The Xiaomi Powerbank with 10400 mAH has been incredibly popular this year. With the increasing popularity of the Xiaomi Powerbank we got first the scalpers and worse we got the clone makers! So now you bought your first Xiaomi Mi Power Bank how can you find out if you bought a Clone or the real deal?

The Xiaomi Power Bank is a great device and very useful to keep all your electronic devices juiced up the whole day. The problem is really how can you actually find out if you bought a clone or the original Xiaomi Power Bank? You think this might not be an problem, but in reality this is such a big problem that Xiaomi has even created a webpage just to teach customers what to look for.
If you check the official Xiaomi page to check if your Power Bank if fake, you will find a video that shows you most of the possible ways. The most important ways to check if you have a Fake Xiaomi PowerBank We have collected for you here though.

9 Steps to check if your Xiaomi PowerBank is Real

• The most important is to purchase your Xiaomi devices ONLY from authorised resellers or directly from Xiaomi. Dont go for those scalpers. What about outside of China?
• Please read enough reviews, google the Reseller and talk to your friends to find a legit source.
• First thing is if you bought the Xiaomi Powerbank, check here if the serial number matches the official Xiaomi records.
• The Real XiaomI Powerbank comes with plastic packaging. If your battery comes with paper packaging, its likely fake.
• Inspect the Metal Casing of the Xiaomi Powerbank closely. The real PowerBank has a very high quality finish with a beautiful XiaomI Logo. The Fakes have low quality finish, and the Logo looks different.
• Check closely for sharp or rough edges, you wont find them on Original.
• The text on the bottom of your original Xiaomi Powerbank is light grey and clearly and crisp readable. On Clone Powerbanks the ink is darker and not as high quality finished.
• If you charge the Original Battery, the lights should not blink.
• When you charge the real Xiaomi Powerbank, you need to press the power button and the LED Lights will stay on. With the fake PowerBank they will charge without pressing and LED’s will blink

If you can see on the following pics it is really important to buy an Original Powerbank. An exploding Powerbank in your home or your bag is not funny. They can cause real injury. So do yourself a favor and go through those steps if you have bought a Xiaomi PowerBank.

Let us know if you ever had problems with fakes? Do you have more tips how to spot a Fake?

Meizu MX4 Beast – All Specs and Facts

Today the MX4 Smartphone launched. And what a beautiful beast the Meizu MX4 is. We will provide you all Meizu MX4 Specs and Facts directly from the Launch Even in Bejing.

The biggst surprise is, that the MEIZU MX is the first smartphone to run the newest Mediatek MT6595 CPU.There were a lot of rumors before that Meizu would utilize a Mediatek chip in one of their new smartphones, but we were surprised to find its their newest Meizu MX4. The use of the Mediatek Processor is quite interesting, since Meizu will launch up to 4 more smartphones this year.

Back to todays Meizu MX4 launch event. Highlights of the new Meizu phone are for sure the 20.7 MP Sony Camera and Aircraft Grade aluminium design. Meizu used alloy for the material, to allow more colors and even slimmer and lighter design. Meizu claims to have the slimmest smartphone frames worlwide at MX4’s dimensions of 75.2 x 144 x 7.9mm. For sure the MX4 is slightly slimmer then the MX3 and has a bigger 3100mAH battery.

Meizu MX 4 Screen

The MX4 will sport an beautiful 5.4 inch screen with a Full HD resolution of 1920X 1152p. The display will have a pixel density of 418ppi. Meizu uses their Nega liquid crystal technology and a LED backlight module on the display. According to Meizu this will produce an 85% increase in NTSC color gamut and brightness up to 600 nit. Up to now we can say the Meizu MX4 display looks for sure gorgeous.

The 5.4 FHD display is bonded directly to the frame of the MX4 and Meizu is in process of patenting this process. This process of bonding the screen to the frame, adds an additional 0.3mm layer between the Gorilla Glass 3 and the frame. This acts like a buffer that can absorb shocks from the display and provides additional security for your Meizu MX4 display in case of drops – Smart!

Up to now we can say the Meizu MX4 display looks for sure gorgeous.

Meizu MX4 Peformance

The Meizu MX4 runs on the Octa Core Mediateks MT6595 processor at 2.2Ghz. The MT6595 uses a big.LITTLE architecure with four A7 and four A17 cores. Meizu utilizes Core Pilot Technology for these 8 cores. The Core Pilot Technology lets the Soc easily switch between the little and big cores to increase performance and provides better power management.

