For $310 you can get an unlocked phone with quad-core CPU, 4.3 inch 720p IPS display, 2GB RAM, and 16GB storage running Jelly Bean from Xiaomi, the makers of MIUI

Is the title of this article a mouthful? Rightly so, because the phone being discussed in this article can be described as nothing less than feature-full (yes, this is my failed attempt at a play on words). Last year Xiaomi, dubbed “China’s Apple” by some, brought to market their first Xiaomi Phone. In terms of specs, although it was never considered to the best Android device of its time, the original dual-core Xiaomi Phone duked it out with the top dogs. However, it wasn’t the specs that made Xiaomi Phone interesting. Rather it was (is) Xiaomi’s ability to include top-of-the-line specs in an unlocked phone for a mouthwatering ¥1,999, or about $310. Xiaomi, which is also behind the now-famous MIUI ROM for Android, is now following up last year’s hit with Xiaomi Phone 2, an unlocked quad-core device that costs as the same as its predecessor — roughly $310.

Xiaomi Phone 2 packs a Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 quad-core processor and accompanying GPU, 4.3 inch 720p IPS display built by Sharp, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, 28mm 2 megapixel front camera, 27mm F2.0 8 megapixel back camera, and 2,000mAh battery. If you want a larger battery, you can grab a model with 3,000mAh battery at the cost of a slightly thicker (2mm) phone.

On the software end, Xiaomi Phone 2 runs MIUI on latest Android iteration, Jelly Bean, plus other features such as phone finder, Chinese voice assistant, 5GB cloud storage, and improved security and themes versus previous MIUI builds. (For those that like to install custom ROMs, don’t worry this MIUI version will probably hit other devices very soon.)

The best part? You get all the above for the already-mentioned price tag of ¥1,999/$310 dollars. Of course, like the previous Xiaomi, if you want Xiaomi Phone 2 in anywhere except China you will have to import it. The good news, however, is Xiaomi Phone 2 supports WCDMA 850MHz, 1900MHz, and 2100MHz frequencies meaning it can run 3G on AT&T in the USA and other carriers in other countries that utilize those frequencies, if you do happen to grab a hold of a unit outside China.

It may be Chinese but if the past Xiaomi Phone is any indicator, this is one hell of a phone for one hell of a price. Too bad Xiaomi doesn’t have any distributions outside China. I’m sure importing it will raise costs. Oh well.

[via Engadget]

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