Xiaomi MI-2S - One Attractive Alien

I think I'm smitten for a smartphone from an OEM whose name I often find fleeting both in recollection and spelling. I've never been a fan of Chinese OEMs, but this quirky device brings premium specs at a bargain basement price that makes it an extremely difficult offer to pass up.

The Xiaomi (I'm quite sure I've spelt it correctly) MI-2S was just announced and I've gotta say, this little baby packs a punch when pitted against the current cream of crop that have been gracing the headlines of all our Android news recently. Apparent synthetic benchmark results indicate the 4.3" slugger in some respects outclasses the Galaxy S4 (S-600 1.9GHz) and One, thanks to the Snapdragon 600 processor it shares in common with the two other devices - clocked like the One at 1.7GHz. These results could of course be the due to the comparatively lower, though still highly respectable 720p display the MI-2S features, unlike the more pixel dense 1080p displays of the other two handsets.

Source: gsmarena

This smartphone is intended as a minor update to the MI-2 that was released last August - hence a familiar 'S' branding. But what an upgrade it is. The improvement in speed moving up from the MI-2's S4 Pro 1.5Ghz processor to the next generation Snapdragon 600 improves performance by 40 percent, according to Qualcomm. While this device certainly trumps the model it replaces, it doesn't hold a candle to the rumoured MI-3, which is tipped to pack a 5"+ 1080p display, and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 behemoth.

Regardless of what's anticipated in future, a sensible 4.3" 720p display seems just about right for everyday use, and given the price is expected to start from $320 for a 16GB 8MP model, or $370 (USD) for the higher 32GB 13MP model, this Chinese beauty could very quickly end up being an affordable top-spec device to own, if you're like me and are not too fond of what HTC and Samsung have offered.

Obviously there are a number of trade-offs with the purchase. For one, while it runs Android 4.1 - it does feature a MIUI ROM on top of it. Hopefully like the MI-2, users are afforded the opportunity to choose one  select stock Android or stay with MIUI. Another issue is storage, and while the same goes for the HTC One, the lack of microSD is always a let down. Fortunately for the One though, it comes standard with 32GB, but personally as an owner of a GNex - I've managed relatively well with the limited space and I doubt I'd be flashing nearly as many (if any) ROMs on the MI-2S. One final issue some may find is the placement of the capacitive buttons, which from left to right are Menu, Home and Back buttons. For me, that's my preferred configuration (though I normally have a fourth Recents button on the far right doubling as a Search button on long press), but this isn't to everyone's taste and given they're not on-screen buttons they aren't re-arrangeable unless you slap on your own on-screen buttons via custom ROM.

I've yet to see what prices will be like importing this device to Australia, but if it hits that sweet spot - I may find myself talking endlessly about this device, up until the point of an X-Phone release or the next Nexus. I suspect smartphones this year will be harsh on my bank account. Thank goodness I'm turning 21 soon - bring on the cash (and the responsibility, of course)!