With OctaCore A17 and A7 Cores the MX4 will provide very good performance. After all we already saw these Antutu leaks of over 50000 points on the MX4.

Meizu MX4 Antutu

The MX4 also sports an Meizu 3100 mAh Battery products by Sony or Samsung. Meizu promises an increase in battery life of over 30% compared to their previus MX3 phone.

Meizu MX4 Camera

As we heard in rumors before the Meizu MX4 will sport an Sony IMX 220 Exmor RS 20.7 mega-pixel sensor, which is quite impressing. This will give the MX4 advanced DSLR features with a focus speed of only 0.3 seconds, 4K video recording and 720p slow motion. The Sony 20.7 MP sensor also provides 25 shots per second mode, dual tone LED flash and better night shot performance.

A 20.7 Megapixel Sony Sensor on this smartphone is definitely impressive!

Flyme OS 4.0 and LTE

Meizu also announced their newest version Flyme 4.0 with a cleaner look and additional features. Flyme 4.0 will launch on all Meizu Phones, the MX4, MX3 and MX2. We will definitely soon post pictures of the new Meizu UI Flyme 4.0 very soon.

The Meizu MX4 comes with LTE, WCDMA, GSM, TD-SCDMA covering over 13 different frequencies( although we are not sure yet which exact frequencies are covered). Meizu definitely promises the mx4 will work with European carriers so there is a good chance it will work with more international Carriers as well !

Meizu MX4 Prices and Availablilty

The Meizu MX4 stars at 1799 yuan for 16GB, 1999 yuan for 32GB and 2399 Yuan for 64GB for the chinese market. This means the 32GB version is targeted directly at Xiaomi Mi4 and OnePLus One.

So far outside China Meizu is officially launched in in Hong Kong, Russia, France, Italy, Czech Republic, etc. Meizy will launch next officially in Germany, Spain, UK, India, Australia and much more countries.

So far we only saw the black and white versions of the MX4, but there will be definitely more versions, including a Gold version, which looks pretty neat.

The Meizu MX4 Preorder is starting in China and internationally today via Meizumart.com and meizu.com/en. Please check the links for more specs and details.

What do you think about the Meizu MX4? Do you think its strong enough competiton for Xiaomi, Huawei and OnePLus?

Xiaomi Redmi 1S DEAL – Very limited time.

The Xiaomi Redmi 1S is definitely one of very interesting smartphone for under RM500. Only today you can buy it on MasterCard Monday for RM377.

• Xiaomi Redmi 1S for RM377 with Use of Payment MasterCard

Steps to buy the Xiaomi Redmi 1S for RM377

1. Go to and put the Xiaomi Redmi 1S into Shopping Card for RM419
2. Put in all your delivery adress and contact data
3. Use MasterCard as Payment Method
4. The 10% discount will be deducted and you bought the Redmi 1S for RM377

If you want to buy the Redmi 1S for RM377 you need to use you really need a MasterCard at Lazada Malaysia to pay though. Master Card is paying for the difference to Lazada, so the customer wins.

While there are some Bad Comments on the Net about Lazada, most customers who bought the Redmi 1S at Lazada got it after 2 days already as promised. In general Lazada is on par with other e-commerce sites in Malaysia concerning service and trustworthyness.

Read Xiaomi Redmi 1S two weeks in test

The Xiaomi Redmi 1S is definitely a Top Deal for RM377. You get a Quadcore Snapdragon 400 Processor, 4.7 Inch HD display. The best on the Redmi 1S might be the camera though. We tested the Redmi 1S for two weeks and were quite impressed with the quality.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Specs

Display: 4.7-inch 1280 x 720p display
Processor: 1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 SoC
RAM: 1GB RAM
Internal Memory: 8GB ROM + microSD expansion
Rear Cam: 8 mega-pixel f/2.2 BSI enabled main camera
Front Cam: 1.6 mega-pixel front camera
Battery: 2000mAh battery
OS: Android 4.3 overlaid with MIUI V5
Dimensions: 137 x 69 x 9.9 mm

Overall if you are searching for a budget or secondary smartphone, we can definitely recommened the XIaomi Redmi 1S, especially for RM377.

The OnePlus One could have been the Flagship Killer 2014 – if it wasnt so hard to get your hards on the phone. Many customers around the world want to buy a OnePlus One, but were not able to get an invitation to buy it. Now OnePLus, has communicated that they will change to a Pre-Order System in October. That means that customers finally would not have to wait for an Invite anymore.

