Is the Xiaomi Note top version on sale today worth buying?

At 9:30 am on May 12, the top-end version of Xiaomi Note, priced at 2,999 yuan, was officially on sale. In addition to being available for purchase at Xiaomi's online mall, it is also available offline in limited quantities at Xiaomi stores across the country.

Official regulations limit each person to one Xiaomi store, no reservations are accepted, and the limited quantity is sold out. As a result, last night there was a spectacular scene of "Mi fans" (scalpers?) setting up tents outside Xiaomi stores to queue up to buy.

So, is this Xiaomi high-end flagship phone, which is known as the "King of Android Phones" and has the most powerful performance in history, worth everyone's scrambling to get it?

Appearance - the most beautiful Xiaomi phone

In order to highlight the flagship status of the top-end version of Xiaomi Note, Xiaomi has changed its previous practice of using environmentally friendly kraft paper packaging. The packaging box adopts an all-black design and is inlaid with a glossy metal "mi" logo. Overall, the outer packaging appears to be more stable and high-end.

From the appearance, the biggest difference between the Xiaomi Note top version and the previous Xiaomi Note ordinary version is that it uses a gold frame, which has a more prominent visual effect.

The product labeling information on the back of the phone has also been erased, making the top-end version of Xiaomi Note look more simple and elegant.

Since the iPhone 6 protruded its camera due to technical reasons, in this era of ultra-thin phones, domestic manufacturers have also intentionally or unintentionally made their rear cameras protrude. However, the Xiaomi Note top version does not have a "protruding" phenomenon, but instead uses Sony's 13-megapixel optical image stabilization camera, which is completely "flattened", curing the obsessive-compulsive disorder of Virgo students.

The top-end version of Xiaomi Note is equipped with a 5.7-inch screen, using a new QHD 2K IPS ultra-clear large screen with a resolution of 2560x1440, and the display effect is more delicate and outstanding than the ordinary version of Xiaomi Note. The "pixel-level dynamic contrast adjustment" sunlight screen technology mentioned many times by Lei Jun before can make the screen display effect clearer under strong light.

The card slot of the top-end version of Xiaomi Note supports micro-SIM card and nano -SIM card respectively, and supports dual-SIM dual standby of China Mobile and China Unicom's dual 4G networks. For various reasons, it currently does not support China Telecom cards.

In terms of overall appearance, the Xiaomi Note top version can be regarded as the most beautiful Xiaomi phone at present. Whether it is the smooth feel brought by the hyperbolic glass or the appearance design with sufficient details, it can show its high-end flagship nature. But like all mobile phones above 5 inches, it is still a little inconvenient for some girls with small hands to operate it.

Connotation - the most powerful Xiaomi phone

Different from the intuitive external beauty, the internal changes of the Xiaomi Note top-end version cannot be "seen".

The top-end version of Xiaomi Note uses the third version V2.1 of Qualcomm's most powerful processor chip ever, the Snapdragon 810 processor. The Snapdragon 810's octa-core 64-bit architecture includes four Cortex-A57 and four Cortex-A53. The Cortex-A57 architecture processing core is 1.9 times better than the previous generation Cortex-A15 architecture. Its Adreno 430 graphics processor is 80% more powerful than the previous generation graphics processor and consumes 50% less power. It is also equipped with the largest 4GB LPDDR4 running memory, which is 1.7 times faster than LPDDR3.

The adoption of the Snapdragon 810 processor means that the Xiaomi Note top version has high performance but also has a "hot potato". According to Lei Jun, in the process of optimizing the Xiaomi Note top version, Xiaomi has applied for five thermal conductivity patents to solve the heat dissipation problem of the Snapdragon 810.

After several rounds of running points and playing games, the top-end version of Xiaomi Note still has heating problems, but it "smartly" concentrates the heat in the upper right corner and the bottom of the body, and the temperature of the part held by the user is within an acceptable range and does not become hot to the touch.  

In terms of photography, which is of great concern to most users, the top-end Xiaomi Note uses a 13-megapixel Sony optical image stabilization camera and is equipped with Qualcomm's latest generation image processor. This 14-bit processing architecture has a throughput of 1.2 billion pixels per second and supports image processors up to 55 megapixels. The pixel size of the photosensitive element of the front selfie camera has been upgraded to 2 microns.

Since taking photos is a very emotional topic, and everyone has different preferences for the color and expression of photos, it is difficult to use data to evaluate the camera function of a mobile phone. However, compared with the iPhone camera function that is currently recognized by most users, the camera function of the Xiaomi Note top version is more playable.

The addition of manual functions such as fill light mode, quick exposure adjustment, level meter, manual focus, and peak focus allow users who are interested in photography to fully enjoy the fun of taking photos. Overall, the Xiaomi Note top version can be called a "toy SLR".

In terms of sound quality, the Xiaomi Note top version uses HiFi hardware configuration, supports lossless music formats such as APE, FLAC, DSD, WAV, and can output 192kHz/24bit audio. Compared with the Xiaomi Note, the newly added secondary voltage regulator power supply and 8 Panasonic PPS capacitors can make the Xiaomi Note top version have further performance in transient response and sound purity. At the same time, the MIUI system is also optimized from the bottom of Android to eliminate audio system sampling rate distortion.

Summarize:

As the most powerful model among Xiaomi phones, the Mi Note top version brings consumers enthusiasm for buying it not because of its "fancy" parameters and configurations, but because of its price of 2,999 yuan. Compared with the current high-end phone market, which often costs 4,000 or 5,000 yuan, the Mi Note top version seems to be full of sincerity. With good overall performance, you can buy a phone that looks very high-end for less than 3,000 yuan. This time, Xiaomi has helped domestic users to make a clear calculation when buying a phone.

It is also worth pointing out that with the continuous improvement of Xiaomi's smart home product ecosystem, smart products such as Xiaomi TV, Xiaomi router, Xiaomi bracelet, Xiaomi air purifier, etc. have really added a lot of points to Xiaomi mobile phones. If the number of Mi products in your home is gradually increasing, a high-end Mi mobile phone as the control center of these products is still worth buying.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.