Xiaomi Mi2S

M and I have got to be the two most expensive letters in the world. Together, they cost $3.6 million, and if you’re Chinese, you’ll know who the owner of these letters are.

Directly translated, the word “Xiaomi” means “little rice”, or millet-apparently it has to do with the Buddhist phrase “A single grain of rice of a Buddhist is as great as a mountain.” MI stands for Mobile Internet or Mission Impossible, depending on how you look at it. Oh, and the company’s mascot is this cute little bunny.

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From millet to rice

In 2009, fustrated at the limited functionality of Android, former Kingsoft CEO Lei Jun founded Xiaomi (for non-Chinese speakers, its Shao-mi) to provide software that was easy to use but was still feature-rich. The team behind the skin MIUI (a play on the words Me-You-I) has often been likened to iOS (Jun even goes as far to call the iPhone “the best phone in the world”) and is famous for being updated every week-bugs are fixed and software is optimised thanks to user feedback.

This feedback comes from the users of internet forums, where Xiaomi staff would often lurk, asking for ideas and involving people in the MIUI design and development process (Out of 1000 people, 100 were chosen to participate in the MIUI design and development process-these people were found through forums). MIUI has its own forum, where 10 million users (Xiaomi fanboys, or so-called “Mi Fans”, a pun on the Chinese word for rice noodles) post 100,000 posts everyday and participate in product testing and advertising. This means that Xiaomi saves money on marketing, an advantage which I’ll mention in a minute.

In 2011, overwhelmed by the success of MIUI, Xiaomi launched their first phone. And since then, the phone market has completely changed.

A single grain of rice can tip the sales

In the past, there were only two types of phones in China. You could buy a ludicrously expensive high-end phone, or a terrible, poorly-made underpowered phone made by either a household brand or a no-name manufacturer. Now though, there are dozens of other great choices. And it was Xiaomi who started this trend for high-end, well-made phones at affordable prices.

For those of you who don’t know, Xiaomi’s phone use the same components (eg. processor, screen, etc.) as flagship phones from mainstream manufacturers such as Samsung but are all sold at cost. They’re often hundreds of dollars cheaper than their rivals off-contract, which means that naturally, they’re very popular. (For comparison, a Galaxy S5 costs $650 off-contract, while the high-end Mi3 costs $327)

100,000 units of the Mi3 sold out in 86 seconds, while 8000 Redmis (Xiaomi’s $127 equivalent of the iPhone 5C, basically a lesser version of the higher-end Mi3) sold out in a staggering 0.25 seconds. The Redmi Note, the 5.5 inch version of the Redmi, received 15 million pre-orders-that was all in China. For comparison, 10 million iPhone 5Ses were sold around the world on the opening weekend. Granted, Xiaomi’s number were racked up over 1 and a half months, but this just goes to show how Xiaomi might be getting a bit too good for its own good.

Of rice and bran

As mentioned earlier on, Xiaomi’s popularity has influenced other manufacturers to create cheap and high-quality phones. Others are catching up, which means that Xiaomi is facing stiffer competition than before.

Also, all of Xiaomi’s phones are made to order (Xiaomi will not make more phones than it expects) and are sold online-Xiaomi doesn’t have to spend on delivering phones to shops because of this. The problem with this is that because their phones are so well-received, Xiaomi has trouble keeping with demand. In fact, its still practically impossible to buy a Redmi in Hong Kong (Every time a new batch of phones arrive, the phones are all sold out in a few minutes or so). Note that the Redmi’s 10 months old already-almost a lifetime in terms of phones. If you want to buy a Redmi, you’ll have to keep checking the Xiaomi website. In fact, I know people who stayed up late just so to check when the phone is available.

This sales model has been heavily criticised by many-Xiaomi has been accused of deliberately limiting its inventory in order to create more hype. Although in my opinion, its definitely better than what others are doing.

Xiaomi doesn’t only make phones. It also makes a very pretty 47-inch 3D Smart TV which costs the same as an iPad, an Apple TV-esque set top box and a line of power banks that wouldn’t look odd placed next to an iPhone. All of their phones are sold for 18 months to maximise profits, and Xiaomi sells a ton of accessories for them (including plush toys of its mascot). And because Google has barely any services in China, Xiaomi makes its own version of Google apps and has its own app store (where users can change the look of their home screen from thousands of “themes” such as this animated Angry Birds one). “The future of mobile internet is really about services,” said Jun. This business model is very similar to what Amazon’s doing with the Kindle Fire (all profits are gained off services).

Is the rice ready?

Which brings me on to the subject of this post. Last December, the $320 Xiaomi Mi2S passed the Galaxy S4 as the most popular phone in China, the world’s largest phone market. Its so successful that no-name Chinese companies are making counterfeit Xiaomi products. So how good is the most popular phone in the world’s largest market? Also, Xiaomi’s planning on entering 10 new markets overseas, so is Xiaomi ready for the West?

This is the packaging. Its quite tasteful, in a Muji sort of way. Definitely better than what Samsung’s doing with its faux-wood cardboard.