In the past OnePLus was spreading invites via contests on their forum websites. All the customers that bought the OnePLus One on the official stores sites, also got invites that they could share with other interested buyers and friends. Even with those few invites, there has always been a big gap between number of invites and people who actually wanted to buy the OnePLus One. This meant a lot of frustrated buyers worldwide.

The OnePLus One Team said on Reddit:
“We are working on a pre-orders system, we were initially aiming for September but it’s been slightly delayed, hopefully we’ll be ready to launch it in October.”

If OnePLus changes to the Invitiation system , it promises to satisfy much more customers then now. If its not too late already.

OnePLus One Via Xiaomi Mi4 Specs

From our perspective OnePLus has been focusing way to much on the Marketing Part and obscure Marketing promotions. They should have been focusing more on logistics and manufacturing. By now it has been 4 month since the OnePlus One officially launched.

READ: OnePlus One review

In those 4 month OnePLus has got a lot of fans and interested customers. On the other hand they also have a lot of disappointed would be customers, who could not get their hands on an invite. Meanwhile other brands launched their FlagShips like the Xiaomi MI4 at similiar Pricing. While the Xiaomi MI4 and other XIaomi products are not super easy to buy via the Flash Sales, they are easier to get your hands on then OnePlus One.

What do you think of the New Invite System? Would you wait to buy a OnePlus One Phone?

THL 5000  – 5000 mAh Battery Beauty !

The new THL 5000 is official and we must say its quite a beauty. 5000mAh Battery on the THL 5000 – finally!

The THL 5000 for RM800 is finally one of THL phones that actually really impressed us. No, the THl 5000 does not sport the newest Snapdragon Processor or is super stylish, but it might just be the best Allround Smartphone you can buy at the moment.

The biggest advantage and selling point of the THL 5000 phone is for sure the 5000 mAH battery. 5000 mAH – that is nearly double then some other smartphones on the market! The 5000 mAh battery on the THL 5000 will give you 47hours of talk time or 10000 hours of stand by time. The large battery is not the only advantage of the THL 5000 though.

THL 5000 Specs

The phone comes with a 5 inch Full HD display with 1920 x 1080, proteced by Gorilla Corning Glass. On top of this you get a 13MP Sony IMX135 Camera with f1.8 aperture. Both are excellent features, that you normally would not see on phones that are designed for battery power.

The THL 5000 comes also NXP box audio amp to boost the audio stereo performance on the smartphone. You get NFC support, an Mediatek OctaCore Processor and 2GB of Ram on top.

The THL 5000 sells currently at 810 RM including delivery to Malaysia. While this is definitely not the Flagship Killer, its a very beautiful Allrounder with amazing battery Life.

How do you like the THL 5000? Do you also think it could be one of the top phones this year? We are certainly impressed.

OnePLus One Explosion

Do you know whats newest about One Plus One, biggest competitor for Xiaomi Mi4 ? More extravagant promotions? More customers not getting invites? This time it is much more shocking and unfortunately serious !

On the OnePlus forums, a customer and One Plus One fan posted pictures of his One Plus One. The One PLus One Exploded while he was in the subway! AND while the phone was in his backpocket – scary!

The user Miyzu explains that we was simply strolling through the subway, then the OnePlus One exploded in his pocket. The phone explosion burnt the skin of the user severly after ripping a hole into his pants. Needless to say that the OnePLus One phone is completely destroyed and the thread in the OnePlus forum is already more then 40 pages long.

The OnePlus team responded, they will replace the OnePlus and will take care of all medical cost and financial loss. Judging by that statement the OnePlus One Team is either very helpful, or they know of they dange and have accepted liability already.

Damage to his leg after OnePlus One Explosion in his pants

Up till now, this is the first OnePlus One explosion we hear off though. The user also explained that before the explosion the phone was regularly getting very hot when charging. As shocking as it may sound, exploding phones are in the news from time to time and even Apple had some bad cases that put user in danger.

It seems that OnePLus is handling the case very well though although it is very clear that this a very unlucky situation for them. There seem to be a lot of people in the forum though, recommending MiYzu to sue OnePlus, for the exploded phone.

The User Miyzu, seems to stay calm though, even after the OnePLus exploded in his pants.

What would you guys do in his situation? Stay calm and let the company replace the phone? Maybe sue them?

Xiaomi Mi 3 and Mi 4 get MIUI 6 Update !

