaomi decides not to stay out of the race anymore and start making action camera as it is their new path of innovation. Besides the Mi Note and Mi Note Pro, Xiaomi did release a new product, Xiaomi Yi Action Camera.

The Yi Action Camera, as is the official name of Xiaomi’s first camera, can record 1080p videos with a 16MP Camera with Sony’s high quality Exmor R BSI CMOS image sensor. That is even better than the Go Pro Camera which comes with a 5MP Camera and 30fp in Full HD or 60fp in HD.

The Yi Action Camera is able to beat other action cameras as well in the internal memory department. The Yi Action Camera comes with 64GB (double of the Go Pro) and just weights 72g, compared to the 111gramm of the Go Pro. As well it has a larger battery. With the Yi Action Camera you can go underwater up to 40 meters, which might be one of the most important features for many of you, bringing it to your holidays.

The Design of Yi Action Camera is worth counting as well. Beside its vivid colors, the Yi Action Camera is also well built, weighs only 72g. The producer has brought comforts and convenience for the consumers as the power button is designed to be on the front, which also acts as a camera or video recorder switcher. Other function-buttons are placed wisely to help users get the best experience with the device.

The Yi Action Camera does stick to everything, literally, even to a cat. You can use it with your motorbike, snowboard, surfboard… and enjoy the coolest moment of your trip.

This camera can be controlled via a Xiaomi’s Android app, similar to the Air Purifier and other Xiaomi products.

There are 2 editions for you to choose: Travel Edition and Basic Edition. Beside the camera, Travel Edition will come with a Selfie Stick, which is very popular in Asia these days.

Now buy this wonderful camera Xiaomi Yi action Camera for just $95.99 at GearBest.  Please use our Special Coupon Code to get to this price. Coupon code: XMXYCAM

We have more good news for Meizu phone users like the Meizu MX4 and MX4 Pro. Meizu Users will get the Android 5.0 Lollipop Update for Meizu with Flyme 5.0 this week.

Meizu’s Flyme Chief Architect Yang Yan said Meizu will release their newest Version of Flyme based on Android 5.0 this week.
Additionally the Microblogging Team “UbuntuUsers” already showed us a screenshot of the Meizu MX4 running on Android 5.0 with Flyme. As you can see in the screenshot the next Flyme Version will be called Flyme 5.0, running on Android 5.02.

Probably Meizu’s Flagship Meizu MX4 and MX4 Pro will get the update first, later the M1 Note and M1 Mini. We actually like Meizu’s attitude to Operating Systems. At the MWC Meizu presented the Meizu MX4 with Ubuntu Touch Operating System for all Ubuntu fans.

We will definitely keep you updated with news about the Android 5.0 Launch for Meizu this week. In other news Meizu will launch their Meizu M1 Note phablet this week in malaysia officially. For a price of RM699 you get a 5.5″ Full HD display, Octa-Core 64Bit CPU, Dual Sim and 4G LTE.

Good news for Malaysia fans. Meizu is officially launching their next phone, the Meizu M1 Note for Malaysia this week.

Anyone fancy, Full HD display, Dual Sim and 4G LTE for an affordable price? The Meizu M1 Note might be a good choice for you. At the moment the Price of the Meizu M1 Note with 16GB will lbe RM699. The Sales will start this week at Meizu’s official page, Lazada Malaysia and Direct D. You can also buy your Meizu Phone at offline at Pearl Point (Old Klang Road), Sungai Wang Plaza, Klang Parade and Direct D Subang.

The Meizu M1 Note is directly targeted at Redmi Note fans, with the same display size of 5’5 but better specs in all other areas. It starts with a better Full HD 1920×1080 display and higher specs. The Meizu M1 Note is powered by a 64Bit MTK6752 clocked at 1.7Ghz, coupled with 2GB of RAM. Also the Note supports Dual Sim and 4G LTE, both FDD and TDD. No Micro SD Card is included though to extend the 16GB memory.

Comparison of Meizu M1 Note vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G

In the Camera department you get a 13MP Samsung Shooter with f2.2 a 5 part lens and a 5MP f2.0 Shooter. Also you have Dual Tone LED flash and a very generous 3140mAh battery. The Meizu Note sports FLyme 4.0, but very likely Meizu will launch Android 5.0 and Flyme 5.0 this week for their phones. The Back of the Note is removable and design wise it reminds pretty much of the iPhone 5c, which is definitely a Pro for us.

The Meizu M1 Note is definitely a good choice for people looking for an entry phablet with its large 5.5″ Full HD display and the Sub 200USD price tag. It will compete directly with Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 4G, although at this point you might be better advised to go with the Meizu M1 Note. Later on Meizu will also launch their M1 Note Mini, we dont have an official release date yet though.

Read more about the Meizu M1 Note here in our official Meizu M1 Note Launch Post.