Xiaomi Mi 3: A first look

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Last week during the Xiaomi Mi 3 launch, we managed to get a brief hands-on time with the device. The first wave of order of 5,000 units was sold out in just 17 minutes, but Xiaomi is preparing another 6,000 for sale this May 27th at 12pm.

Here are the some of the specifications of the Mi 3 you should know about:

Dimensions and weight: 144 x 73.6 x 8.1 mm, 145 grams
Color: Metallic Gray
Chipset (WCDMA):
- CPU: Quad-core 2.3GHz Krait 400
- SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 8274AB
- GPU: Adreno 330
Camera (back): 13MP, f/2.2, wide-angle 28mm, dual-LED flash, stacked CMOS, 1080p video
Camera (front): 2MP, 1080p video
Connectivity
- Cellular and wireless: 3G (WCDMA) and 2G (GSM) networks
- Frequencies: 2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz; 3G WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
- Data services: GPRS/EDGE/DC-HSPA+ (42Mbps)
- GPS: GPS + GLONASS, A-GPS
- Bluetooth: Version 4.0, Bluetooth HID
- Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi Display, Wi-Fi Direct, 5GHz dual-band
SIM type: Mini-SIM, supports micro- and nano-SIMs via an adapter
Battery capacity: 3050mAh Lithium-Ion battery
Multimedia: NFC and haptic feedback support
Memory:
- RAM: 2GB RAM
- Flash: 16GB ROM
- microSD: Nope
Display: 5-inch, 1920 x 1080, IPS LCD, 441PPI
Audio software: Dirac HD sound
Sensors: Gyroscope, ambient light sensor, accelerometer, proximity sensor, magnetometer, barometer
Operating system: Android 4.2 with MIUI version 5

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The Mi 3 is exactly like how it looks in photos. At 8.1mm, it feels very thin and you won’t feel like holding a 5-inch display smartphone in your hands. The anodized aluminum casing gives it a very premium feel, and makes you wonder how is Xiaomi able to cram a 3050mAh battery inside. Unfortunately for now, only the Metallic Gray color is available, and Xiaomi also went the extra mile to include multiple SIM trays for mini- and micro-SIMs.

Perhaps the most interesting bit of any Xiaomi phone is its MIUI skin, which runs on top of Android. Mi 3 ships with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, but currently there is already a 4.4 KitKat update in the beta channel. The beta channel is as easy as a toggle switch away, but of course the new ROM needs to be clean-installed over the existing build, so backup is a must.

During the launch, Vice President of Xiaomi Global, Hugo Barra, confirmed that developer builds won’t have Google Play Services packaged, so we might have to hold out for the stable release. The stable MIUI that’s based on Android 4.4 KitKat is scheduled to be ready in one and a half months, so we might be getting it by the end of June 2014.

Click to view slideshow. Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

It’s safe to say that MIUI is a fork of Android because of its stark difference from the plain vanilla Android. Xiaomi claims it to be a ‘Live OS’ with intuitive features like long-press the Menu key for the recent apps view, where you can swipe down an app to lock its process from being killed. You can also press-and-hold and app icon with one finger, and use the other to swipe between home screens easily.

Ironically, MIUI’s features also made it unintuitive to operate for us long-time Android users. We all know that a two-finger swipe-down from the top will open up quick setting toggles, but you can’t on MIUI, because the toggles are already on the second tab of the pull-down shade. The 4.4 KitKat build that was on display during the launch event also has a bug where it can’t detect USB OTG devices.

Finally, if you’re wondering how the photos taken from Mi 3’s main camera will look like, here are two sets; the first was taken by me using one of the devices on display, and the second is probably from Hugo Barra’s phone itself (on HDR mode):