Part 01 : Introduction
Greetings, this is our Comparison Review between the Tegra 4 based Xiaomi Mi3 and Mi2S. If you haven't read our
Xiaomi Mi3 Review yet, here is the link.
Otherwise, let's proceed to this comparison review. Xiaomi managed to get very popular this year through the Mi2 series offering top end devices at affordable prices.
For the upcoming year, Xiaomi is eager to repeat its success, so does the Mi3 represent the return of the King ?
Part 02 : Design
Let's start right away with the design because it is just there and staring at you. The Mi3 radically changes from the Mi2S, the Chinese firm upgraded the global design from the looks to the build construction. It is now thinner with a metal unibody.
Everything is not perfect though, the Mi3 is prone to fingerprints and it is a big 5 inch smartphone (144 x 73.6 x 8.1 mm (5.67 x 2.90 x 0.32 in)) whereas the Mi2S is a small 4.3 inch phone (126 x 62 x 10.2 mm (4.96 x 2.44 x 0.40 in)). On the other hand, the Mi3 is very light, it weighs as much as the Mi2S, only 145g (5.11 oz). What you can't see from the video or the specs sheet, it is the very well balanced weight of the Mi3. It is really well done and it seems that the Mi2S is even heavier than the Mi3.
Through the new design with rounded edges, the top notch build quality, the lightweight but also 8.1mm thickness, the Mi3 is easy to handle despite a bigger bezel.
Like the Mi2S, the Mi3 keeps the LED notification but it is on top now. Other detail that you can't notice from the video, the power and volume buttons are nicer to use. It is more comfortable, easier to feel and easier to press.
However, because of the size of the Mi3, you are going to need two hands while you could easily use only one with the Mi2S.
Part 03 : Display
Obvisouly, if you like bigger displays, you're gonna love the Mi3's one. While the Mi3 display has a better resolution with a better ppi density, it is hard to notice the difference with the naked eye. You are going to need high resolution photos or movies and really focus to notice the extra sharpness.
Both displays are provided by LG and use the IPS technology, so we have nice colors with wide angles vision.
The colors rendering is the main difference. The Mi3 chooses to use warmer colors than the Mi2S. It is obvious when you watch white colors, on the Mi3, it tends to be yellowish while it is bluish on the Mi2S.
Generally speaking, while people tend to prefer cooler colors for white tones, warmer colors are just so much nicer to watch and it is also kinder to the eyes.
For movies, blacks are deeper and just plain better. Overall, you have a better experience on images too, better saturation, better contrast and more natural colors.
Lately Apple also made the same choice using warm colors, and it is paying off since the media are praising it. Speaking of Apple, our next review will be a comparison between the Xiaomi Mi3 and the iPhone 5S.
Brightness wise, the Mi3 is a bit brighter but not that much and the Mi2S can already be used with direct sunlight at the maximum brightness level.
Last but not least, the Mi3 has a better low resolution image processing software when browsing the web. Here is an example, we are on IGN website and on this image, I don't know if you can see it clearly but the difference is obvious, it is much more pleasant to watch this image with the Mi3. The upscaling process is just better than the Mi2S. We don't know if this is specific to the Tegra 4 chip but we are going to review this on the WCDMA Xiaomi Mi3 which is due next month.
Part 04 : Software
A quick word on the software, the Xiaomi Mi3 has Android 4.2.1 packed inside whereas the
Xiaomi Mi2S is still running on Android 4.1.1. But both devices use MIUI V5 on top of Android. It is impossible to tell the difference between the two. I can't say what Android 4.2.1 brings to MIUI.
For the rest, everything remains the same aside from the hardware differences. So the qualities are still there, smooth, very customizable and stable.
