Xiaomi (aka Xiaomi, Xiaomi and Shaomi in different pronunciation variants) was founded in April 2010 and since then it has been supplying gadgets that are excellent in cost and characteristics to the Celestial market and beyond. In May 2017, a scandal broke out in the Russian mobile market related to the ban on the import of Xiaomi smartphones purchased abroad (the official seller, Smart Orange, was greedy). However, the conflict ended in favor of users and now you can buy Xiaomi products without fear that they are “wrapped” at customs.
We present you the best Xiaomi smartphones, which are worthy of competition with eminent European brands.
We also compiled a rating of Chinese smartphones in 2017, optimal in price and quality.
10. Xiaomi Mi Max
How much - 18 950 rubles.
Opens the smartphone rating Xiaomi is not a phablet, but a phablet with a huge 6.44 ″ display. It will become a real find for fans of mobile games, as well as business people who use a smartphone to read e-mail or work with documents and spreadsheets.
You can decide that making calls on such a “shovelophone” is not very convenient, but it is not. Mi Max fits comfortably even in a small hand, thanks to a comfortable, non-slippery case.
The main advantages of the device:
- The 4850 mAh battery, which provides 2-3 days of “life” of the gadget with heavy use.
- Existence of function of fast charging.
- Loud speaker.
- There is an infrared port.
- The nimble Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 six-core chip.
- The presence of a slot for expanding memory for user data (its 16, 32, 64 or 128 GB).
- The presence of a fingerprint scanner.
Minuses:
- Very poor equipment - the manufacturer did not put either a cover, a protective film or headphones.
- There is no NFC chip for making contactless payments.
- The main camera, although claimed to be 16 megapixels and has a flash, takes pictures of medium quality even in the afternoon.
But, despite all the disadvantages, none of the best smartphone manufacturers with the same screen size and price at the same price as the Mi Max have competitors.
9. Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
You can buy for 13 500 rubles.
This is a high-quality assembled and quite weighty (156 grams) due to the strong metal case 5-inch smartphone. It is made on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625 platform and is equipped with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of flash memory (plus a slot for its expansion).
Smartphone Advantages:
- Battery rated at 4100 mAh.
- A 13-megapixel camera, which, unlike the Mi Max camera, allows you to take very beautiful pictures in the light.
- Very fast fingerprint scanner.
- The presence of an infrared port.
- Intuitive and beautiful interface.
Disadvantages:
- No NFC.
- Basking in games.
- In the dark, the quality of the photo is mediocre.
- Wide and dark display bezels.
- As with other Xiaomi smartphones, the equipment is very poor.
8. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
Can be purchased for 16,000 rubles.
On the eighth line in the list of the best Xiaomi smartphones is a device with an all-metal body, offering a very decent functionality for a low price.
What do customers like:
- 5.5 inch display.
- Memory 64 GB + 4 GB, 64 GB + 3 GB or 32 GB + 3 GB.
- You can insert microSD up to 128 GB. However, for her work, you will need to remove one of the SIM cards.
- Good and loud sound.
- There is an infrared port.
- Processor with 10 cores MediaTek Helio X20.
- There is a fingerprint sensor.
- The battery is 4100 mAh, which, according to one user’s opinion, lasts "prohibitively long."
- High-quality 13MP camera equipped with LED flash.
Negative points of use:
- Missing NFC.
- The case is easily scratched, this problem is solved by purchasing a cover.
7. Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro
It is offered for 13 100 rubles.
On the seventh line of the ranking is the predecessor of Redmi Note 4. At one time, many users who purchased it were unhappy when the updated model was released. Meanwhile, the difference between them is small:
- Note 3 Pro is 11 grams and 1 millimeter shorter than Note 4.
- The Note 3 Pro has a six-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 chip from the mid-price category, the updated version has a more powerful one from the pre-top category.
- The displays on both models are the same, 5.5-inch, but the Note 3 Pro's glass is not bent slightly at the edges, like the Note 4, so there is no 2.5D effect.
- The Note 3 Pro's 16MP camera takes great shots, but the Note 4 has a newer Samsung sensor.
- Both models have support for memory cards, and there is a fingerprint sensor.
- The battery in Note 3 is slightly weaker - 4050 mAh.
Therefore, answering the question “which Xiaomi smartphone is better to buy”, Note 3 Pro or Note 4, we will answer this way: if for ourselves - then Note 4. If it is a present for a school graduate, student or colleague, so that it is both stylish and not I’m ashamed to boast - the Note 3 Pro is enough for the eyes.
6. Xiaomi Mi Note 2
The average price is 35,000 rubles.
“Why so expensive?” - the reader may exclaim, accustomed to the fact that Xiaomi smartphones cost between 15-19 thousand rubles. But because:
- Awesome design. The phone is pleasant to the touch, with glass smoothly curved in front and behind, and brushed metal on the sides.
- A bright 5.7-inch OLED screen with rich color reproduction. In the room, the borders of the screen smoothly transition into a glass case.
- There is an NFC.
- There is an infrared port.
- It has a configuration of 4/64 GB or 6/128 GB (RAM and flash memory, respectively).
- Equipped with Qualcomm's top-end quad-core Snapdragon 821 processor.
- A 22 megapixel camera is installed.
- There is a quick charge function.
- A 4070 mAh battery is installed.
- There is a fingerprint scanner, it is built into the "Home" button, which is located under the screen.
Why buying Mi Note 2 can be a disappointment:
- There is no support for Micro SD cards.
- Fingerprints are clearly visible on the device due to the glossy surface.
This smartphone is suitable for those who do not want to overpay for the latest flagships, but want to buy a beautiful and powerful device with a "safety margin" for a couple of years in advance. By design, the Mi Note 2 has very few rivals.