The Xiaomi Mi3 W/C and Xiaomi Mi4 W/C versions finally get the MIUI V6 Update! Xiaomi Mi3 or Mi4 owners can update MIUI V6 via OTA or download directly from the Xiaomi Forum.

Xiaomi MI4 and MI3 owners can get the MIUI V6 update only if they are using the newest developer version 4.8.22. Older versions or stable version will not be able to update. You can update to the developer version 4.8.22. via Updater directly on your phone or download the OS via this link.

What is the difference between Stable Roms and Offical Roms?

Both Stable Roms and Developer Roms are produced by Xiaomi MIUI official

• Developer ROMs will get updates every week, and get bug fixes and new features with every update.
• Stable ROMs are update once a month or once in two month, with no regular update frequency. You might get not features later. This is recommedn for users who dont have much experience with flashing phones.

If you dont have a MI3 W/C or MI4 W/C version, dont worry. THe MI3 TD version will get the MIUI V6 update latest by middle of September.

Meanwhile Xiaomi is working on updates for the MI2, Xiaomi Redmi Note and Redmi 1S and the Mipad. We hope they will update official launch for them soon.

Read here all our facts and specs about MIUI V6. Will you update your Xiaomi MI3 or Xiaomi Mi4?

Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro for 780 USD (RM2460)

Lenovo has just announced that their newest Flagship, the Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro will sell at 780USD, that is 2460RM!  While the old Lenovo Vibe Z is selling for very reasonable 850RM, we are very surprised by the Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro Price and its likely to get back at Lenovo in a bad way!

2014 has been the rise of Chinese Phonemakers. Flagship Smartphones from China offering higher specs and better quality for continually lower prices!In these times, the pricing for the Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro is not very clever and sooo last year!

In 2014 most Mobile Phone brands try to sell as cheap as possible to compete with Xiaomi and other Chinese Brands. The Xiaomi Mi4 launched at 1999 Yuan (RM1099), and the One Plus One is targeted at the same price level. The IUNU U3 is going to sell also at 300USD and they are rumours that Meizu will start lowering prices too!

Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro Pricing

Competition is always good for the customers and so customer have seen higher specs for less money. In these times Lenovo decided to increase the Pricing for their newest flagship! Honestly Lenovo has been one of our favorite brands in malaysia. Big part of that was reasonable pricing for High Specs and Quality!

Recently though most of their Flagships like the Vibe Z or Vibe X has been dominated by Xiaomi and Huawei, simply because of better pricing and marketing. Now it seems they really did not learn anything with the launch of the Vibe Z2 Pro !

The Lenovo K920, or Vibe Z2 Pro has an official price tag of 4799 Yuan, thats RM2460. That is Iphone 6 Price Level! Considering that the just launched IUNI U3 offers the nearly the same specs for less then half the money. With this price of the Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro you can easily get the Oppo Find 7 and still have some money back !

Lenovo seems to trust their high pricing strategy for the Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro with 6inch, LTE and 2K Screen for RM2460.

What is your opinion? Is this high price justified for the Vibe Z2 Pro?

IUNI U3 launches with 2K QHD Screen, LTE and Dual SIM

IUNI has shocked us all with their launch of the IUNI U3. The IUNI U3 phone will sell for RM1100 (1999 Yuan) and sports a 2K QHD Screen!

WIth this pricing the IUNI U3 is targeted directly at Xiaomi MI4 and One Plus One which officially sell for 1999 Yuan in China as well.

IUNI launched their first phone ever this year, the IUNI U2 at the same time as the Oppo Find 7. In less then one year, the young company, already launches their second smartphone, the IUNI U3 and what a Bomb that phone is!

The IUNI U3 phone has been teased before via their official IUNI SNS services. So far we knew only that we will see a 2K QHD screen, like on the LG G3. We did not know about the processor and other specs on the IUNI U3.

The smartphone got now offcially unveiled in Bejing, and we know all the specs about the Snapdragon 801 IUNI U3 phone. The IUNI U3 sports a 5.5 inch display with an amazing resolution of 2K and pixel density of 538 ppi. That even beats the ppi of the LG G3. The screen is also saved by Corning Gorilla Glas for protection. IUNI has also invested in design, that means the bezels on the IUNI U3 phone are incredibly slim. The IUNI U3 measures only 74.9 mm.

While the predecessor was sporting an all metal body, the IUNI U3 will get a plastic body, which should have a higher durability. And since magnesium alloy seems to be new trend in China this year, the chassis remains metal from Magnesium alloy.

