Author: chris eilers

The Asus Zenfone 2 is definitely one of the most popular smartphones out there at the moment, especially with 4GB RAM. In this Asus Zenfone 2 review we will compare the 5.5″ Asus Zenfone 2 versus the 5.7″ Xiaomi Note Phablet

Both phones offer very high specs at an affordable price and are expected to launch in many countries in early Q2 2015. If you compare the Asus Zenfone 2 version with 4GB RAM for an expected price of 300USD to the Xiaomi Note for an entry price of 370USD you have a fair battle on your hands.

• Original ASUS Zenfone 5 with Asus Warranty RM509 – Please use Code LAZADAMOB88

Design

Lets start with the design. The Asus Zenfone has a smaller display with 5.5″ versus the 5.7″ display of the Xiaomi Note. That makes the Asus Zenfone 2 more compact in terms of height and width the Xiaomi’s phablet. The Xiaomi Note is significantly thinner though with 7mm versus 10.9 mm on the Zenfone 2. Both have pretty good screen-to body ratios with more then 70%.

From a pure visual standpoint the Xiaomi Note is more unique, with the glass 3D back and extremely thin bezels. Many of you will say that you clearly see the inspiration of Apple in Xiaomi’s design. The Asus Zenfone 2 is more understated and traditional in design, with a brushed metal look. If you like the fancy design of Xiaomi’s Note or the more conservative Asus Zenfone 2 looks is up to your taste though

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Asus Zenfone 2 versus Xiaomi Note Display

The Asus Zenfone 2 sports a 5.5″ Full HD display with a 1920x1080p resolution and is protected by Gorilla Glas 3. The Zenfone 2 screen has an excellent 403ppi pixel density. The Xiaomi Note has a slightly larger Full HD display at 5.7 inch and 1920x1080p resolution. The pixel density of the XIaomi Note is slightly worse with 386ppi.

When it comes to displays here in the end its probably personal preference which size you need. To me personally 5.5″ inch on my smartphone is completely sufficient, at least there is somewhat the chance that i can use the phone with one hand.

Processor and Memory

Asus has a longstanding tradition with Intel CPU’s and are using Intel 64-Bit Atom Silicon CPU for the Zenfone 2. The Intel Z3580 quadcore can be clocked up to 2.3Ghz and is LTE Capable. The Intel Z3580 is actually a very capable processor and can hold its own even against the Qualcomm’s strong Snapdragon 805 or Samsung’s Exynos 7 in Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4.

The Xiaomi Note in its normal version sports Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 801 processor, that we can also find in Xiaomi’s Mi4 or the OnePlus One. While the Snapdragon 801 is clearly not state of the Art, since there are 2 newer generations already, the Snapdragon 801 is quite strong. Look at our Antutu Benchmarks of both phones though.

One of the biggest surprises for the Asus Zenfone 2 Review was the announcement of 4GB RAM though. With the strong Intel Quad-Core Cpu and 4GB RAM the Asus Zenfone 2 is a real multitasking powerhouse. Additionally the Asus Zenfone 2 gets you extendable memory via Micro – SD, which you dont get on the Xiaomi Note.

In terms of processing power, at comparable Asus Zenfone 2 price and Xiaomi Note price, the Zenfone 2 with 4GB of RAM presents the stronger option.

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Xiaomi Note Camera

The Asus Zenfone 2 has Asus’s PixelMaster Camera with 13MP and a 5-element f2.0 aperture lens. You also get Dual LED Flash by Philipps and a 5MP Selfie Cam with 85degree wide angle lense. The Xiaomi Note on the other hand sports a 13MP Camera with Optical Image Stabilization and a Selfie Cam with 2 big wo big 2µm pixel. The Selfie Cam is the same as HTC ONE’s Ultrapixel Cam.

Xiaomi Note Camera Samples

We have attached some pictures from both cameras for you, so you can decide yourself. We were especially surprised about the good quality of the Asus Zenfone 2 PixelMaster Camera in low light situations. Asus claims that their PixelMaster Camera lets in 400% more light then other smartphone cameras. At this price level you get very good cameras at both phones though.

