Tweaker Kiswum

19-05-2013, Probleem over NL-Alert toegevoegd aan de tekst

Naar aanleiding van mijn topic die ik op 5 maart 2013 op Tweakers.net heb geplaatst; Accu snel leeg (div. toestellen), zal ik hier een verhaal gaan neerzetten.

Belangrijkste links over dit onderwerp:
- Het topic waarbij je kunt discusieren over dit specifieke probleem.
- HTC topic op het T-Mobile forum
- Samsug topic op het T-Mobile forum
- Teken deze petitie als je wilt dat T-Mobile het probleem voor de vele klanten moet oplossen.

Het onderstaande verhaal is fictief, maar bestaat grotendeels uit werkelijke gebeurtenissen en quotes van T-Mobile medewerkers en klanten.

T-Mobile: Goedemiddag, waarmee kan ik u van dienst zijn?

Klant: Goedemiddag, ik heb een probleem met 2 toestellen hier in huis. Sinds 20 februari lopen deze 2 toestellen in 1 keer snel leeg, terwijl ik niets aan de toestellen heb veranderd. Dit was voorheen 3 dagen en nu haal ik maximaal 8 uur op deze toestellen. Op het internet lees ik dat er meer mensen last hebben van deze problemen op hun HTC of Samsung en dat dit door NL-Alert komt, is hier inmiddels al een oplossing voor?

T-Mobile: Beste klant, dat is vervelend om te horen, het probleem is nog niet bekend bij ons.

Klant: Het verbaasd me dat dit probleem nog niet bij u bekend is, aangezien er op het forum van T-Mobile diverse berichten staan die over problemen met de accu net na de grote NL Alert test van begin februari. Is er hier overigens wel een oplossing voor, want ik loop er al 3 maanden mee rond. Oh ja ik ben er wel achter gekomen dat het probleem is opgelost als er een simkaart van KPN in wordt geplaatst.

T-Mobile: Wat zijn het merk en type van uw toestellen, dan kan ik dat even opzoeken.

Klant: Het gaat hier om een Samsung Gio van 8 maanden en een HTC Wildfire van 1 jaar oud.

T-Mobile: Ik ga het even voor u uitzoeken, heeft u een momentje?

Klant: Ok

T-Mobile: Ik heb het even voor u nagekeken en kunt u het volgende even doen?
- De software van het toestel updaten
- Fabrieksinstellingen terug zetten
- Batterij vervangen en kalibreren
- Simkaarten die voor 2011 zijn uitgeleverd kunnen dit probleem veroorzaken waardoor een nieuwe simkaart nodig is, deze kan ik gratis naar u toesturen.
- Als het bovenstaande niet helpt, dan zou u het toestel ter reparatie bij ons aan kunnen bieden.

Klant: Bedankt voor de diverse "oplossingen", maar deze helpen helaas niet. Ik heb de volgende dingen al gedaan:
- De meest recente software van mijn toestellen is van oktober 2012 en december 2012. Er is geen recentere software uitgebracht door Samsung of HTC
- De toestellen heb ik in maart volledig gereset door de fabrieksinstellingen terug te zetten en Android 4.03 er terug op te zetten
- 1 accu heb ik vervangen en gekalibreerd, maar dit heeft het probleem niet opgelost en dit heeft me helaas 20 euro gekost.
- Beide simkaarten zijn van 2012 en voldoen dus aan de eisen, ik heb om me heen gehoord dat dit het probleem ook niet op zal lossen
- Het toestel ter reparatie aanbieden zal het probleem ook niet oplossen, want het is geen hardware, maar software probleem die sinds februari door T-Mobile is veroorzaakt.
Als ik de simkaart van Vodafone in het toestel stop, dan kan ik weer 3 dagen met de toestellen werken. Nu moet ik hem gedurende de dag 2-3 keer opladen, dit is niet acceptabel.
Wat ook helpt is door Cell broadcasting uitzetten, maar deze is onlangs weer automatisch aangezet, 3g uitschakelen helpt ook gedeeltelijk, maar ik betaal niet voor 3G internet als ik er geen gebruik van kan maken. Kan ik hier nu geen korting op krijgen?

