Xiaomi announces Mi Note 3 mid-ranger with dual camera
A while back, there used to be a clear differentiation between flagship and mid-range smartphones. You could tell which one is which in an instant. These days, however, the lines are blurred. The design is more similar but, most importantly, features that were once seen only on high-end devices are trickling down the line, reaching mid-rangers and entry-level options.
The new Mi Note 3 that Xiaomi just announced is a perfect example. Looking at it, it is hard to tell that this is a mid-range smartphone. It features a lovely design, large screen, there's a fingerprint sensor embedded in the home button, it has a dual camera on the back, and it also has some pretty impressive specs too.
The dual camera is the star of the show here. It's comprised of a 12MP shooter for wide-angle photos and videos and a 12MP telephoto camera that is ideal for portraits. The former has an f/1.8 lens, which should make a big difference in low-light performance, while the latter comes with an f/2.6 lens.
There's 2x optical zoom available, optical image stabilization, phase-detection autofocus, and 4K video recording available as well. All of these were unheard of in older mid-range smartphones. On the front, there's a 16MP camera.
The display is a 5.5-inch unit, with a resolution of 1,920 by 1,080. It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor clocked at up to 2.2 GHz, 6GB of RAM and a 3,500mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 3.0.
It also has NFC, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, USB Type-C, stereo speakers, an IR blaster, and supports facial recognition. Storage-wise, we're looking at two options, namely 64GB and 128GB, which is more than what many more expensive devices offer.
The Mi Note 3 measures 152.6 x 73.95 x 7.6 mm and weighs 163g.
The Mi Note 3 costs $384 for the 64GB version. The 128GB model is available for $445 in black and $460 in blue. It will be available soon in China. There is no word regarding international availability.