Asus Zenfone 2 Review Camera Samples

Asus Zenfone 2 versus Xiaomi Note Conclusion:

In this Asus Zenfone 2 Review we compare the 4GB Zenfone Version with Xiaomi’s newest flagship the Xiaomi Note. At 300USD for the Zenfone and 370USD its a hard choice. The Zenfone 2 with QuadCore Intel and 4GB RAM offers a stronger multitasking variant and also you get extendable internal Memory via Micro SD. If you are into a fancy design and a slightly larger 5.7″ Display the Xiaomi Note might be for you though.

One last point to keep in mind is availability. Both phones are expected to land on our shores in early Q2 2015, as in April. While we expect the Asus Zenfone 2, to be widly available as the other Zenfones, this might not be the case with Xiaomi’s Note. In general Xiaomi’s phones with extremely limited stock are hard to get if there are Xiaomi’s Flash Sales at all. Considering this you might want to shoot for the Asus Zenfone 2 directly.

Good news for all Whatsapp fans. Now you can use Whatsapp for pc with Whatsapp Web. The setup is very easy and made possible by the use of Chrome.

For now Whatsapp Web is available on Android, Windows, Blackberry and Nokia S60 Phones, not yet for iPhone. If you want to use Whatsapp from your Desktop please use the newest Whatsapp Version , and you can find a Option for “Whatsapp Web” in your menu. If the Whatsapp option doesnt show up, just try to restart your phone.

if you have done this just load web.whatsapp.com from Chrome and Scan the QR code from Whatsapp. Normally this takes just a few seconds, depending on your internet connection.

Different to other desktop messengers, Whatsapp for pc needs a constant connection on your smartphone to make it work. It seems that the WebApp syncs with your phone and actually sends your messages via your phone. If your phone looses the connection, Whatsapp Web will not work as well. Similiar to Whatsapp on your phone, you get notification alerts on your Desktop, but you can easily turn them off.

Otherwise Whatsapp Web, has all the features of Whatsapp on your phone. You can take pictures and send files directly from your desktop via Whatsapp Web. Also you can easily open up files and pics that you got via the App.

For people working constantly on your Pc or Laptop, Whatsapp Web is a good way of using Whatsapp during the day, without constanly using your phone. As you know for Whatsapp is free download.

Xiaomi got worldwide attention with their latest flagship launch, the Xiaomi Note and MI Note Pro. Especially the MI Note Pro caught our eye, with specs and features that put it right there on top of all flagships in 2015.

In fact the Xiaomi Note Pro has such great features, that we think it is only fair to compare the Mi Note Pro, to Samsung’s Elite Phablet, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

While looking deeper into Xiaomi Note Pro’s Spec Sheet we actually found not only great specs but also a bunch of features that the Galaxy Note 4 does not offer at all. Check our List of features why the Xiaomi Note Pro is better then Galaxy Note 4.

1. Back Cover of Glass

Lets start with the design. Many Samsung fans complained about the uninspired Samsung designs. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 with the faux leather backside is no exception. The Xiaomi Mi Note Pro meanwhile uses a 3D glass for the backpanel. 3D means its even more curved at the edges of the Pro, giving a better ergonomic fit. And of course it looks awesome.

2. Thin profile and edges.

Xiaomi compared the Note Pro mostly to the iPhone 6 Plus, showing that its more compact while having a larger screen. The Note Pro is actually thinner then the Galaxy Note 4 as well, with just 6.95mm versus the 8.5mm of the Galaxy Note 4. Overall in terms of design we think the Note Pro can easily beat the Galaxy Note 4.

3. Qualcomm’s Octa-Core 64Bit Snapdragon 810 CPU

The Galaxy Note 4 is very powerful with either Samsung’s own Exnos Octa 7 or Snapdragon 805 CPU. The Xiaomi Note Pro which launches in the beginning of Spring features the newest Snapdragon 810 Octa-Core Processor which is a whole new level of processing power. While the Galaxy Note 4 was beaten in Antutu Benchmarks by the Meizu MX4 phone, we expect the Note Pro to easily climb the Benchmark Top.