5. Xiaomi Mi Mix
The average cost is 30,000 rubles.
This long-awaited 2017 premium-level novelty combines the advantages of the huge Mi Max display with the power and beauty (as well as high cost) of the Mi Note 2. This is the best frameless smartphone of 2017.
Why you can recommend buying:
- The case is frameless and made entirely of ceramic. This increases its strength and reduces the risk of scratching an expensive device. Moreover, the thickness of the case is small - less than 8 mm.
- The diagonal of the display is 6.4 inches.
- Installed the top quad-core Snapdragon 821 chip.
- The memory capacity of 128 and 256 GB is enough for both games and applications necessary for business.
- The manufacturer was generous with a high-quality protective case. And this is good, because accessories for Mi Mix are not easy to find on sale.
- There is a fingerprint scanner.
- The main camera of 16 megapixels produced by OmniVision makes very good pictures, can shoot in 4K resolution and has many settings.
- There are NFS.
- Very capacious 4400 mAh battery.
Minuses:
- Does not support microSD.
- Fingerprints are visible very well.
- The case is very slippery.
4. Xiaomi Mi 5x
Cost, on average - 19,000 rubles.
This 5.5-inch device with a metal case comes with the latest MUUI 8.5 shell (officially announced version 9, but it has not yet been released) based on Nougat. It has made many improvements, such as the Smart Assistant feature for finding notes, calendar events and other items, an integrated image search and a new file system.
Specifications:
- Efficient Snapdragon 625 octa-core chipset.
- 4 GB DDR4X RAM combined with 64 GB.
- There is support for memory cards up to 128 GB.
- Battery 3080 mAh.
- There is a fingerprint scanner.
- The dual camera is of most interest in the smartphone: the main wide-angle lens with a 12-megapixel sensor, in conjunction with a telescopic lens with a 12-megapixel sensor. Thanks to this, the quality of the images is close to the "DSLRs". An additional plus is the presence of portrait mode.
- For the best sound, Xiaomi equipped its brainchild with a dedicated audio chip and DHS sound tuning algorithm.
It is a pity that despite the high price, the Mi 5x is not equipped with an NFS chip. In addition, the smartphone came out recently, so you have to wait with the firmware.
3. Xiaomi Mi 5
The average price is 16 800 rubles.
The former flagship of Xiaomi, and now the strong middling with an unusual screen diagonal of 5.15 inches and one of the best Qualcomm processors, the quad-core Snapdragon 820. The device case is made of metal and the back cover is glass, which is why a protective case is required to purchase.
Of the useful options, it is worth noting the support of NFC and the presence of a fingerprint sensor.
It is offered in three versions:
- 3 GB of program memory and 32 GB of internal storage
- 3 GB of program memory and 64 GB of internal storage
- 4 GB of memory for programs 128 GB of internal storage. In this model, the back cover can be either glass or ceramic.
A distinctive feature of the device is an excellent 16 megapixel camera with a sensor from Sony, optical stabilization and a dual-tone flash. It conveys details well even in low light, however the initial settings are still better to adjust.
But with the battery, things are not too rosy - only 3000 mAh, fortunately there is support for Quick Charge 3.0. However, the smartphone’s processor is energy efficient, and the screen is not too big. Therefore, the battery lasts for 2 days of active work.
2. Xiaomi Mi 5s
In stores, it costs about 20,000 rubles.
The difference between Mi 5 and Mi 5s is:
- aluminum case in the version of Mi 5s;
- she has a 5.15-inch screen with a 2.5D effect;
- more productive RAM type LPDDR4 with a frequency of up to 1866 MHz;
- Qualcomm's improved Snapdragon 821 processor on Mi 5s;
- not 16, but a 12 megapixel camera with a Sony IMX378 sensor on Mi 5s;
- and a slightly more capacious 3200 mAh battery, again, on the Mi 5s.
Both models do not have a slot for memory cards, and there is an NFS chip.
It is also worth noting that both the Mi 5 and the Mi 5s have a very annoying-looking black bezel around the screen. It is especially noticeable in the device in a white case.
1. Xiaomi Mi 6
You can take for 29 990 rubles.
On the first line of the rating is a 5.15-inch smartphone with a streamlined, smooth body made of glass and metal. There is also a premium version of 128 GB with a metal-ceramic case. But this is not the main "trick" of the gadget. It has the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core chip, created using the 10 nm process technology. Thanks to him, all the latest games will “fly”, and the 3350 mAh battery will last for 2-3 days of active work.
Another nice feature is the presence of as much as 6 GB of RAM and 64 or 128 flash memory. That's just its expansion is not provided.
But such important trifles as NFC and the fingerprint sensor Xiaomi provided.
The main camera of this model is dual, with a 12 megapixel Sony IMX378 sensor. Users praise the quality of night shooting comparable to such recognized camera phones as Huawei P10 and Galaxy S7.
And the smartphone, according to the manufacturer, received moisture protection (and, according to rumors, it lost a 3.5 mm port because of this), so you can safely take it on vacation at sea. However, the standard of moisture protection is not specified and bathing Mi 6 is not recommended.
After the purchase, do not forget to buy a cover, the case of the device is very slippery.
Summing up about Xiaomi smartphones: which is better?
- If you need a top-end smartphone that you can’t change for a couple of years, then pay attention to such models as Mi Mix, Mi 6 and Mi Note 2.
- If the main thing is a great camera, then we recommend Mi 5, Mi 5s or Mi 5x.
- If you want to play games and read books on the big screen and save on buying a tablet, then take a look at Mi Mix or Mi Max.
- For a gift to family, inexpensive models such as Redmi Note 4, Redmi 4 Prime and Redmi Note 3 Pro are suitable.
Have a good choice!