T-Mobile: Helaas is er op dit moment geen andere oplossing voor het probleem dat u ervaart, het kan zijn dat er een storing is met de zendmast bij u in de buurt. Zou u mij de volgende gegevens kunnen geven? Met deze info kunnen we achterhalen wat de oorzaak van het probleem is en het probleem oplossen.

- plaats en postcode waar het probleem zich voordoet
- sinds wanneer ervaart klant het probleem
- merk en type van het toestel
- software versie en een screenshot van de software. je gaat hiervoor naar het menu instellingen en vervolgens kies je voor 'toestelinfo' of 'over het toestel'.
- De details van het batterij verbruik; het overzicht waarin per applicatie het percentage batterij verbruik wordt weergegeven.

Klant: Het lijkt erop dat u het probleem bij mij, als gebruiker, neerlegt om tijd te rekken. Als ik dit met andere gebruikers doorgeef, wanneer is het probleem dan opgelost? Het probleem loopt al een tijdje en wordt er ook iets gedaan aan deze melding, want uw collega weet wellicht ook niet dat dit probleem speelt. En hoe zit het met eventuele vergoedingen?

T-Mobile: Helaas kan ik geen informatie geven over eventuele vergoedingen, maar ik kan u alleen adviseren om aan mensen met hetzelfde probleem, dezelfde informatie door te geven zodat we dit kunnen onderzoeken.

Klant: Het is jammer dat er na zo'n lange tijd nog geen oplossing is en het is vreemd dat dit probleem niet bij Vodafone en KPN aanwezig zijn met hetzelfde toestel. Er zit voor mij niets anders op om in ieder geval de "workarounds" door te geven zodat zij ook weer langer met hun telefoon kunnen doen, want het lijkt erop dat T-Mobile mij als klant niet serieus genoeg neemt. Ik hoop dat er dan iets met de informatie wordt gedaan die we door moeten geven.

T-Mobile: Helaas kan ik u niet verder helpen aan een oplossing, maar ik verzeker u dat we dit voorleggen aan de Technische afdeling zodat er snel een oplossing komt.

Klant: Tja, ik hoop het echt.

T-Mobile: Kan ik u nog verder helpen?

Klant: Nee, bedankt. Dit is het enige waar ik mee zit. Nog een fijne dag!

T-Mobile: Nog een fijne dag meneer klant!

Wil jij dat T-Mobile iets aan deze situatie doet zodat we niet hetzelfde probleem krijgen als met 3G 3 jaar geleden, teken dan deze petitie!

Alvast bedankt namens de vele particuliere en zakelijke klanten!

Nederlandse review

First of all, I would like to apologize for my English. I hope you can help me to find all the wrong sentences and words, just put it in the comments at the bottom of this “Blog” or send me a PM. Together with you, we can make this review “splendid”!


In this review I want to talk about a phone from a Chinese manufacturer, a manufacturer which made a switch in 2011 to produce mobile phones. The phone I will review here is the Xiaomi Mi2 with Android 4.1 installed. This comes with their own developed rom, known by the name MIUI.

Changelog:
• 15-02-2013: Changed a few spelling mistakes, added Find device guide, added ringtone/vibrate opinion
• 02-02-2013: Finished this review and translated it from Dutch to English.

Contents:
Introduction
Why this Smartphone
Specifications of the phone
My first impression
Basic functionality
Camera
Movie examples
Picture examples
Battery
Display
Comparison with Sony Xperia S
Benchmarks
Find your device guide
Additional information and links
Tips and tricks



At the end of 2011 Xiaomi introduced her first phone with the name Mi1. In October 2011 Engadget published a review about this phone, they also included some additional background information about Xiaomi and MIUI.
In the spring of 2012 Mi1 got a younger brother with the name Xiaomi Mi1 Youth. Shortly after that announcement, Xiaomi announced her new flagship named Xiaomi Mi2. In August 2012 we received the news about the Mi2 here in The Netherlands, not much there was news about the plans of Xiaomi. They have announced to sell their phones in Europe. Up to this moment there still no new information revealed about these plans. The device is not available in European shops, therefore you need to order it at a webshop. I've heard that Xiaomi is testing the phones outside China at this moment.
By revealing the new Xiaomi Mi2, the upgrade of the Mi1 to Mi1s has gone unnoticed. This phone has a 4" screen, 1GB RAM and a Dual-Core 1.7Ghz. processor.