4. Whopping 4GB LDDR4 RAM for multitasking

Admittedly the 3GB RAM in the Galaxy Note 4 make the device very powerful, especially in terms of multitasking. But hey, its 2015 after all, and you want a device which is future proof. That is why the new Mi Note Pro has 4GB of LDDR4 Ram. LDDR4 RAM is actually the newest form of RAM, and faster then for example the 4GB RAM used in the new Zenfone2. We guess if the Note Pro gets any faster, you can use it as an Laptop substitute.

5. Internal Memory of 64GB

The Xiaomi Note Pro gets delivered with 64GB of internal memory, while the standard version of the Galaxy Note 4 comes at only 32GB memory. Admittedly the Galaxy Note 4 can be extended via micro sd. But at a much cheaper entry price, you get double the internal memory. Thats what we call impressive internal memory out of the package!

6. Mi Note Pro with Dual Sim Support

There are not many flagships that offer Dual Sim Support. On top of our mind there is actually only the Asus Zenfone 2 who offers Dual Sim Support at high specs. With the Note Pro you can easily use Dual Sim, which is a very cool feature. Especially here in Asia Dual Sim support is highly appreciated by fans and this is surely a big advantage of the Xiaomi Note Pro versus Galaxy Note 4.

7. LTE Cat. 9 compatibility

The Mi Note Pro comes with LTE category 9 support, which gives it higher theoretical LTE speeds, compared to the Galaxy Note 4. Thanks to the Snapdragon 810 the Note Pro has 450 Mbit/s download and 100 Mbit/s upload speeds. The Note 4 gets LTE CAT 6 with 300 Mbit/s down and 50 Mbit/s up for the Snapdragon 805 Edition and 150 Mbit/s down and 50 Mbit/s up for the Exnos Edition. While all this depends on your LTE provider its a definite advantage for the Xiaomi Note Pro.

Xiaomi Note Pro Price

The Note Series marks a new level in price for Xiaomi, as a premium phone line. And still Xiaomi, being Xiaomi the Note Pro is still significantly cheaper then the Galaxy Note 4. At launch the Xiaomi Note Pro will retail for around 530USD, while the Galaxy Note 4 costs you still more then 700 off contract. Basically you get a superior phone for nearly 200 USD less!

Half a year ago Xiaomi announced to their plans to expand to more international Markets in North America, Europe and Asia. Eventually they stayed within Asia though, with India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore. Now Bin Lin announced a new big move in February.

Although Xiaomi had very impressive Sales of 61.12 million, very little percentage of those sales are actually from outside China. Additionally they suffered many problems in China including a temporarily ban in India and criticized product patents.

Obviously for Xiaomi 2015 will be the focus on international markets. As the war is heating in China, further international expansion will help a sustainable developemnt of Xiaomi. After all Xiaomi is a very young brand with just 4 years.

This morning Bin Lin Co-Founder of Xiaomi announced, that Xiaomi’s international team will make a big announcment in February. At the same time he published a picture on his Weibo Account with Vice President of international business Hugo Barra, and International Product Director Donovan Sung.

Xiaomi’s newest Flagship the Xiaomi Note

At the same time there are some users that are complaining that Xiaomi is not taking enough care of existing markets. The Xiaomi MI4 flagship for example will not come to Malaysia and just recently Xiaomi announced a price increase for their Powerbanks in Singapore.

Xiaomi will announce a new international move in February. What do you think which country will be the next on their list?

Finally Malaysia will get Meizu’s newest Flagship, the Meizu MX4 Pro. The 5.5″ Meizu MX4 Pro with Quad HD 2K Display has already got SIRIM approval, which means it will launch very soon in Malaysia.

The Meizu MX4 Pro sports Samsung’s Exynos 5430 Processor. That is the same processor that is also features in the Samsung Galaxy Alpha. The Exynos 5430 is a true Octa-Core CPU and works with big.LITTLE technology. The CPU also features the newest hexa-core Mali-T628 MP6 GPU and you get 3GB of RAM. As you can see in benchmarks the Samsung Exynos is definitely a powerhouse and brings you very good performance.