Xiaomi says that the box made of biodegradable materials and can support the weight of a fully grown man standing on it. Whether or not that’s true remains to be seen (I tried standing on it and the box started flexing-I think the “standable” box only applies to the packaging of the Redmi.)

One thing worth noting is that the Mi2S doesn’t come with earphones to save costs. However, I’m willing to forgive them on this because Xiaomi does make excellent cheap earphones (Review coming soon) and there were no delivery fees.

The predecessor of this phone, the Mi2 was actually sold for $60 less than its raw cost, so Xiaomi was losing money on each unit they sold. Not sure if this problem has been resolved with the Mi2S.

Here’s the phone. The phrase on the middle of the screen translates as “built for enthusiasm”. I like how they labeled the position of the buttons as well.

The battery of the Mi2S is removable and comes separately. Problem with this is that the phone’s back cover has to be removed in order to get it on. This is very difficult, partly due to my fear of the cover snapping in half and the USB port scratching.

These fears were unfounded though. The phone feels very well made and solid, not just for a Chinese phone but for any phone in general. In terms of design, I still prefer the iPhone 5C and the Lumias to this, but the Mi2S is a valiant effort nonetheless. I’ve dropped the phone several times on concrete and there hasn’t been a single scratch. Xiaomi say that all their phones have been tested for durability (the phone has been drop-tested 30 times before being sold)-they’re not lying here.

The problem is that the phone is so well put together that removing the back cover is a pain. Even the man at the store had trouble removing it.

This is what the phone looks like without the back. Its very clean and simplistic.

The screws of the phone are painted orange. Cute.

I also like how the battery is emphasised with its orange colour. Much better treatment than Samsung’s black ones. The specs for the cell are hidden on the other side of the battery-a sign of attention to detail.

Its interesting to note how the back cover conceals the bulge of the camera housing.

The glossy plastic back doesn’t feel tacky or flimsy at all-in fact, it might be better than some phones in this department. An issue I had with the G2 and the S4 was that the plastic backs collected smudges and fingerprints way too easily-the Mi2S doesn’t suffer from this problem.
I think that a Nokia-like matte finish would be better though-the coloured covers (especially the blue and orange ones) would look less-for the lack of a better word-cheap.

Overcooked rice

I used the phone with a clear third-party case (I didn’t have Xiaomi’s official cases with me) though-its OK, but nothing special.

The problem with the case is that the phone can get hot sometimes-with the case on, this problem is amplified. I can actually feel the heat of the phone in my pockets.

Couple this with the fact that the case gets dirty easily, means that I can’t recommend the case.

The Lumia 920-like curves on the side of the phone help diminish the feeling of the phone being thick. This I like.

The buttons are pretty good as well-just enough resistance and travel and are all arranged on the right side of the phone.

The camera lens and flash placement looks very HTC. I can see why Xiaomi needed to add the Xperia Z1-esque metallic ring around the camera housing. I don’t like that-its ostentatious, unnecessary and takes away what was originally an understated design.

The glossy finishes of the Xiaomi logo don’t go in line with the design either. I don’t know why Xiaomi felt the need to add the URL of their website on the back-Apple doesn’t go around putting apple.com on the iPhone.

The logo on the front of the phone is distracting with the way it reflects light. Oneplus, another Chinese phone company, recently indirectly mocked Xiaomi for this.

Unlike most Android phones, the back button is on the right. I think this has to do with how some Asian languages are read from right to left.

I personally don’t like the menu button-a multitasking button would have been so much better. I’m probably just being obsessive though-15 million people are happy with it.

Xiaomi says that the Mi2S has been designed to fit the hands of Asian consumers. Seeing that most phones are becoming bigger and bigger, this might be the only choice if you want a compact phone save for Sony’s Z1 compact and perhaps the upcoming HTC One Mini.

The 4.3 inch screen does a good job of colour production and has plenty of detail. Xiaomi calls this a “Retina display” which I suppose is true-I can’t see the pixels after all. The auto-brightness seems a bit weak though-I had trouble viewing the screen outside.

The vibrator motor is quite weak-not just if this is a universal problem. Battery life’s also OK but nothing special-I can get through a day with it with 10-20% left, but I don’t really use the phone heavily (so with heavier usage, I’ll doubt whether it can last a day).

The camera produces detailed images in good lighting. Colours tend to be over saturated, and highlights can be blown out at times though (I blame this on the hit-or-miss auto white balance). The phone can capture the picture without focusing properly first, so do beware of this. And when you bring the phone indoors (or in places with low light), noise becomes an issue.
Video is much worse, with unusually consistent pastel-toned blotches of colour appearing everywhere regardless of lighting conditions.

Below are some comparisons with the iPhone 5C.

The Mi2S does a good job of noise reduction-colours are smoother, but the 5C’s image has more detail and is a better representation of the actual lighting condition.

The Mi2S recorded unusually dark blues but more detail was preserved in the buildings (the buildings were slightly blown out in the 5C’s image).

Here are some samples from the camera. They are all straight from the phone without any adjustments save for some cropping/rotating.

