Xiaomi finally took the ribbon off the Mi Note 2, a smartphone that looks suspiciously similar to Samsung’s ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 while presumably posing less of a fire risk. But this update to last year’s lauded Mi Note is interesting because it brings, in Xiaomi’s typical fashion, at a lower price, and better specs than the competition.

Mi Note 2 Design:

The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 comes with a stylish dual-curved design on both the front and the back. Furthering the similarities with aforementioned Samsung device, the new Mi Note 2 also has a 5.7-inch OLED, panel, curved on the both sides. Since we’re talking about a true flexible panel here, not just some optical trickery, we’ve to wonder if the panel itself is not actually sourced from Samsung. However the panel resolution is FullHD rather than QHD as the rumors suggested.

With a 77.2 percent screen to body ration, the Mi Note 2 appears quite impressive on renders and there is little to frown at in the rest of the specs too.

Mi Note 2 Features:

The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 821 SoC with a max clock speed of 2.35GHz. It’s working in tandem with up to 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM and as much as 128GB of snappy UFS 2.0 storage. 4GB of RAM and 64GB of the storage is the other available option.

The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is well equipped in term of connectivity department as well. It also offers global LTE support across 6 network types and a total of 37 bands. There’s a high-precision GPS module inside and a fully functional NFC module. The latter enables P2P communication, but also writing, reading and card emulation, which will definitely be handy for many in a modern NFC access control work spaces and homes.

Other features on the Mi Note 2 include a high-quality 24-bit / 192kHZ DAC. And last, but not least, this phablet is powered by a hefty 4070 mAh battery pack, equipped along with Quick Charge 3.0.

Mi Note 2 Camera:

As for the camera, the Chinese OEM has skipped on a trendy dual-camera setup. Instead, it has gone for a 22.56-megapixel Sony IMX318 Exmor sensor along with a f/2.0 lens. The main shooter also has EIS digital stabilization for video capture all the way up to 4K.

It also works through a dedicated 3-axis gyroscope and promises excellent real-time jitter compensation. You also get benefits of a hybrid PDAF and contrast autofocus system, dual-tone LED flash and Xiaomi’s proprietary low-light and long-exposure technologies.

The front side of the Mi Note 2 there’s an 8MP shooter along with a Sony IMX268 sensor. Unlike the most selfie cameras currently on the market, it isn’t a fixed focus module and comes with autofocus. It also has an aperture of f/2.0 and a few additional Xiaomi optimizations, like Beautify 3.0 and improved group selfies.

Mi Note 2 Specification:

Mi Note 2	Specification
Dimensions	156.2 x 77.3 x 7.6 mm (6.15 x 3.04 x 0.30 in)
Weight	166 g (5.86 oz)
Resolution	1080×1920 pixels (~386 ppi pixel density)
OS	Android OS, v6.0
Chipset	Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821
GPU	Adreno 530
WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth	v4.2, A2DP, LE
Sensors	Fingerprint, proximity, accelerometer, gyro, compass, barometer
Colors	Black, Gold, Silver

Mi Note 2 Price:

As already mentioned, the Mi Note 2 will come in a couple of varieties. The top of the line model has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of the storage. It’ll sell for $485 in its home market and $520 for the global version, complete with Google Play Services. If you want to save a few bucks, in the low end there’s a 4GB plus 64GB model $415.