If you compare the Meizu MX4 Pro to the MX4, its a bit larger with a larger 5.5″ display and slightly thicker bezels of 2.8mm. Overall the Meizu MX4 Pro is super slim though and has a great screen to body ratio of 76.5%, which is much better then the iPHone 6 Plus for example.

Meizu MX4 pro Sirim Malaysia Approval

The Meizu MX4 Pro features a Quad HD 5.5″ Screen with a excellent resolution of 2560 x 1536 and 546ppi. The Meizu MX4 Pro might just have one of the best 2K screens available at the moment. Similiar to the LG G3 the display integrates negative LCD with backlight for better visibility and reduced battery consumption.

Knowing that 2K displays still take up a lot of battery life, Meizu increased the battery levels to 3350mAh on the MX4 Pro. THat is definitely better then the direct competiton from Xiaomi with the Note Pro, that has a larger display and even smaller battery. According to Meizu the MX4 Pro lasts 1.5 days with heavy LTE usage. Of course the Pro has FDD-LTE and TDD-LTE support.

According to the official Meizu Facebook Fanpage the MX4 Pro is expected to go on Sale next month in February. The Price will be RM1499 for the 16GB Version. The Meizu MX4 Pro might sell even slightly lower for RM1400 in the 16GB Version and 1600 for the 32GB edition.

For this price the Meizu MX4 Pro is definitely one of the cheapest powerful 2K phones out there! What do you think about the upcoming Meizu MX4 Pro? Interested?

The Asus Zenfone 2 has been launched officially yesterday in Taiwan and is definitely one of the most popular smartphones out there at the moment. The Zenfone 2 was the first smartphone announced ever with 4GB RAM and for the entry price of 165 USD we can be sure it will sell like hotcakes. Yesterday Asus launched 3 versions of their Asus Zenfone 2 and we show you our Asus Zenfone 2 spec comparison today.

The Asus Zenfone Series has been incredibly popular and according to Asus more then 15 Million Users worldwide use Zenfones already. With the very popular Quad-Core Intel Chip, a huge Full HD 5.5″ display and 4GB RAM we are sure this success story will continue.

We are very interested how the Asus Zenfone 2 Specs compare to other 2015 flagships though. The Asus Zenfone 2 with 2GB RAM will sell for 220USD and the 4GB RAM version to be around 285USD at Launch in March. Lets compare the Asus Zenfone 2 to phones in the same price range, like OnePLus One, Xiaomi Mi4 but also the slighlty more expensive Xiaomi Note.

Asus Zenfone 2 Specs Comparison

The Asus Zenfone 2 comes with a large Full HD Screen with a 1920×1080 resolution and very good pixel density of 403. The display is protected by Gorilla Glas 3. The Zenfone 2 has a good screen ratio of 70.2%, while its not as compact as the Lg G3 for example. The screen of the Asus Zenfone 2 can easily compare to the other phones at the same price level and gor us 5.5″ inch and a Full HD display presents a very good choice for 2015.

Asus has a long tradtion with Intel and the Zenfone 2 is using their newest 64Bit Intel Atom Z3580 CPU, that is clocked up to 2.3GHz. In terms of raw processing power the Intel Atom Z3580 can easily hold its own against Snapdragon 805 and Exynos 7 Octa Cpu. If there are weaknesses, its more in the graphics department.

Asus Zenfone 2 2GB Antutu 

The biggest surprise for many of you was the 4GB Version of the Asus Zenfone 2 though. For an expected price of 300USD the Asus Zenfone 2, was the first phone ever announced with 4GB of RAM. We have some Asus Zenfone 2 Antutu Scores to show you how good the Zenfone 2 performs, compared to other smartphones. As you can see the Asus Zenfone 2, can easily beat the Sony Xperia Z3 and even Samsung Galaxy S5 – Very strong performance.