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This was taken at Logos Hope. The work their volunteers are doing is amazing-if you have a chance, do go visit them.
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More pictures taken with the Mi2S can be found on my Instagram feed.

Remixing rice

A lot of people have called Xiaomi the “Apple of the East”. This is particularly the case in terms of MIUI-it looks like a mix of iOS 6 & 7. Unlike most Android launchers where the list of apps are separated from the homescreen, MIUI arranges all the apps in rounded icons a la iOS and puts them all in a grid.

The problem with this is that because the shape of all Android icons are not consistent, Xiaomi has to resort to putting grey overlays under the icons to make them all the same shape. I appreciate this but the fact is that the icons don’t look very good-stock Android is much more attractive in my opinion.

Another aesthetic issue I have with MIUI is inconsistency in app design. On one hand, you have apps clearly inspired by the recent “flat design” movement such as the calendar app, but then you also have skeumormophic programs such as the notes, clock, compass and the torch app.

I’m surprised how the texture of the plastic in the compass has been imitated.

A difference in philosophies.

Well I suppose the torch app, despite its blatant skeumormophism, is quite useful (you can access it from the lock screen by just long pressing the home button).

Another niggle I have with MIUI design is how the app icons in folders aren’t squared despite being squared in the folder view. Details.

The app icon design also seems to have no consistency at all. You have these very flat-looking Calendar and Security icons, but you also have the skeumormorphic Explorer and Radio icons and those childish phone and messaging icons. In their transformation to rounded-squares, some icons have become blurred, while others just clash with the background (the blue Google Calendar is a good example of this).

Interestingly, when I switched launchers, the icons of the default MIUI apps changed and they look even worse. If you compare them with the icons that come with stock Android, you’ll see what I’m talking about.

MIUI does have a lot of features though. It automatically blocks telemarketer calls without me having to prompt it, while having spam-blocking built in. The security app is very inclusive, letting me see each app’s battery and data usage while scanning for viruses.

A feedback is included in MIUI, reducing user rage.

The phone’s alarm will still sound even when you turn the phone off-every phone should have this feature.

Another thing that’s great about MIUI is that you can still use the phone when its being updated-reboot the phone and you’ll get to use the updated version.

The notification/quick settings panel is also better than what other manufacturers offer. Most notification panels have the quick settings and the notifications on the same screen, which reduces space-Xiaomi’s treatment doesn’t suffer from this problem.

However, the built in keyboard is absolutely terrible though and should be replaced immediately. Its poorly designed, slow to respond and looks like something that would be on a low-end phone a few years ago.


The calendar app looks very similar to the one in iOS 7. The app isn’t as well executed though. There are things which look like buttons but aren’t “pressable” (the “4” button at the bottom is an example of this) while some buttons are hidden and have to be accessed via the menu button. There’s also an inconsistency in fonts.

Despite all of its alterations though, MIUI has not bogged down the phone in anyway. Credit to Xiaomi for keeping the skin light. The phone feels very quick-there’s virtually no lag at all and I’ve never encountered any problems with it save for a few times when VSCO Cam crashed (although I would argue that’s not a problem with the phone but rather with how well the software is optimised).

To sum up MIUI in one word, I would call it utilitarian. Yes, its got lots of features, but I feel like Xiaomi should have just added these features to stock Android rather than completely redesigning the system. Not all the alterations Xiaomi has made to Android feel neccessary-but by forcing themselves to revamp everything, its clear which apps have had more thought put into them and which don’t.

MIUI is still brilliant-but its Android’s features which need to be changed, not its user interface, so in my opinion, a “dialling-down” of the interface will be better for Xiaomi in the long-term.

Same old rice

This is because the state of the phone market has changed. Xiaomi’s not the only one anymore who’s offering great phones at low prices. I’ve asked several Xiaomi owners, and to them, the Nexus series and Motorola’s and Oneplus’s offerings look mighty tempting. If that’s the case with its owners, imagine what it’ll be like with consumers who are phone-shopping. The fact is that being good and cheap isn’t enough-you need to offer something special, something innovative.

The Mi2S is still a great phone-if you hate large phones but still want a good experience at a low price, this was probably your only choice until the Moto G came out. I can wholeheartedly recommend it (sad that you can’t buy it anymore though), but I can’t say the same thing for future generations of Mi.

I’m looking at the Mi3 right now, and it looks very awkward to use considering those sharp edges. Look at what Motorola, Oneplus, and even maybe HTC are doing and Xiaomi just pales in comparison.

I’m going to compare Xiaomi to a fridge that’s very good and has great value for money, but when the time comes to replace it, I’m not sure if I’m still going to choose the same brand. Xiaomi’s phones are very capable, but they’re just a bit forgettable. The Moto X, from a user experience point of view, is a much more emotional, “likeable” and memorable phone. MIUI is good, but stock Android (or something close to it like Motorola or Oneplus’s skin) is better, and if Xiaomi keeps doing what its doing right now, there’ll be nothing to differentiate itself, especially now that competitors are offering phones of a similar caliber at lower prices. To stand out, you need to be memorable, and Xiaomi sadly isn’t there yet.