I have spent about 6 months to search for a High-End phone which can be operated completely with 1 hand. At the end of November I've wrote a blog here on Tweakers about this research. I have posted several phones that were interesting to me and could meet up my strict requirements.
This search showed me that there was no single European phone that could meet my specific requirements.
• The hardware should be High-end enough to last for at least 2 years. Most games between now and 2 years should be compatible with the specifications of this phone
• A Dual-Core CPU with more than 1.4Ghz
• Minimum of 1GB RAM
• Maximum dimensions of 125 x 65 x 11 mm

Additional options:

• At least Google Android 4.0 (ICS)
• Over 6GB of storage memory
• Good upgrade possibilities thru user communities like XDA forum
• It should be available for a descent price. When a phone is priced for more than 600 Euro, then it should be indestructible and have very sleek/unique looks

After a month writing on my blog, I have noticed that the perfect Smartphone simply doesn't exist for me. As a result, I've opted for the next best thing. Via the Tweakers Forum, I understood that there was a Dutch Tweaker, who had delivered a numerous of devices to members in the Benelux. Because of these reliable comments, I made the choice to order my Xiaomi Mi2 at this fellow Tweaker member.
On 30 December, I ordered the phone and within 2 weeks it was delivered to me via DHL. Well not really delivered, I have picked up the package at a collection depot at DHL. After payment a of 32,97 Euro for the import duty and VAT, I was able to pick up my package.




I have retrieved the list of specifications from Gsmarena and verified it as much as possible with the site of Xiaomi.

• 2G Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
• 3G Network: HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100
• SIM: Mini-SIM
• Dimensions: 126 x 62 x 10,2 mm
• Weight: 145g
• Display type: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, Dragontrail glass plate
• Display Size: 720 x 1280 pixels, 4,3" (~342 ppi)
• Multitouch: 10 fingers (Checked it with this program Multi-Touch test)
• Sound: Vibration + MP3, WAV ringtones
• Loudspeaker: Yes
• 3.5mm jack: Yes
• Card slot: No
• Memory (ROM): 16/32GB
• Memory (RAM): 2GB RAM
• Data GPRS: Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
• Data EDGE: Class 12
• Speed: DC-HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
• WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
• Bluetooth: v4.0 with A2DP
• USB: MicroUSB v2.0 (MHL), USB On-the-go
• Camera: 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
• Features: Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization, HDR, shout and shoot
• Video: 1080p@30fps
• Features: 1080P Fastforward, 720P Slowmotion, 720P@90fps, Record with LED support light
• Secondary camera: 2 MP, 1080p@30fps
• OS/Rom: MIUI Android OS, v4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• Chipset: Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon
• CPU: Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait 28nm
• GPU: Adreno 320
• Sensors: Accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass, barometer, weight, light
• Messaging: SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
• Browser: HTML5
• Radio: FM radio via wired headset
• GPS: Yes, A-GPS support and GLONASS
• Java: Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
• Colors available: Pink, Blue, Green, White, Yellow, Orange, Purple
• Battery: Li-Ion 2000 mAh battery (Optional 3100mAh)
• Sound support: MP3/ACC/AMR/OGG/M4A/MID/FLAC/APE/AAC/WAV
• Image support: JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP
• Video support: MP4/DivX/XviD/WMV/rmvb/flv720P/H.264/H.263
• Documents: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF
• Led colors: Blue, Red, Orange, Yellow, Cyan, White, Violet

- Calendar, organizer, alarm clock, Image/video editor
- Exchange mail
- Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk, Picasa
- Voice memo/dial/commands are in Chinese
- Predictive text input in multiple languages(No Swype or Sweep motion available)
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- TV-out (via MHL A/V link) Wifi Display
- SNS integration