The Zenfone 2 sports a 13MP Camera with a 5 part lens and f2.0 aperture. You also get Dual LED Flash and a 5MP Shooter with 85 Degree wide angle lense. You can have a look at out Asus Zenfone 2 Camera Samples, versus pictures of the Galaxy Note 4. Especially in low light situations, the Pixel Master Camera of the Asus Zenfone 2 performs really well. According to Asus, the Pixel Master Camera lets in 400% more light in the pictures. For sure you get very high quality pictures with the Asus Zenfone 2.

Asus Zenfone 2 Camera Samples

Further Specs include Dual Sim Support, which is very awesome for a flagship smartphone. Actually only the more expensive Xiaomi Note and weaker Meizu M1 Note also sport Dual Sim Support. Also the Asus Zenfone 2 has 3000mAh battery which should be sufficient , but not great for the 5.5″ Full HD Screen.

As you can see from our Asus Zenfone 2 Specs Comparison, the Asus Zenfone 2 with 5.5″ Full HD Screen, 64BIT Intel Atom CPU and up to 4GB RAM can definitely hold its own. Especially the 4GB RAM version makes the Zenfone 2 one of the top competitors in the under 300USD price range for 2015. For 165USD the 5″ Asus Zenfone 2 might even be the best Android Smartphone for under 200 USD.

Asus Zenfone 2 Hands On Gallery 

The Asus Zenfone 2 launched officially in Taiwan and will come to selected markets like Malaysia in April 2015. The 2GB RAM version will sell at 220 USD and the Zenfone 2 4GB RAM version to sell for around 285USD. According to Asus, the Zenfone 2 will come to Malayia in early Q2, as in April 2015. The cheapest Asus Zenfone 2 Version with a 5″ display will sell for just 165usd.

Further specs include Dual Sim Support, which is very unique for a Flagship Smartphone in that price class. This might be a big advantage for the Note Pro especially in Asia where Dual Sim Support is very much sought after. The battery on the Note Pro Flagship is rather small for a 5.7″ Screen at 3090mAh.
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Xiaomi just launched their new Premium Models Xiaomi Note and Xiaomi Note PRO. The Xiaomi Note Pro is the first phone worldwide with Snapdragon 810 and 4GB of RAM.

The Mi Note and Note PRO represent a complete new premium product line for Xiaomi. Xiaomi is targeting Apple’iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy Note 4 with their new Flagships Mi Note Pro. Especially in terms of design Xiaomi achieved to make their flagships smaller and more compact then the iPhone 6Plus while having a larger screen.

• Original Meizu MX4 16GB for RM1074 – Limited Stock  Please use Voucher Code LAZADAMOB88

We are very interested though how the Xiaomi Note Pro Specs compre to other Flagship phones on the market. We want to see how the Note Pro compares to iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy Note 4, but of course also to Nexus 6 and OnePlus One for example. The Note Pro is expected to sell at 523USD, or RM1890. That is cheaper then the Note 4 and iPhone 6Plus but more expensive then the Mate 7 for example.

Xiaomi Note Pro Specs Comparison

The Xiaomi Note Pro comes with a 5.7 inch Quad HD display with a 2K 1440 x 2560 resolution and excellent 515 pixel density. For this large display we have to repeat, that the Note Pro is very compact. Especially in terms of thickness, it beats easily all the other FlagShips phablets like Note 4 and even the iPhone 6 Plus. Otherwise the display is the same in size and resolutio as the Note 4, the Note 4 AMOLED display might be slightly better though.

The Xiaomi Note Pro sports Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 810 Octacore CPU with Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 2 GHz Cortex-A57 Cores. Also you get extremely fast 4GB of LDDR4 RAM and 64GB of internal memory. This makes the Note PRO easily the phone with the most horsepower in our comparison and THE flagship for 2015 so far.

The Xiaomi Note Pro features a 13 megapixel Main Camera with a Sony Sensor, a quick 6 element f/2.0 lens, Optical Image Stabilization and Dual Tone LED FLash by Philipps. We have some Xiaomi Note Pro camera samples for you to see the quality yourself. I think especially in the night shots you can see the capability of the Note Pro Camera, with longer shutter speed to get more lights with up to 32 seconds of expsosure.

