I have plugged in the Mi3 to my stereo system (currently Nubert nuBox 380 + some entry level Yamaha... my NAD sadly needs to be serviced/replaced). I am underwhelmed. It is not as good as it should be. Especially at full volume on the phone it is lacking. The sound receives a focus on the mid range, gets nasal. Lower the volume a bit (and increase on the amp) and it gets much better, though I still wouldn't use the word good.

What has Xiaomi done?! Didn't they advertise with iPhone sound?

I believe they did. However I just found out that they use different chips in different versions. The TD version uses something by Cirrus Logic, while the WCDMA version uses the Qualcomm WCD9320. It is used in pretty much all flagship phones (Snapdragon 800/801). I doubt they sound as bad though...

Do these phones have dedicated headphone amps? Sound cards don't, usually, AFAIK.

This post has been edited by kadajawi: Sep 3 2014, 11:16 AM

What do you need, what are you looking for?

I tried the fake Spigen. The sharp corners coming from the trying to look tough design make the phone uncomfortable to hold. Also, it does a good job of protecting the back of the phone. And a very poor one of protecting the front... even TPU cases seem to lift the phone more off the ground. Rather useless, IMHO (at least the one I looked at). I thought the Rock should be better. Didn't buy it, ended up with a cheap TPU case, for the time being. At least some protection, without making the phone uncomfortable to hold.

What's your review?

I don't like flip cases... if you drop it when it's open, bad luck (maybe). Also quite troublesome to use. But I've seen someone with a flip case where the base was TPU, he then removed the flip part. The TPU used on that case (don't know for what phone) is much thicker than what you can usually buy... I think I should have tried that too, because I'm rather worried with what I have, and as Xiaomi will soon stop making the Mi3 accessory makers will also not introduce new cases.

For added protection I've put on a glass screen protector, the theory being that if the phone drops, and hits the glass, it's the screen protector that breaks, rather than the display itself.

Yes, but this bad? And out of nowhere, while I was sleeping, it stopped charging and started to use so much power...?

I don't have either... was too frustrated with the stupid shape of the Rock and the Spigen imitation to get them (my Casemate Tough is super comfortable to hold, even better than my Galaxy Nexus without it, and much more comfortable than anything I've tried on the Mi3, including naked, and the Tough gives really good protection without unnecessary bulk), and the Love Mei is way too much for me. It's frustrating that proper case makers ignore the Mi3, and the Mi4 has a different shape AGAIN, so even if that is a hit and proper companies start making case for it it's useless for me.

Maybe apache_utara can tell you where he got his Love Mei.

The international WCDMA version is like that, there's also a mic at the back next to the LED flashlight. The Chinese version is different, and all the shops selling Mi3 cases only import cases for the China version

Hahaha I'm looking forward to waving around my Mi3 in Europe Except for a few geeks who have seen it on the internet no one has seen the phone there.

I don't think they officially sell it there, must have been an imported phone.

I'll be in Southern Europe.

Congrats! How is the rear surface of the white one?

This post has been edited by kadajawi: Sep 5 2014, 11:22 AM

Actually there's no need to tell others we're cheapskates, is there? Can just say "I wanted something that is a bit more special, and nicer to use than a Samsung".

I've had quality issues with LG and Samsung (LG is worse). Software both phones are stock (LG: Windows Phone 7, Samsung: Android 4.4... Nexus), so can't complain about that side of it (though from what I've tried from Samsung I have been very underwhelmed, and LG was even worse).

The Xiaomi experience so far has been much better, though the sudden failures that I now hear about every now and then are scary...

Typically I tell people that I'm not too happy with what Samsung has been doing in the past few years, and with their quality, and that the only way to get a proper unadultered Android experience is to buy LG (Nexus), but I'm very scared of LG. So... Xiaomi it is. (At least MIUI is quite nice.) Admittedly that has changed now, with the Motorola phones.

This post has been edited by kadajawi: Sep 5 2014, 05:42 PM

That is true sadly And Google is trying to make it harder to use SD cards. You can't even automatically save photos to the SD card since 4.4 They want to force users to use their cloud junk... probably to get more celebrity leaks.

I fully agree. Happens to me too, might be due to the case that is made for Chinese Mi3's... I've recorded videos with and without the case, but I can't remember which is which, and I haven't found the time to watch them all yet.

Interestingly I also used a Hongmi 1S to record videos, same place (with loud music), also 1080p. The Hongmi video seems too be better. Better low light performance, more detail, and the audio is so much better, it's ridiculous. No cracking, no breaking, just good clean sound. There's bass, highs, mids, the only problem is that it sounds like it is compressed too much, and, lo and behold it is. Makes my Mi3 look like a cheap fake. When I have the time and access to my good monitor again I'll have a closer look. Parts that are just completely black in the video from the Mi3 are perfectly fine in the video from the 1S, with detail and shades of grey left. The only problem is that the brightness is pumping a lot, it's constantly adjusting the exposure very fast. That's a bit annoying, an exposure lock function would be nice.

Ah ok. Seems like it is a bug, that Xiaomi just doesn't get fixed. Have they managed to in MIUI 6? The solution seems to be Google Camera, or another camera app...

This post has been edited by kadajawi: Sep 7 2014, 01:11 AM

The main microphone seems to be in the grill at the bottom, where the speaker is located. Bad idea it seems to me, as the microphone picks up the sound from the speaker.

wow. Just wow. That is beyond bad. And the Mi4 isn't even better.

Some people are easily bored, always want new toys, ... or they miss certain things, like I know someone who misses the stylus from the Galaxy Note.

Personally I'm very happy with the Mi3, with the only exception being sound quality. I haven't seen a headphone out this bad in 10-15 years. Honestly I don't know what the f*** happened. And the Mi4 isn't even better.

It can help. But burn in is basically listening to them/it happens automatically when you use them, soooo...

Great. My Mi3 has a touchscreen that doesn't work properly anymore. Usually in the morning it doesn't work, won't register some touches, wipes get cut off, etc. Restart fixes it. It has gotten worse though, cause now it happens every now and then. Sometimes it fixes itself, sometimes I need to restart. Really Xiaomi? 1 month?

And warranty is not an option, cause I'm overseas and won't be back to Malaysia in the next year or two.

v23 is the last MIUI 5 version, it seems.

This post has been edited by kadajawi: Sep 16 2014, 01:56 AM

Hm. That's good news, though I must say I do quite enjoy MIUI 5...

Is there an option now in MIUI 6 to have a menu button? Even if it is a long press... though I used a phone without for several years I must admit that getting it back was great. And long presses work perfectly fine for switching apps...

I think what someone wanted to know when he asked when the final version is launched is, well, when the final version will be launched. i.e. when people not getting dev updates will get MIUI 6. I'm waiting for that too...

I set the dev options to display more info about where I touch the touchscreen, and now it seems to work fine so far. Weird.

This post has been edited by kadajawi: Sep 16 2014, 06:21 PM

Cool. Maybe it is time to switch to MIUI 6 then...? :D