The IUNI U3 also sports the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 at 2.3 Ghz, 3GB of Ram and 32GB of internal Memory. The Memory is extendable via Micro Sim. Also the new IUNI phone comes with 4G LTE.

The IUNI U3 also gets dual SIM LTE on standby, a very large 3000 mAH battery and 4 megapixel Selfie Cam. The Main Camera utilizes a 13 Megapixel with F2.0 aperture and OIS optical image stabilisation.

The IUNU U3 is running on IUNI ROm which utilizes Android KitKat 4.0. IUNI says that the OS is in English by now, so it can be sold internationally.

The IUNI U3 is a very interesting alternative to the Xiaomi Mi4 and One PLus One. It has officially the same pricing at 1999 Yuan in China. For this price it has an incredible 2K screen and the other specs dont need to hide as well. We hope that it comes to Malaysia fast and not too expensive.

What do you think of the IUNI U3? Could this be the real Flagship Killer 2014? How will it compete against the likes of Xiaomi Mi4 and One plus One?

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Review: Hands On

We had the opportunity to test the Xiaomi Redmi 1S the last two weeks. In this review we will provide you an in depth review of the Xiaomi Redmi 1S thats is selling for just RM419 at the moment.

Xiaomi has been launching a lot of quality devices by now. The first smartphone that Xiaomi launched 2011 was the MI One. Since then they have built themselves a name for extremely affordable smartphones. Their Premium Line with the Mi3 and Xiaomi Mi4 is even known as “Flagship Killer”. After Xiaomi launched the Mi One, they saw the tremendous potential and market need for affordable smartphones with high specs and good prices. They launched the Xiaomi Hongmi (Red Rice) in China first with a Mediatek Chipset, and sold it later in international markets under the name Redmi.

The Xiaomi Hongmi sold like hot cakes in China you could say. A smartphone with high quality and quad core processor for 130 USD was a novelty at that time – and it Xiaomi sold it with a Bang. Soon the story of Xiaomi and the Xiaomi Redmi phone spread around to other countries and a lot of buyers paid more then double the price to get one of these hot phones.

In 2014 Xiaomi decided to upgrade the very famous Redmi. The biggest change was to change the cheaper Mediatek processor MT6589T for a faster QuadCore Snapdragon 400. The Xiaomi Redmi 1S launched officially in Malaysia in June 2014.

So much for the history of the Xiaomi Redmi 1S. We were able to use the Xiaomi Redmi 1S for two weeks as primary smartphone, switched from the Xiaomi Mi3 and here is our full review.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Unboxing

The Xiaomi Redmi 1S comes with the typical package you might know from other Xiaomi devices. Next to the Redmi phone itself we got the USB Cable, a 5V charger and some descriptions, that are completely in chinese though.

We also got some flip covers, and rear covers for the Redmi, which seem to fit well. Normally I like to use my MI3 without a Cover, since the design is nice enough already. The Flip Cover for the Redmi 1S fit very nicely though and make it better protected as well.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Design

The Redmi 1S reminds very much of other Xiaomi phones in terms of design. If you have ever used any other Xiaomi smartphone, like the Xiaomi Redmi Note or Hongmi, you will know the feel and design of the Redmi 1S. The phone comes with the typical, efficient Xiaomi Design. The Design is really not bad and definitely does not feel cheap. We are glad Xiaomi does not try to save money on design, with a smartphone as cheap as the Redmi 1S.

Overall the design of the Redmi 1S is definitely more on the side of average and efficient then stylish. You definitely cannot compare it to the likes of HTC ONE, but rather to designs like the MOTO G, which are not bad at all. The Redmi 1S is completely the same in design and dimensions to the original Xiaomi Hongmi.

The Redmi 1S has quite broad bezels and the capacative button on the device are in red color, which might not be everyones taste. Also the buttons do not like for use in darkness. The Redmi 1S is really designed to be efficient and effective, no extras attached to keep the price low.

It takes some effort to get the rear of the Redmi 1S off. I like that fact, since you dont change the Battery or Sim to often. That gives the phone a more sturdy and qualitative feel.

The Phone even fell down one day from our table and it had neither scratches nor did the rear come off. The battery stayed also where it should be, therefore its actually a good feature that the rear is a bit harder to remove.

Overall Redmi 1S feels good and qualitative. Like most smartphones from China these days, you cant tell its under 200USD by the look of it. While the Redmi 1S will not win a Price for Design, the plastic is of good quality and there is even a metal around the screen to protect the xiaomi phone from falls and drops.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Display

The Redmi 1S is equipped with a 4.7 inch display at a 720p HD resolution. Thanks to the HD resolution it comes with a higher pixel density of 312 ppi. Especially to competitors like the MOTO E and Asus Zenfone 4, that is better, they come with 256 and 217 ppi.

