Lacking features include waterproofing and mobile wallets. NFC is installed for payment, and Xiaomi claims that it is compatible with Google Pay, but the Google Pay payment system in Japan can hardly be used unless it is a smartphone that supports Osaifu-Keitai, so the scenes that can be used in Japan are greatly limited. I'm here.
However, recently QR code payments have become commonplace, so it can be said that there are less and less troubles in daily life. Waterproofing may not be a particularly necessary function for those who do not bring their smartphones around the water.
More importantly, it weighs 204g. There is a feeling of weight when you hold it in your hand. It's not extremely heavy compared to recent large-screen smartphones (for example, the iPhone 11 Pro MAX is 226g), but it can be said that it is a trade-off with a large-capacity battery that can be used for 2-3 days without charging.
The OS is Android 10, and it is equipped with the iPhone-like home UI "MIUI 11". In addition to a set of basic applications such as notepads and calculators, MIUI also incorporates unique functions such as the "Nature Alarm", an alarm sound that changes with the time of the bird chirping. Compared to smartphones from other manufacturers, the usability is not significantly different, but I have the impression that it is designed with attention to detail, such as screen transition speed.
In order to achieve low prices, Xiaomi considers smartphones to be "the entrance to the ecosystem" and sells them at prices that do not put much profit (Xiaomi himself says). In other words, Xiaomi's strategy in the global market is to introduce smart home appliances that work with smartphones and make profits from the entire ecosystem. However, in Japan, there are not many smart home appliances in the lineup yet, so the benefits of collaboration are not great.
On the other hand, another revenue source is also firmly deployed in Japan. Some pre-installed apps display ads. For example, the "Security Scan" app that starts when you install an app, such as from Google Play, displays ads after checking. There are also advertisements in the cleaner app and the Mi Home app.
These ads are not overly obtrusive and are not actively displayed via push notifications or the like. Smartphones made by mobile carriers display advertisements as campaigns in carrier apps, and smartphones made by other manufacturers also have apps that send campaign information. Maybe Xiaomi shouldn't be the only one to be concerned about.
That said, it's true that it was a little eye-catching, especially when the app ran security scans when it was installed, and ads were displayed each time. The security scan function can be disabled from the settings.
Equipped with Snapdragon 730G chipset. Qualcomm mid-high class chipset. Memory (RAM) is 6GB. Storage is 64GB or 128GB depending on configuration. The external terminal is USB Type-C (USB 3.1 compatible), and a 3.5m earphone jack is also installed. The included charger supports 20W fast charging.
4G LTE dual SIM compatible (DSDV compatible), and according to Xiaomi, the operation has been verified with 4 carriers. However, some carriers say that they are limited to in-house verification within Xiaomi. microSD card slot is not installed.
The large screen curved display, clean design, quadruple camera, etc. are firmly in control of modern smartphone trends. As a smartphone that you can get for 40,000 yen, it is a product that is more than enough. It is a suitable candidate for the position of "the definitive cheap smartphone" in the 4G LTE generation.
(Correction: 2020/7/16 18:40) There was an error in the description about the microSD card slot when it first appeared. I apologize for the correction. There is no change in the headline accompanying this correction.
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