Xiaomi Note Pro Camera Samples

Also the 4 Megapixel Selfie Cam with two big 2µm pixel, Xiaomi advertises to be great in low light pictures. Have a look at yourself though, to see how the Note Pro Selfie Cam, that is the same as HTC One Ultrapixe Cam compares.

Further specs include Dual Sim Support, which is very unique for a Flagship Smartphone in that price class. This might be a big advantage for the Note Pro especially in Asia where Dual Sim Support is very much sought after. The battery on the Note Pro Flagship is rather small for a 5.7″ Screen at 3090mAh.

As you can see from our Xiaomi Note Pro Specs Comparison, the Note Pro is definitely the highest powered smartphone in terms of CPU and RAM so far. Also judging by the camera samples and camera specs you can expect a decent camera and for sure a great, large Quad HD 5.7″ Screen. The Xiaomi Note PRO definitely is in the very top Range for 2015 so far.

With a pricing of 523USD, or RM1890 at launch the Note Pro is cheaper then iPhone 6 Plus, Galaxy Note 4 and Nexus 6. In absolute terms you have a very good deal on your hands with this beast from Xiaomi, especially with the newest Snapdragon 810 and 4GB of RAM, you will be able to use this smartphone well into the future.

We think with the Xiaomi Note and Note Pro, Xiaomi has their newest bestseller on their hands. What do you think? Would you buy a Mi Note Pro ?
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Xiaomi introduced two smartphones, the Xiaomi Note and Xiaomi Note Pro. Especially the Xiaomi Note Pro might be very tough competition for Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and iPhone 6 Plus.

The Xiaomi Note Pro sports a 2K 5.7″ display with a 1440×2560 resolution and an excellent 515 pixel density. Design wise it keeps the same striking design as the Xiaomi Note with a very thin 6.95mm body, extremely trim bezels. Xiaomi related many times to the iPhone 6 Plus in their presentation, making it clear that Xiaomi Note and Note Pro are more compact, while having a larger screen then Apple’s Flagship.

The Xiaomi Note Pro is powered by the newest 64BIT Snapdragon 810, making it the second phone ever announced with Qualcomm’s newest CPU. Not only the Snapdragon 810 but also impressive 4GB of RAM, making the Xiaomi Note PRO a real Power Machine. Especially because the Xiaomi Note Pro is the first phone ever to use 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM.Moreover you get the same Hi-FI Audio dedicated processors as on the Note including two amp chips

Xiaomi Note Pro Hands On

In the camera department the Note Pro sports a 13MP Sony Camera with OIS and a 4MP Ultra Pixel Selfie Cam, the same as in the HTC ONE. The only potential weak point for a 2K display might be the 3000maAH battery. Xiaomi’s Note PRO is using a display with Sharp’s negative display tech, which makes the Note PRO display more like a 1080p display in terms of power consumption. The Meizu MX4 Pro display is produced with the same method.

The Meizu MX4 Pro will be delivered with 64GB out of the box and Dual Sim 4G support. Xiaomi Note Pro will sell for a price of 3300yuan, thats about 532USD, when it lands in China on 27th. That pricing and specs make the Xiaomi Note Pro a very worthy and interesting competitor for Galaxy Note 4 and iPhone 6 Plus in our opinion!

Finally Xiaomi has announced the two smartphones you have been waiting for so long. The new Xiaomi Note and Note Pro are Xiaomi’s answer to Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus and Samsungs Galaxy Note 4.

The Mi Note is about the same size as the iPhone 6 Plus but features a larger screen. The Xiaomi Mi Note sports a large 5.7 Full HD display with a 1080×1920 resolution and 387 pixel density. Design wise the XIaomi Note has extremely thin size bezels and is thinner then the iPhone 6 Plus, and also shorter and more compact in body while having the larger screen. For such a big phone the Xiaomi Mi Note is also relatively light at just 161 gramm.