Today you get IPS/AMOLED/2K displays and to be honest the Redmi 1S lacks a bit behind when it comes to display. The Redmi 1S has a clear noticable gap between digitizer and display panel. That means especially from some viewing angles you might have less then stellar viewing experience on the Redmi 1S.

This being said, if you look directly at the Redmi Screen, you should not notice the Gap. Apart from this, the 4.7 inch screen with 720p resolution is actually very good. Text is easy to read and there the 312 ppi give a very clear picture without pixelation. Also for a budget smartphone a 720 HD resolution is way enough. With less resolution the redmi 1s would not be competitive and with FULL HD not as cheap.

The color reproduction on the Redmi 1S is also very good and looks natural. The colors look very realistic and accurate. Even compared to more expensive xiaomi phones like the Xiaomi MI2S the colors look more realistic and awesome.
Colour reproduction wise, the display is very natural and very very accurate. Comparing it to the more expensive Xiaomi Mi2S, I found that the colours looked more realistic and close to the real thing. This could also be a result of the lesser tightly packed pixels on the Redmi 1S; regardless, it looked good.

There is also no lighting leaks on the screen as on some other chinese smartphones. It seems that the redmi 1S display is definitely of good quality.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S RAM And Internal Memory

The Xiaomi Redmi 1S comes with 8GB of internal memory and 1GB of RAM. The 1GB of Ram is really the minimum these days even for entry smartphones. While most competitors at the same price level like MOTO E have also only 1GB of RAM, for a bit more of money customers can buy the Honor 3C for example with 2GB.

The Redmi 1S still stays interesting as a mix between entry smartphone and midrange, with the very good Camera and Qualcomm processor and also the MIUI OS.

From the 8GB of Ram on the Redmi 1S, the OS MIUI is taking up nearly 2GB. That means that you are left with 6GB, which is certainly not enough for most users. The device is extendable though via Micro SD and at this price we would recommend just directly to buy a MICRO SD card with 32GB to extend the internal memory.

The 1GB of RAM on the Redmi 1S is the real issue. Depending on what kind of user you are, this is very critical. If you plan to buy the Redmi 1S as your only smartphone, we recommend you to look better at budget alternatives with 2GB of RAM. If you want to 1) Have the Redmi 1S as a second phone or 2) just use text, whatapp and a few emails, the 1GB of Ram should not be a problem.

Since I am using the Xiaomi MI3 with 2GB Ram as my main device, the change to the Redmi 1S was quite tough in the last two weeks. The Xiaomi Redmi 1S does experince some lag on apps, and Chrome windows needs to get cached most of the time.

Fresh booted the Redmi 1S comes with only 340 MB of free RAM. Because RAM is the most important aspect on a smartphone for smooth user experience, you know how much to expect for multitasking from the Redmi 1S.

Overall this does mot mean, that the Redmi 1S is bad, especially for the price of RM419 in Malaysia, the phone is a good deal. Compared to other budget smartphones like MOTO E or Zenfone 4 the Redmi 1S does not need to hide. It can even compare to the Samsung Galaxy S3 and is even better in some areas, while the S3 is much more expensive.

MIUI V5 OS on Redmi 1S

One of Xiaomi’s strongest points has always been MIUI OS. MIUI is XIaomi’s own version of an Android OS. In times when a lot of OS are either basically unchanged or totally stuffed with features MIUI is a welcome change. Xiaomi MIUI is a completely customizable and comes with a lot of useful features and functionalities. While a lot of features, especially in MIUI V6, are still very China focused, international users will get a lot from MIUI.

Apple’s IOS has been clearly an inspiration for MIUI. That gets very clear in MIUI V6, where the comparison between iOS7 and MIUI is very clear. Still the customization options for users are far greater in Xiaomi’s MIUI.

Overall MIUI gives users a very smooth and great experience. You really have the feeling that Software and Xiaomi Hardware have been optimized together with MIUI. This is true also on the Redmi 1S, although the experience is sometimes not 100% smooth because of the 1GB of RAM.

Other then these moments, the OS runs extremely smooth. Users get a ton of themes for free with MIUI and can change lockscreen style, homescreen background etc all very easy and fast.

