Xiaomi’s first Mi Pad has enjoyed considerable success in the past year despite criticism about it being somewhat of a knock off of Apple’s iPad tablet. This year, the Chinese manufacturer seems to be doing the same with its second generation tablet.

The Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 at first look still resembles an iPad Mini, but this year, the company has taken the copying game a step further by employing metal in the tablet’s construction.

The slate also runs on a new chip, ditching the Tegra K1 from last year for a new 14nm Intel Atom X5-Z8500 64-bit processor with 2GB of RAM and up to 64GB of internal storage.

Screen real estate is pegged at 7.9 inches, which has a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. The tablet also sports Wi-Fi ac, a USB Type-C connector, an 8MP+5MP camera combo and a 6190mAh battery.

Surprisingly, Xiaomi has decided to offer the tablet in two operating systems – Android and Windows 10; and in two colors – dark gray and champagne gold. Pricing for the Mi Pad 2 starts at $156 for the 16GB Android-only version while the 64GB variant that can run either Android or Windows 10 will sell for $203.

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It appears Xiaomi is turning a new leaf when it comes to how it design its phones, well, at least in some parts of the design as the company introduces its latest Android phone – the Redmi Note 3 at a special event in China today.

The phone packs some new hardware compared to its predecessors which should make it compete a lot better in the smartphone race. The most noticeable upgrade in the Redmi Note 3 is the body. Gone are the plastic back cover and in with the all-metal build, which makes the phone the first product from the Chinese brand’s lineup to sport a metal skin.

Xiaomi is also putting MediaTek’s latest chipset into the Redmi Note 3 – the Helio X10. The specific chip inside the device has a 2.0GHz octa-core processor which can be complemented with either 2GB or 3GB of RAM. The 2GB version gets 16GB of storage while the 3GB version gets twice that.

There’s a 13MP camera at the back with phase detection autofocus and an LED flash as well as a 4000mAh battery and another first for Xioami – a fingerprint scanner. According to Xiaomi, the sensor is able to scan a finger in 0.3 seconds.

Other notable features of the Redmi Note 3 include dual-SIM functionality and LTE connectivity on both SIM cards. The phone will run on Xiaomi’s MIUI7, which in case some of you don’t know is based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

The phone will be offered initially in China and will cost around $140 for the 2GB version and $172 for the 3GB variant. The handset will be offered in three color options: silver, gold and grey.

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It’s here (USB Type C) whether we like it or not. One of the first devices to sport this new type of connection has just gone official. Xiaomi’s new Mi 4c, which will be available within this week will sport the reversible Type-C connection.

The device will only be available in China and will sport a Snapdragon 808 chip with an Adreno 418 GPU, a 5-inch Full HD display, up to 3GB of RAM and up to 32GB of internal storage. Xiaomi has also added a 13MP camera at the back that supports phase detection autofocus, while a 5MP selfie snapper is placed at the front.

A 3800mAh is installed on the Mi 4c which support Quick Charge 2.0 and can be recharged using a USB Type-C port. The handset also comes with a built-in IR blaster which the company claims can control a number of house appliances.

The Mi 4c runs on the company’s MIUI 6 and comes with a few software enhancements including a new Edge Tap feature that provides consumers with easy access to certain commands.

Again the phone will be available within the week in China for $204 for the 2GB/16GB version while the 3GB/32GB version will retail for $235.

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If the $320 price tag of the Xiaomi Mi 4 isn’t something your budget can afford, then rejoice, for the Chinese manufacturer just announced a more affordable alternative to its flagship smartphone.

The company has just announced a watered down version of the Mi 4 with the Mi 4i. The phone is packing a Snapdragon 615 chip with a 64-bit octa-core processor featuring a Big.Little architecture with a 1.7GHz and 1.1GHz cores. It also comes with 1GB of RAM, an Adreno 405 GPU and 16GB of expandable storage.

