Xiaomi’s continuous effort to build a U.S. fan base brought the Chinese device marker to New York City last week for a showcase of its latest products.
Over 700 fans signed up for the Xiaomi Mi in a Box pop up, which was open to the public Saturday and featured a number of the manufacturer’s latest smartphones, including the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 and the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro. The company also previewed three products that will soon be available in the U.S., as well as several others in its internet of things, line up.
Check out some highlights from the fan event below.
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
The beautiful ceramic Jade Green model of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 commanded a lot of my attention. The device has been on the market since November but is only available internationally. It takes advantage of several of the latest trends to allow for a completely fullscreen device.
In addition to a rear-facing fingerprint sensor, it features a sliding function to reveal the front-facing camera. I found it challenging to operate at first, but once I switched to my dominant right hand, the function was pretty easy. Still, I’m not sure users want to work that hard to access a device’s front camera.
The recent page of Xiaomi’s Android-based user interface has an interesting look and feel, allowing users to scroll up and down on small preview pages, as opposed to the usual Rolodex style seen on other devices.
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Xiaomi Mi Robot Builder Rover
The Mi Robot Build Rover is one of the products coming to the U.S. Though pricing and release details are not yet available, Xiaomi hopes to have the product out before the end of the year. It is essentially a building block project that moves.
It includes 1086 pieces to assemble and has three options for design: a rover, tank, or bulldozer. Once built users can connect the Mi Robot Xiaomi’s mobile app and control the toy from an Android or iOS device.
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Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro
The Mi 8 Pro is one of Xiaomi’s devices featuring an in-display fingerprint scanner. The pressure sensitive component is the Synaptics Clear ID Fs9500 sensor intended to work with OLED displays. The device has been available internationally since September.
One model of the device that has a cool rear design, with the appearance of showing its internal hardware including its Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, its modem, and other components. Xiaomi said the design is not transparent, but rather an image of what is inside the device. Still, the concept is pretty cool. Perhaps future Xiaomi models can have an actual transparent design.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
The Mi 8 Lite also released to international markets in September as a lower-cost option for the Xiaomi’s flagship line. While the device has a rear-fingerprint scanner opposed to an in-display sensor, it has adopted the industry popular gradient color design. It also includes some higher end specs, such as a dual camera and a 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage model.
Xiaomi Mi A2 Android One and POCOPHONE F1
Xiaomi showed off some other affordable smartphone including its Mi A2 Android One model and the Pocophone F1. As an Android One device, the Xiaomi Mi A2 benefits from having the latest pure Android software and direct security support from Google. It is also available in the U.S. and can be found at retailers like Walmart.
The Pocophone F1 is an interesting low-cost model running the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip. Xiaomi showed off its Armored Edition, which features Kevlar for its rear design, giving the device a high-end feel and a bit of protection against drops. The device has been available internationally since August.
Xiaomi Mi Wireless Charging Pad
The Mi Wireless Charging Pad is another Xiaomi accessory option coming to the U.S. The charger is shown plugged into the 10,000mAh Mi Power Bank Pro as a power source and charging a Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 handset. The pad supports Qi wireless charging and up to 10W maximum output. it also features safe charging, temperature protection, and input surge protection. Pricing and release details are not yet available.
Xiaomi Mi Home Security Camera 360° 1080P
The Xiaomi Mi Home surveillance camera (shown on the right) recorders continuously in 1080p and provide 360-degree motion tracking. The system includes night vision recording and can be controlled through the Mi Home App. Pricing and release details are not yet available.