Next to a lot of other features with MIUI you can turn the redmi 1S on with an alarm. That means you can turn the redmi off in the night and the phone wakes up with the alarm in the morning. That safes your sleep and battery energy. This is only one of many features of MIUI. Check our report off all spects and facts about MIUI V6.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Performance and Benchmarks

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Specs

• Display: 4.7-inch 1280 x 720p display
• Processor: 1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 SoC
• RAM: 1GB RAM
• Internal Memory: 8GB ROM + microSD expansion
• Rear Cam: 8 mega-pixel f/2.2 BSI enabled main camera
• Front Cam: 1.6 mega-pixel front camera
• Battery: 2000mAh battery
• OS: Android 4.3 overlaid with MIUI V5
• Dimensions: 137 x 69 x 9.9 mm

Benchmarks are surely not everything for the typical user these days. We still tested the Xiaomi Redmi 1S on some powerful Benchmarks like Antutu.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Antutu

• Vellamo Metal: 316
• Vellamo HTML5: 1467
• AnTuTu: 21379
• Quadrant standard: 8318

Camera on the Xiaomi Redmi 1S

I was very positively surprised by the Redmi 1S Camera. There was no noticeable shutter lag and the camera give you a very good dynamic range. As well the Back Illuminated sensor (BSI) on the Redmi 1S actually works. The Camera on the Redmi did actually manage to impress me in those two weeks. But take a look for your self at those picture samples.

Compared to other phones like the Xiaomi MI2S the camera of the Redmi 1S performs much better, especially in darkness. I actually even prefer it to pictures in broad daylight. Naturally the 8MP Camera cant compare to the 13MP of Xiaomi MI3. If you dont have to crop into the pictures to see the tiniest detail, the Redmi 1S takes very good pictures for you.

On the last party I even showed the Redmi 1S around to my friends and guess what. Even friends with iPhones wanted pictures taken by my Redmi 1S. If even iPhone users admit that the camera on this sub RM500 Xiaomi Phone is good, that must mean something.

Overall the camera on the Redmi 1S is very good, and definitely better then what this price level promises. Even Video Shot conditions are of good quality, I tested it in darker conditions as well and was happy. Compared to the direct competition like MOTO G and MOTO E, the camera on the Redmi 1S easily blows them away. With the camera on the Xiaomi Redmi 1S we can actually tell, that Xiaomi cares about the quality on their phones. Most manufacturers only promote the processors on their budget smartphones and sport bad camera on them. The Camera on the Redmi 1S can easily compete with Mid Range Segment Phones.

Battery Life on Redmi 1S

For me battery life is one of the most important factors on a smartphone. The Redmi 1S packs an 2000 mAH battery. After using the Redmi 1S for two weeks, I am impressed with the battery life. Xiaomi seems to have powered the redmi 1S with a good power management system on MIUI.

We got the Redmi 1S brand new. The first few times of charging got us 3 to 3.5 hours of Screen time. Later Charging cycles got me up to 5 hours of screen time, which is totally okey for an 4.7 inch powered by a 2000 mAH battery.

On an avergage day I use whatsapp (2hours), Chrome (1-2hours), gmail, facebook messenger (1 hour) and some camera shots and music etc. With this usage the Redmi 1S battery easily gets 24 hours usage. Based on this you should be able to estimate the battery power for your personal usage.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Connections.

The Redmi 1S comes with the standard set of connections with Bluetooth, GPS and WIFI (GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz, WCDMA: 900/2100MHz). GPS is strong enough on the device, and outdoors its locked in 10seconds which is okey. The Redmi 1S comes without LTE.

One very important feature that is lacking on many FlagShip Smartphones is still given on the redmi 1s. The Redmi 1S accepts Dual SIM cards. I tested Dual Sim and WIFI and had no problems with both.

One little critic point is WIFI Connectivity when using our office network with the redmi phone. On spots where I normally have at least 50% connectivity with my Mi3, I get around 20-30% with the Redmi 1S. This might be a channel problem though and needs to be investigated further.

Redmi 1S Review Summary

TOP

QualComm Snapdragon 400
Camera
Impressive Price at RM419

Medium

Screen
Battery Life Time
RAM

FLOP

Very Broad Bezels
Capacitive Buttons Non Backlit
The Bad

The Xiaomi Redmi 1S offers very good value for the price of RM419 in Malaysia. The strongest points are definitely the camera and MIUI OS. At this price level you should not expect too much from the design, its quite functional and efficient though.If you have a bit more money to spend you might think about getting a phone with 2GB of Ram though like the Huawei Honor 3C.
For this Price Level of RM419 the Xiaomi Redmi 1S definitely beats the competition of MOTO E/G and Zenfone 4 and is a good Deal.