The package that I have received from Tweaker G4U was equipped with:

• A box with the phone
• 2 screen protectors
• Cap to put on the headset jack
• A small pen to use on the screen
• China -> EU converter for the power supply
• Invoice of the phone (At least this is what I suspect, it was written in Chinese)
• 1 Blue plastic back-cover
• USB OTG cable, you can use it to plug in a USB-stick or USB-LED light

The box of the phone contains this:

• The phone (Thankfully ), The Xiaomi Mi2 with 32GB of Storage Memory
• 2000 mAh battery
• White backcover
• Power supply with a replaceable USB cable
• Standard forms like the manual of the phone
• The Headset was missing. This is not part of the standard contents of the package from Xiaomi

I took the phone out of the box and I was glad to see that there was enough battery power to get phone started right away. Because we went to a birthday that evening, I only had time to set/add the following things: Wi-Fi, downloaded Gmail and Google Play from the Chinese market and set-up a account for my contacts. After 2 hours I was able to change the battery notification into percentages. This showed me that I had 48% left for the rest of the day/night.
My first impression of the phone was very positive. It feels good in my hand, it doesn’t feel too big and in comparison with the Sony Xperia S from my girlfriend the size doesn’t differs that much. In terms of imagination, my phone seems to be a lot smaller than it reality is (126 x 62 x 10, 2 mm). The contrast and sharpness of the unit I find very good. The entire front is covered with a scratch-resistant Dragontrail glass plate, under the plate is a 720P 4.3” IPS-LCD display. As a precaution, I have used 1 of the screen protectors I’ve received with my phone. I think the design and finishing is very good and it feels very smooth. The only 2 things I’m not excited about are the plastic back and that the capacitive buttons on the bottom of the display do not lit up.









OS
The phone is equipped with Xiaomi's own developed MIUI. On the 1st day I updated the phone to MIUI JLB 7.0 and one week later to MIUI JLB 10.0. As underlying OS the phone makes use of Google’s Android MIUI 4.1.1, better known as Jelly Bean. The updates come enter the phone via FOTA. The update process is pretty special and (presumably) as following: there are on a separate part of memory 2 "partitions" available for the system, on both partitions is the OS installed.
It seems that a backup of your current used OS is send to the 2nd partition, after the backup the upgrade will be performed on the 1st partition. The big advantage of this is that you will always have a backup on your phone, this makes it possible to downgrade very easily if something went wrong (How go to the recovery-mode can be found at the section “Tips and tricks”).
The downside is that you won't be able to use the full capacity of the memory. I estimate that 5-7 GB is reserved for the backup and system applications, these must be available for the device. The 16GB version will fill up quickly, but the 32GB version will take some time before the memory is full. All user data and apps are synchronized with the 2 partitions this allows you to switch within 5 minutes from the new to the old version.

Languages
The phone can be set into 3 different languages, thankfully English is one of these languages. If you choose for English, then it could happen that some error messages are displayed in Chinese. Motivated developers made it possible to translate and optimize the rom, in this upgrade it is also possible to choose for the Dutch language. More info can be found on the MIUI Developers website.

Apps
The phone does not come with standard European apps like Whatsapp, Facebook or Twitter. Instead of these features, the phone is packet with a lot of Chinese apps and a Chinese App Market. This doesn’t mean that you are in big trouble, the Chinese apps are easy to remove. The phone has also some interesting English apps like a collection of security apps in the folder: Security Center.
A few of the English apps:
"Themes" Change your phone with a completely different skin, this way your phone OS will look like your beloved HTC of Sony.
"Backup" Save all your data protected (I haven’t configured out where this data is saved on the phone, this way I can’t save on my NAS for example).
"Virus scan" you can’t be too careful nowadays, there are more and more fraudulent apps in the market/ on the internet.
"Permission Manager" This is 1 of the best apps that is installed, with this app you can manage access by other apps so that for example your GPS cannot be used by every app. For instance Facebook: They don’t need to know where I am when I post a message.
In addition to these English-language apps, there are also 2 Chinese apps that I can appreciate
"Market" Is needed to download your first apps from the Chinese market. From there you can also find all English apps such as Gmail, Google Play and Facebook. Something that could be interesting, is that a game like Need For Speed is free to download from the Chinese Market, in the Play Store we pay in The Netherlands 4,62 Euro for the same game.
"Handbook" Yep, it’s there, it is a Chinese guide to teach you everything you to know about your phone in a very short time. This is even useful for a seasoned Android user. The manual is one I love very much, it is full with pictures.

