XiaomiM1
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Xiaomi Phone hands-on redux: dual partition system explained (video)
Not long ago Xiaomi, a Beijing-based company with around 250 staff, shocked the industry with the announcement of its conveniently named Xiaomi Phone. We're looking at a well-built device packing a 1.5GHz dual-core SoC, 1GB RAM and 4GB ROM, 4-inch LCD, GPS plus GLONASS, and a generous 1,900mAh battery. Set at an extremely competitive price point of around $310 for October, this has no doubt made other local manufacturers -- Meizu in particular -- think twice about their current strategy. But let's ignore the competitors for now and focus on Xiaomi. Many Android enthusiasts might already recognize this small startup as the star behind the popular MIUI, an Android ROM that offers a vast range of user customization along with the promise of great performance. Alas, we only had a glimpse of this at the Xiaomi Phone launch. Worse yet, it turned out that due to some miscommunication, the prototype unit we handled with actually had a very old firmware, which didn't do justice for the developers. Luckily, we were offered a second chance to take a closer look at a much more up-to-date device. Read on to see what we discovered. %Gallery-131828%
Xiaomi Phone with MIUI OS: a $310 Android with 1.5GHz dual-core SoC and other surprises
Xiaomi Phone is a ¥1,999 ($310) flagship Android phone.
Keepin' it real fake: Xiaomi M1 melds iPhone and Galaxy S II with custom MIUI ROM (update: no, not really)
Granted, what you're looking at is nothing more than a skillful render, but if Apple and Samsung ever made beautiful babies, this is what would be bestowed upon the world -- pesky lawsuits notwithstanding, that is. The KIRF in question is the Xiaomi M1, a smartphone designed specifically for the MIUI custom Gingerbread ROM. It's sporting a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm CPU, along with a four-inch, 854 x 480 Super LCD capacitive touchscreen display, and the usual assortment of Bluetooth, GPS, and WiFi. Users will find quadband GSM among the mix, but 3G support remains a mystery -- likewise for the RAM, internal storage, and battery capacity. Pricing is an unknown quantity too, although earlier reports suggest we'll see something in the range of RMB 1,600 (approximately $250). This potential KIRF'ers paradise is expected to ship between mid-August and early September in a variety of colors, which will be eclipsed only by the sweet smell of its unboxing. Update: As it turns out, the M1 looks nothing like the render we'd seen. Hence, our dreams of this epic KIRF have been dashed, and the purported "real" image of this curious project is now 'splayed for all to see. Didn't get a chance to see the original render? Just follow the break, where you're able to dream of what could have been.