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The Xiaomi Note is powered by the same Snapdragon 2.5 GHZ 801 Quadcore Processor with Adreno 330GPU and 3GB of RAM that you see in the Xiaomi Mi4. Compared to the Xiaomi Mi4 you get Dual Sim 4G Support though, which is quite amazing for a flagship. The internal memory options are 16GB and 64GB.

As reported before the Xiaomi Note Camera comes with OIS support. The Main Camera is the 13MP Sony IMX214 Shooter with f2.0 aperture and Optical Image Stabilization. The Camera also has Dual Tone FLash from Philipps. The front of the Note offers a 4MP Selfie Shooter with 2 big micron pixel sizes, similiar to HTC ONE 4MP UltraPixel Camera.

All Hands on Pictures with the Xiaomi Note

For battery the Xiaomi Note sports a 3000mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0. This is not amazing but should be enough for the Full HD screen. Also the Note features Hi-Fi Audio, 24-bit/192 KHz lossless playback thanks to two audio chips by Texas Instruments. XIaomi has not confirmed yet but we expect the Note to ship with the newest version of MIUI V6 with Android Lollipop 5.0 underneath.

As you can see we also have a first Xiaomi Note Antutu Benchmark for you. As you saw the Xiaomi Note is still featuring the Snapdragon 801 clocked at 2.5 Ghz. While this hardware is the same as on the Xiaomi Mi4, apparently the Xiaomi Note is performing much better in Antutu Benchmarks. The Note is able to beat the OnePlus One, Xiaomi Mi4 and Samsung Galaxy S5 in our Antutu Benchmarks.

Lets come to the part which most of you waited for – the pricing.For the launch Xiaomi announced already that the Xiaomi Note will come to Malaysia in Q2 2015. The Xiaomi Note 16GB will sell for 2299 Yuan and the 64GB Version for 2799 Yuan.This presents a new price class for Xiaomi, and it gets very clear that the Note is an extension for their product line and not a substitute for the Redmi or Mi Series. Would you buy the new Xiaomi Note?
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Xiaomi will have their press conference tomorrow in Beijing at 2pm in China. We are quite sure that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 will launch, Xiaomi has confirmed that more or less in a lot of teasers. Xiaomi is about to launch a second device tomorrow though, everybody assumed this would be the Xiaomi Mi5 or Mi4S but this might not be the case.

We actually have reports from Weibo and Twitter about a Xiaomi Mi5 Plus device. As far as the reports go the Xiaomi Mi5 Plus comes with a 6″ Quad HD display, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal Memory. The Xiaomi Mi5 PLus is supposed to sport the brand new Snapdragon 810 and a 16MP Main Camera with Optical Image Stabilization.

The Leaked picture of the device has actually quite a lot of similiarities with the device we showed you before of the Mi5 with very thin bezels and just a beautiful design. While this whole thing is a bit hard to believe, this Xiaomi Mi5 Plus would be actually in line with our Xiaomi Opera reports.

We reported before here that Xiaomi might launch a complete new product line, which is targeting a higher target market then the current product lines. This product line would feature Xiaomi’s own design, latest Hifi equipment, Snapdragon 810 and OIS. All of this for a higher price then the XIaomi Mi4.

Well the Xiaomi Mi5 Plus is supposed to sell at t 2,999 Yuan ($484) in China. This would fit earlier reports. Anyways in less then 24 hours the Xiaomi Event will begin and we will know the truth. What do you think, might Xiaomi launch a new XIaomi MI5 Plus for a new market segment?
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Since the Asus Zenfone 2 was first announced on the CES, it is definitely one of the most popular smartphones out there. Besides high specs and an extremly attractive price tag, the asus zenfone 2 is also the first phone to come with 4GB of Ram.

The Asus Zenfone 2 comes with 2 Versions, the 4GB Version with an Intel Atom Z3580 Quad-Core CPU clocked at 2.3 Ghz. The second version of the Asus Zenfone 2 comes with Intel Atom Z3560 clocked at 1.8 Ghz and “just” 2GB of Ram. Now we have for you an early Asus Zenfone 2 Antutu 5.5 Benchmark Comparison.

