Chinese Phone Company, Xiaomi releases new phone “Mi Note” to beat iPhone 6plus

The Xiaomi Mi Note is priced at 3299 CNY (~$530) for a 64 bit model, and is the company’s response to Apple’s iPhone 6+. That’s a comparison that Xiaomi positively encouraged at its launch event, where CEO and co-founder Lei Jun made multiple references and comparisons of the two phones.

Jun said he was proud that his company’s new device is lighter, thinner and lighter than the iPhone 6+, but yet it has a larger screen. The Xiaomi CEO also made reference to the obtruding camera of the iPhone 6+, pointing out that — you guessed it — the rear-facing camera on Xiaomi’s new device doesn’t stick out in that way.

The Mi Note itself sports a 5.7-inch screen, with a Snapdragon 810 processor powering it, alongside 4GB RAM and 64GB in memory.

Another notable feature is the device’s glass, which is curved on its edges. That curve isn’t like an LG-style flexible screen nor the eccentric Galaxy Note experiment, instead it gives the phone a more sleek curves and design.

It is just 6.95mm thick and weighs in at 161g. Jun said the company had focused on improving battery life — it actually produces a line of portable chargers, so has the knowledge in-house — and the Mi Note packs a 3,000 mAh battery courtesy of LG.

The Mi Note will be available in China from 27 January. There’s no word yet on when it will be available in Xiaomi’s overseas markets.