Huawei Honor 3C Play Version for RM305

Huawei Honor 3C is still one of the hottest budget smartphones in Malaysia. If you dont agree – Huawei just launched the Honor 3C Play.

The Huawei Honor 3C Play is priced at just 599 CNY, or 305 RM. Thats a very impressive price level. The Huawei Honor 3C Play, Pr Honor 3C Play Edition is basically a speced down version of the Honor 3C.

The biggest difference in Specs of the Huawei HOnor 3C play is 1GB of Ram instead of 2GB Ram on the original 3C. Also it comes with only 4GB of internal memory instead of 8GB on the HOnor 3C. The Honor 3C PLay is nearly 200RM cheaper though and sells at only RM305.

Huawei Honor 3C Play Specs

• Official Price in China CNY599 (RM305)
• Display: 5″ display panel with HD resolution of 1280×720 (294 ppi)
• MediaTek MTK6582 Cortex A7 quad core 1.3GHz processor
• 1 GB RAM
• Primary camera: Sony 8MP BSI Sensor with f/2.0 aperture and 28mm wide-angle lens
• Secondary camera: 5MP sensor with a wide-angle 22mm lens
• 4 GB flash
• 2 x micro SIM (1 x 3G WCDMA, 1 x GSM)
• Android 4.2 with Huawei’s Emotion UI – Can be updated to Android Kit Kat
• 2,300 mAh battery
• Dimensions: 139 x 70 x 9 (6 from the edges) mm
• Weight: 138 g (with battery)

At just RM300 or 97 USD the Huawei Honor 3C Play is definitely a great option for a budget Android Smartphone or if you are just starting out with Android. For sure there are some other options at this price range, like the MOTO E for RM369. Not many alternative budget smartphones can compare to Honor 3C Play’s very good specs and the reliability and quality of Huawei.

Recommended: Xiaomi Redmi 1S vs MOTO G Review

One very direct competitor is the Xiaomi Redmi 1S. The Xiaomi Redmi 1S is still very hard to get though in Malaysia, only via the Flash Sales. Some other competitors are like mentioned the Asus Zenfone 5 and Motorola E369 with similiar specs and pricing.

The HONOR 3C Play will be sold in CHina very soon for CNY599 ( RM305 or USD 97). There is already a international reseller listing it, but so far out of stock. We know for sure that the Honor 3C play will launch in popular Asian Markets soon, hopefully in Malaysia as well.

Which smartphone do you like the most between Asus Zenfone 5, Xiaomi Redmi 1S and Honor 3C Play ?

Meizu MX4 Antutu Score of 52,811 Points

The new Meizu MX4 achieved to get 52000 points on Antutu – that is soo impressive!

Lets be honest, Benchmarks are not everything for the user. Most of the current smartphones rank well over 30000 points. Powerhouses like the Xiaomi Mi4 and One Plus One can even rank more then 40000 points on Antutu. Small differences in ranking are normally less significant, because all the Flagship smartphones perform the newest apps and tasks without problem.

Still with a 52000 Meizu MX4 Antutu Score – and a new benchmark record its hard to not too be impressed!

For our information the leaked Meizu Mx4 Antutu Score of 52,811 points is definitely the highest benchmark on any chinese smartphone. It might very well be the highest benchmark up to date globally on Antutu v5.0.

Accordig to the leak sources this version of the Meizu MX4 was running on the newest Mediatek MT6595 processor. This would automatically mean that the MEIZU MX4 comes with LTE, since the MT6595 is a big.LITTLE chip with LTE built onboard.

In September 2 Meizu will launch several versions of the Meizu MX4. This score of 52,811 points is the mid range unit. It will come with 2.2 ghz processor speed, 3GB of RAM, 1920 x 1152 resolution display and a breathtaking 20.7 MP Sony Camera. On the Screenshot we can also see that it will run Meizu’s newest OS Flyme 4.0, because of the white bar.

As we wrote earlier the top notch version of the Meizu MX4 PRO, will come with the latest Samsung Exynos 5 Octa CPU and a 2K display with higher pixel density then even the LG G3.

All of this targeted at the price level of Xiaomi Mi4 and One PLus One of 320 USD.  With this Meizu MX4 Antutu Score we are more excited then ever to see the Meizu MX4 launch on 4th September.