The Mi 4i has a similar 5-inch display as the flagship model featuring a One Glass Solution display. The screen has 1080p resolution and adaptive brightness technology called Sunlight display that improves the display’s legibility even outdoors.

In the camera and connectivity departments, the Mi 4i boasts a 13MP f/2.0 sensor at the back with dual-tone LED flash, a 5MP f/1.8 snapper on the front, support for two SIM card slots, 4G connectivity, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth v4.1, and a microUSB 2.0 port that supports host mode.

The handset will also have a 3120mAh battery and will run on a skinned version of Android 5.0 Lollipop. Xiaomi will start shipping the handset by next week for $205 in different colours including white, blue, black, yellow and pink.

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Looking for a smart TV that’s worth less than a flagship smartphone? Xiaomi’s second-generation TV might just what you’re looking for. The new Smart TV offers 4K resolution viewing displayed on a 49-inch screen.

The TV runs on MIUI, an operating system based on Android. The display features technology from Sharp, specifically a Sharp SDP X-Gen panel. Processing power is provided by a 1.45GHz quad-core processor, which is complimented by a Mali-450 GPU, 1.5GB DDR3 RAM and 8GB of on-board storage.

Xiaomi has installed different codecs on the TV that allows it to playback an assortment of video formats including H.265, H.264, MPEG4, REAL, FM, FLV, MOV, AVI, MKV, TS and MP4.

The Xiaomi Mi TV 2 will launch by next week for $322 and will be available through the company’s website by March 31.

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Xiaomi’s January 15 is finally over, and as the dust settles, we see the silhouettes of two new phablets that have specs that might make Apple a bit worried.

The new phablets are as large as the iPhone 6 Plus but are packing bigger screens at 5.7 inches. The Mi Note’s display is manufactured by Sharp/JDI and offers a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The phone is sandwiched by two Gorilla Glass 3 panels with the front layer featuring 2.5D glass with a gentle curve around the edges.

The Xiaomi Note will be powered by a Snapdragon 801 chip with a 2.5GHz quad-core processor, an Adreno 330 GPU, 3GB of RAM and either 16GB or 64GB of internal memory. There’s a 13MP Sony IMX214 sensor at the back with an f/2.0 aperture, optical image stabilization and a two-tone flash. The phone also comes with a powerful selfie snapper with a 4MP sensor with 2 micron pixel size.

Energy will be supplied by a 3000mAh battery while the software will run on MIUI 6 – a heavily modified version of Android.

The Pro version of the Mi Note brings most of the phablet’s specs a notch higher. The display is still 5.7 inches but is upgraded to QHD resolution (~515ppi). It also has a more powerful processor – a Snapdragon 810 with an octa-core processor, Adreno 430 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

The Mi Note Pro shares identical components as the base version (13MP+4MP camera combo) and comes with the same 3000mAh battery.

The Xiaomi Mi Note will be available later this month starting at $371 for the 16GB model and goes up to $451 for the 64GB version. Meanwhile, the Pro version will sell for $523 around the same time as the base Mi Note.

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The successor to Xiaomi’s highly successful and very affordable Redmi1s has arrived. The Chinese tech firm has just announced the Redmi 2 that is expected to go on sale next week.

The smartphone is built around a 4.7-inch IPS display with HD resolution from Sharp. Under the hood there’s a Snapdragon 410 chip with a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, an Adreno 306 GPU, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of on-board storage that can be expanded using a microSD card.

Connectivity-wise, the handset packs two SIM card slots, 4G LTE connectivity, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0, A-GPS with GLONASS and a micro USB 2.0 port that supports QuickCharge 1.0. There’s also an 8MP camera (comes with OmniVision, a 28mm wide-angle lens and f/2.2 aperture) and a 2MP/720p front-facing snapper.

Xiaomi will be offering the Redmi 2 for $110 starting in China this Friday, January 9. There’s no word yet which markets will be receiving the handset but we sure hope it reaches a lot of markets.

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