Top 10 Xiaomi smartphones in India

Xiaomi is a Chinese technology giant that is renowned for making Apple-like gadgets. After overtaking Samsung in terms of smartphone market share in China, Xiaomi has shifted its gaze towards Indian shores in a big way. One of its high-end products, Xiaomi Mi3, is witnessing huge demand for its flash sales on Flipkart.

Available numbers show that the company has sold more than 70,000 units in India since July 22, 2014. While the first batch took 40 minutes to vanish from the shelves, the second batch took five seconds and third not just over two seconds.

That's lightning fast. One of the main reasons for this euphoria about Mi3 or any other Xiaomi smartphone is the value they provide to their customers.

Xiaomi Mi3 provides high-end specs and features but at half the price of its peers such as Sony Xperia Z, Samsung Galaxy S4 and Nexus 5.

Now, that Xiaomi has almost become a household name in India, it is time to explore the top 10 Xiaomi smartphones that have either hit or are expected to hit the Indian shelves soon.

1. Xiaomi Mi3

Xiaomi Mi3

This handset from the Chinese manufacturer has already become a rage in India. It comes with a mid-range price but has high-end specs. It is perhaps one of the best performing handset, feel industry experts, to have come to dominate the mid-range market.

Xiaomi Mi3 comes with solid build, decent design, good battery life, average camera performance, strong hardware and average display.

The external microSD slot is conspicuously missing and the device heats-up quickly, which is a disadvantage.

Xiaomi Mi3 comes with IPS full HD display of 5-inch having pixel density of 441ppi.

Users will be marvelled by the sleek design, considerably strong CPU (2.3GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor), 2GB RAM and Adreno 330 GPU.

MIUI user interface can be found on the device, which is more or less likable. This handset runs on the latest Android 4.4 (KitKat) operating system.

The 13MP rear primary and 2MP front-faced secondary cameras gives decent performance. The inbuilt storage capacity of Xiaomi Mi3 is 16GB.

The handset can be purchased online for Rs 13,999.

2. Xiaomi Mi4

Xiaomi Mi4

This steel-clad flagship handset is now in the process of certifications and is expected to debut in India during 2014-end. This upcoming smartphone has full HD 5-inch display screen, 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution and pixel density of 441ppi.

Mi4 runs on the latest v4.4 Android (KitKat) operating system and comes with MIUI user interface. The best part of this phone is the strong hardware configuration.

It comes with quad-core processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 series) clocked at a speed of 2.5GHz, RAM of 3GB and Adreno 330 GPU. Therefore, playing games and using heavy apps will be a treat here.

The camera options are simply great.

While the rear primary camera has 13MP sensor, the front faced secondary camera has 8MP sensor. Users will get realistic, vibrant and ultra sharp images/videos. Selfie lovers will love the secondary camera.

Connectivity and network features available in Xiaomi Mi4 include v4.0 Bluetooth, 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi (802.11 ac; dual-band: 2.4/5.0 GHz), microUSB and GPS. There will be two versions available on the basis of internal storage capacity -- 16GB and 32GB. While the 16GB model is expected to be priced at $322 (Rs 19,400), the 32GB version will be priced at $400 (Rs 24,300).

3. Xiaomi Redmi 1S

Xiaomi Redmi 1S

The Chinese tech phenomenon has launched Redmi 1S, a budget phone that is available in India at a price of Rs 5,999. The Xiaomi Redmi 1S is a dual-SIM smartphone having 2G and 3G network support.

Redmi 1S runs on v4.3 Android (Jelly Bean) operating system and has custom MIUI.

This handset comes with HD IPS LCD display screen of 4.7-inch having 1280 x 720 pixels resolution and 312ppi of pixel density.

Redmi 1S is powered by a quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 series) CPU clocked at a speed of 1.6GHz with adequate support from 1GB RAM and Adreno 305 GPU. This budget smartphone comes with 8MP primary rear camera and 1.3MP front snapper.

Connectivity options available are v4.0 Bluetooth (with LE, A2DP), GPRS/EDGE, microUSB port, etc. While internal storage capacity is 8GB, the external expandable storage capacity support is available up to 64GB.

4. Xiaomi Redmi Note

Xiaomi Redmi Note

This mid-range smartphone has a 5.5-inch HD IPS LCD display screen having 1280 x 720 pixels resolution and pixel density close to 267ppi. The handset is currently available in five attractive colours -- pink, blue, white, green and black.

It comes with an extremely strong 1.4GHz octa-core CPU. This strong processor is supported by a RAM of 1GB. While the inbuilt storage capacity is 8GB, the external microSD support available here is up to 32GB.

The primary camera has a 13MP sensor and the secondary one at the front has 5MP sensor. Some of the camera features available here are LED flash option, auto-focus, smile detection, geo-tagging, face detection, HD video recording facility, touch to focus and HDR.

Redmi Note runs on a relatively outdated operating system -- v4.2 Android (Jelly Bean) -- and provides multiple connectivity options including 3G, GPRS, Bluetooth, USB port, Wi-Fi and many more.