Homescreen
I work with an Android Tablet and for several months with an Android Smartphone from Sony, both devices work on Android 4. Get used to this phone was no problem for me. Everything can be found very easily, I only have to get used to the middle button. It doesn’t stand for the menu button with all the applications anymore. MIUI keeps all the applications on the homescreen. It is very useful, but I can imagine that this is not ideal if you have a lot of applications. To restrict the amount of applications on your homescreen, it is possible to merge apps into 1 folder. On the homescreen it is possible to use different widgets. A widget I use is a weather widget to show me if it rains in the nearby future. You can also use a widget for Facebook or emails, it lets you read the latest messages without opening it.

Connections
The phone supports the standard connections such as Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth.
Wi-Fi: Because the phone lacks connectivity to the 5Ghz spectrum, it is probably unable to use the phone on the Wi-Fi N range. Devices who support the old Wi-Fi A range can automatically communicate over the 5Ghz spectrum, because it it used bij Wi-Fi N. The phone uses its 2,4Ghz antenna to communicate on the Wi-Fi B and G network. I notice in terms of receipt no problem with other Wi-Fi equipment. If I need data on my network, then I use my NAS to communicate between my phone and the stored data. I’ve sent and received a number of GB’s over the wireless network without any problems. Playing a 1080P movie via the Wi-Fi network, was without problems or lags. The movie I've tested is used for the screenshots later on in this article.

GPS: I have tested GPS via 2 short routes. I have created a route from the coach via my Sygic Navigation application. The route was shown within 20 seconds on the screen, if needed then I could jump off the couch and hit off to my destination. My experience to date was that it difficult to receive a GPS signal indoors and when you finally have a signal it was very week to navigate. I was able to schedule a route, but was unable to start the route, unless I was on my way for a few minutes. As of now, this seems to be a thing of the past, this probably has to do with the Russian Glonass satellites. Before departure, I have started up my Sygic navigation, scheduled my rout and within 5 seconds I was able to safely hit the road. See the movies below for this experience

Bluetooth: The connection with my Parrot car kit works without any problems. It recognized my contacts and I can be heard excellent through the microphone in the car. I have tested the sound of my music player on my Jabra Street headset. The sound is of a good quality and I couldn’t notice any differences with my Sony Sola. To test the range of Bluetooth I had left my phone on the bedside table in my bedroom on the first floor. I’ve walked to the second floor / attic without holding the phone in my hand. In the attic I’ve turned on my Wii and I’ve been playing Super Mario with the Top Charts 40 from my BT headset. The receipt remained 100% and I had extra fun with testing my BT headset while kicking Bowsers ass.

Calling
The provider I use is T-mobile, since I’ve received my phone 3 weeks ago, I haven’t experienced a bad reception on my 2G or 3G network. The reviewer of Tweakers.net, had problems with his Vodafone SIM card. The network had problems with this phone, which caused a battery drain within 1 day. This could probably be resolved with a software update or perhaps by pushing the device to only use the 2G or 3G network. Making phone calls went without problems. The hands-free feature is easy to turn on during a phone call, during the hands-free call I am heard very clear for the person on the other side. It is very easy to find or call a person from the phonebook. You can call a contact by typing in the name with T9 or by using (a part of) the phone number.

