Here’s a quick review of one of the most exciting devices to hit our labs, the Mi 3, in the form of pictures.

1. Xiaomi Mi 3
Review in pictures

2. A unibody design…
• A unibody design makes the
device sleek and
lightweight, although it
means that the rear is non-
removable
• The fascia is adorned by the
display along with touch-
sensitive keys at the bottom
and sensors, along with the
front snapper above
• The rear panel houses the
main camera unit along with
dual-LED flash and MI
branding

3. … that oozes class all the way around
• Looks similar to Lumia
smartphones with rounded
edges and volume rocker,
power button on the right,
headphone jack and SIM
slot on the top and speaker
grille and micro-USB port on
the bottom
• Available in metallic grey
colour, the device looks
extremely premium
• Rounded edges makes it
very comfortable to hold

4. 5-inches of goodness
• A 5-inch display with full HD resolution reproduces vivid images and
sharp text
• A layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 makes it less susceptible to
scratches
• Being pressure-sensitive allows it to be used by wet hands or even if
you’re wearing gloves

5. Offers a 13-meg camera…
• Sports a 13-megapixel BSI
sensor with f2.2 aperture at
the back
• Dual-LED flash illuminates in
low-light conditions
• A custom camera app with
both simple and advanced
modes
• Loaded with options to shoot
in HDR mode, panoramas,
hand-held twilight, etc.
• Lets you adjust focus mode,
ISO, white balance and more
• There’s also an option of
applying filters, a la Instagram

6. … that’s good, but not the best
• Results in good images with accurate details and colours
• However, the colours get overwhelmed by the brightness
• It’s still the best camera we’ve come across in its price
segment
• For selfies and video calls, there’s a 2MP secondary
snapper

7. Android at the backstage with MIUI
controlling the show
• Comes with the latest
Android 4.4 KitKat
• Xiaomi has customised the
ROM with its MIUI v5
• Unlike other overlays on
Android, which doesn’t add
much value, MIUI offers a
simple-to-use interface to
first time users and
powerful tweaking options
to advanced users
• No separate app drawer so
the apps are available on
the home screen itself. It
also has support for widgets

8. Changes the look and feel of the interface by
just one tap
• Themes allow you to change
the interface by a simple
click
• Offers a multitude of
downloadable themes, and
universally changes the
icons and lockscreen
• Very easy to move apps
from one screen to another
• Custom apps offering
features for which you
otherwise need third-party
apps

9. Little touches can make a big difference
• Unlike the Chinese version, the
Indian model is Google CTS-
certified and hence comes
preloaded with the Play Store
and several apps from El Goog
• In-call menu gives option to
record the conversations and
save notes
• The Messages app has a
private message folder
allowing you to password-
protect selected ones
• Security suite of apps give
modular control to users over
power, cellular data, etc.
• The list goes on and on..

10. Power on steroids
• Loaded with Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset having
four Cortex-A7 cores clocked at 2.3GHz along with Adreno
330 GPU
• Complemented by 2GB of RAM
• Churns out smooth performance without any hiccups
• Although it tends to get hot within few minutes of gaming

11. Ample storage, but non-expandable
• Supplied with 16GB of
eMMC storage
• Users can access
11.95GB for installing
apps or storing any kind
of files
• Can’t be expanded, but
you can plug in your
flash drives thanks to
the support for USB
OTG

12. Battery that doesn’t give up easily
• Powered by a beefy
3,050mAh battery
• Can easily last a day and
a half with moderate
usage
• Played a 720p video in
loop with 50 percent
brightness and volume
for close to 12 hours non-
stop
• Option of squeezing in
more battery life by
changing to economical
mode

13. Specs at a glance
• 5-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 pixels
(441 ppi) with Corning Gorilla
Glass 3
• 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm
Snapdragon 800 processor
• Adreno 330 GPU
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB onboard storage
• 13MP BSI camera with dual-
LED flash, 2MP front camera
• Android 4.4.2 KitKat with MIUI
v5 firmware
• 3,050mAh battery
• 3G, dual-band Wi-Fi ac,
Bluetooth, NFC and GPS

14. -
• Non-expandable
storage
• Available in limited
stocks
Pros and cons
+
• Premium build
quality
• Pressure-sensitive
1080p display
• Decent camera
• Intuitive MIUI with
latest Android build
• Powerful internals
• Long-lasting battery

15. Rs 13,999
Pricing and verdict
“At a superb pricing of Rs
13,999, there’s no device that
comes close to the Mi 3. It
comes equipped with class-
leading specs that not only
blows the competition in its
segment out of the water, but
also gives a tough fight to
devices costing almost thrice its
cost. The Xiaomi Mi 3 is
definitely our recommendation
for anyone wanting to buy a
smartphone in this segment”