The 4GB RAM version with 2.3GHZ Intel Atom of the Asus Zenfone 2 scores a very respectable 43809 points. That score is better then the Samsung Galaxy S5. The 1.8 Ghz Version with 2GB RAM still got a very good score of 40926 points, which beats the Xperia Z3 – and that for 199USD!

• Original Meizu MX4 16GB for RM1074 – Limited Stock  Please use Voucher Code LAZADAMOB88

Very surprising the difference in scores between the 4GB version and 2GB version Asus Zenfone 2 is not that big. Both actually get very good scores. Anyways Antutu Benchmarks are just that – benchmarks and are not able to show the true multitasking and user experience with the Asus Zenfone 2.

Read our Asus Zenfone 2 Hands On Review or our Test Asus Zenfone 2 versus Galaxy Note 4 here. The Asus Zenfone 2 will launch in selected markets in March 2015. The 2GB RAM Asus Zenfone 2 will start at an amazing price of 199USD.
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By now there are quite a few Xiami teasers that are pointing at a completely new smartphone on 15 january. We will not see a new Xiaomi Mi5 or even a Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 but the launch of a new Xiaomi product line.

There has been already a few hints by xiaomi that they might be going down a new road by building a higher quality product similiar to the Meizu MX4 Pro or Vivo X4 Max. With all the new Xiaomi Mi5 leaks we were not reporting about these though

Today’s newest information suggest that Xiaomi might indeed launch a new phablet. The new phone will for sure be a flagship but it will not be succeeding the Xiaomi Mi4 or anything in the Redmi Range. The new Smartphone will be completely new.

Of course Xiaomi always have been concentrating on their build quality as we can see especially in their Xiaomi Mi4. Especially design wise Xiaomi was not able to put their own stamp on their products so far, from rather understated redmi devices to the apple inspired Xiaomi Mi4. That might be just one of the biggest reasons for a completely new Xiaomi with a great design, high build quality and Xiaomi’s own design.

We might just be seiing a “xiaomi mi4 note” or Xiaomi Opera”. Looking at all the teasers we saw so far the new xiaomi phone will definitely be larger and thinner then all the other xiaomi phones. If we believe the previous leaks we could see an extremely well designed and beautiful phone launch on 15th, a lot better then many of us expected from Xiaomi.

This newest Xiaomi teaser shows us the hardest evidence that xiaomi is launching a completely new phone. We have circled the most obvious words, please post more in the comments if you find them!

What we found so far:

• OIS
• Glass
• Faster
• HIFI
• Opera
• Audio
• Ligther
• Large
• Note
• ETC

There are certainly clues like “new” but also that the puzzle is called hello might mean that they bring a phone we havent seen yet. It looks really like we are getting something very new, not a Xiaomi Mi5 or Redmi Note 2, maybe a Xiaomi Opera or Mi 4 Note?

As the puzzle suggest the features differ also from what Xiaomi has been focussing on in the past. We get OIS (optical image stabiliziation), high audio quality, large display and glass panels we have not seen on Xiaomi phones yet.

In the puzzle we also see the name Opera which could be the title of the new product range from Xiaomi. The Xiaomi Opera range might include two new devices at launch. 2 models 5.2″ thin with Snapdragon 615 CPU and the other model with be 5.7″ screen and bigger battery might be one option.

From a selling standpoint a new high quality line makes a lot of sense. The new Xiaomi Opera line might be targeted at the Xiaomi Mi4 Pro with a slightly higher price around 2299Yuan. Meanwhile it would make sense to decrease the price of the XIaomi Mi4 to 1799 Yuan to fight the Meizu MX4.

As you can see we are pretty sure that something new is on the horizon, our only question will this new phone remain at the 1999 Yuan or below price that previous Xiaomi phones have shipped for, or is this new phone going to enter a slightly higher price bracket to fend off other high-class smartphones? Also we might be seing new products like a new Xiaomi tablet or above bluetooth speaker.

Let us know what you think in the comments below.