This handset has tremendous power under the hood and features some great specs, including HD display, sleek design and powerful cameras.

Xiaomi Redmi Note is available in India at a price of Rs 9,999.

5. Xiaomi Hongmi Red Rice

Xiaomi Hongmi Red Rice

Xiaomi Hongmi Red Rice is another offering from the Chinese tech giant, which comes with a 4.7-inch display screen having 720 x 1280 pixels resolution and 312ppi of pixel density with 16M colours.

It is powered by a quad-core processor (MediaTek MT6589T) clocked at a speed of 1.5GHz with proper support from a RAM of 1GB.

The inbuilt storage capacity is 4GB. External memory can be expanded with the help of microSD card of space up to 32GB. It runs on a relatively outdated Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) operating system and comes with proper Java support.

In the connectivity section, users will get regular dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) support with multiple connectivity options, including v4.0 Bluetooth, 3.5 mm headphone, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi support, Wi-Fi Direct and GPS.

The sensors provided in Xiaomi Hongmi Red Rice are Accelerometer, Proximity, Gyroscope and Compass/Magnetometer. It costs $159.99 in the international market, which upon currency conversion costs around Rs 9,500, though the official price may vary, keeping in mind the currency valuation.

6. Xiaomi MI-2

Xiaomi MI-2

This smartphone comes with a display of 4.3-inch size, resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels, pixel density of 342ppi and 16M colours. It is powered by a quad-core processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon S4) clocked at a speed of 1.5GHz with 2GB RAM. This handset comes with an inbuilt storage capacity of 16GB.

MI-2 runs on Android 4.1 operating system. Multiple connectivity options available are v4.0 Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, microUSB, 3.5mm headphone, 3G and 2G Internet connectivity and Wi-Fi Direct.

Dual camera option is available here, where the primary one comes with 8MP sensor and the secondary one holds a 2MP sensor.

Some of the other features include FM Radio, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Barometer, Proximity and Compass/Magnetometer sensors. During launch, it was priced at 1,999 Chinese yuan or US $315 (Rs 19,000).

7. Xiaomi MI-2S

Xiaomi MI-2S

This smartphone comes with a display of 4.3-inch having resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels and pixel density of 342ppi. It runs on Android 4.1 operating system and is powered by a 1.7GHz quad-core (Snapdragon APQ8064T) processor encapsulated with 2GB RAM.

Multiple connectivity options available include the likes of v4 Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, MHL Out, Wi-Fi Direct, microUSB support, 3.5mm headphone, 3G and 2G data network.

On the multimedia front, Xiaomi MI-2S has an 8MP rear snapper with a 2MP front facing camera. The handset also supports a handful of sensors, which include Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Proximity and Compass/ Magnetometer.

While the 16GB version is priced at $269.99 (Rs 16,000 approx), the 32GB version costs $299.99 (Rs 18,000 approx).

8. Xiaomi Mi 1

Xiaomi Mi 1

It runs on Xiaomi's proprietary operating system, which is based on Android 2.3 Gingerbread with MIUI interface. This handset is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor (Qualcomm MSM8260) and has Adreno 220 GPU.

It comes with 4GB ROM, 1GB RAM, and 4-inch ASV TFT capacitive LCD screen, having FWVGA resolution of 854 x 480 pixels.

Both 2G and 3G networks bands are supportable in the device. The connectivity options users will get in the droid are v2.1 Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, HSPA+ and GPRS/EDGE. It is priced at $344.43, which approximately will cost over Rs 20,500 on conversion, though looking at the below-average features, the device might see a sharp fall in the entry-level segment.

9. Xiaomi Mi 1S

Xiaomi Mi 1S

This smartphone is powered by a dual-core processor (Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon) clocked at 1.7GHz. It runs on v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) Android operating system with adequate support from Adreno 220 GPU and RAM of 1GB.

Wide array of connectivity options are available, which include v2.1 Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, 3.5mm headphone, 2G and 3G.

The 4-inch display screen comes with TFT capacitive touchscreen technology and offers a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels with a pixel density of 245ppi and 16M colours.

While primary camera comes with 8MP sensor, the secondary camera has 2MP sensor. The features available in the camera section are image stabilisation, face and smile detection, geo-tagging, HDR and touch focus.

10. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G

Xiaomi has recently launched the 4G-LTE variant of Redmi Note at a price of CNY 999 (Rs 9,900 approximately) in China. It comes with single SIM support, IPS-LCD 5.5-inch display having a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels, MIUI v5 skin and latest 4.4 Android (KitKat) operating system.

This handset is powered by a quad-core processor (Snapdragon 400) clocked at a speed if 1.6GHz.

The primary camera has a whopping 13MP sensor along with auto focus feature, whereas the secondary one comes with 5MP sensor.

In terms of memory, the internal storage capacity is only 8GB, though one can increase the external memory up to 64GB with the help of a microSD card. Multiple connectivity options available are 4G-LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, GPRS/ EDGE, GPS/ A-GPS, microUSB port with OTG, 2G and s3G.