Ringtones
A lot of different tones, melodies and notifications can be used in the phone. You can use your own MP3 songs when someone calls you. You can use the build-in ringtones and tunes or you can download them via the phone menu. The ringtone can be set loud enough, but the downside is that all the other messages will be on the same volume. You can't change them apart from each other. You are able to change the volume of the alarm, voice, music/games/videos and Bluetooth volume independently from the ringtone. It is possible to set your phone into a Flight mode or Silent mode which will put your phone in vibrate mode. This is a feature which performs under the level of other phones. You are able to control the vibrate level from low - medium - high, but the highest level is barely noticeable when you have the phone in your pocket or in a bag. I'm used to hear phones vibrate when they are in a case on a table. This is not the case with this phone.

Music player
The music player looks good, there is even a build in songtext viewer available, while you listen to songs, you can “sing” on the beat. The music player can be started from your lockscreen (unless you have set up a PIN code to unlock your device). The manual says that you are able to use the equalizer from the music player, but this setting is not accessible from the music player this setting is also not visible both with and without headphones. Perhaps this option is no longer available in the tested stable versions I have used (JLB 10). From the settings menu in the phone, this option is still available. In my opinion is this tucked away too far if you are listening to your music, this makes it difficult to directly find it when you need it.
You can let your phone download the album information and cover photos for all your songs for free. In the album of Justin Timberlake, I sadly received the cover of Justin Bieber. No worries, you can easily adjust this album cover yourself, to make it match again.
The only thing I currently miss in the music player is the option to recognize and store these songs, for this feature I use an external app like SoundHound.

Keyboard and browser
The keyboard looks like the standard Android version. You can set the keyboard in various languages like Dutch and English. What I'm missing is a possibility to sweep/Swype the words. By this shortcoming I have directly download and installed Swype for this purpose. Another added benefit is that this keyboard is a little bit smaller than the original keyboard. This way you have more room on your screen while browsing.
Browsing the web feels quickly and smoothly. With my Sony I was used to receive the same page I visited the last time I used my browser, but with the default installed browser is that not always the case. You can use your Google Favorites and you can create Favorites. There is an incognito option in which you can browse without storing the browser history on the phone and without sending private information to the web.
From the browser you can use some kind of a night mode, I know this principle from navigation systems. In the browser, it is not possible to automatically switch this mode via the light sensor. The only way to turn it on/off is to do this manually. Last special feature is an option in which you can put pages in a kind of reading mode, this will turn your device in some sort of a E-reader where only text is visible and all the photos are gone.

Car holder
The used car holder is made by Haicom and was created specifically for the Samsung Galaxy S Advance. Through the Tweakers pricewatch I searched for a phone that came closest to the size of the Xiaomi Mi2. The result showed me that there were different phones that might be suitable, but the Galaxy S stood out and seemed to have the best dimensions. The phone was currently available at Coolblue, a webshop with a store in my hometown. I tested the holder with my phone and it miraculously fit exactly.
There is hardly any slack on, it slides smoothly into the holder and all the buttons are easy to reach. I have chosen for the vent holder, because I had good experiences with this mounting with my Sony.

Here are pictures and a video made I’ve made of the phone in the car holder while using the navigator.








For the last years I believe it is very important to have a good camera on my phone. It should have enough possibilities and settings to use different resolutions, pre-set scenes and in 2012/2013 a led/xenon light should be a standard feature. The phone would get extra point if there is a physical (focus) button on it. If there is a good alternative present on the touch screen, then it will be fine by me. Most phones can snap pictures in daylight very nice, but pictures in the evening or with twilight are often very poor. I find that the quality of pictures and movies on this phone are good, not perfect, but it's all in order.
Normally I adjust the resolution up to 5MP, but for this review, I put the resolution of the camera at 8MP and let it record movies in 1080P or 720P. I expect that most of you know this; higher megapixels have nothing to do with the quality of the image, but with the image size it is written to the memory. High resolution pictures are interesting when you want to edit the pictures in detail, print it on canvas or A1 paper. It is not very useful for vacation pictures, webpages, Facebook, etc.

By an error in the 1080P movie mode, it gives you an option to activate the Slow-motion option using the “Slow-“ icon, unfortunately this is not the case. The icon should be a "Fast +" icon, after recording it will play your movie in fast-forward mode. Movies shot in 720P mode give the correct options, as seen in this picture. The camera has options for white balance, ISO values and other various photo filters to choose from. You can choose from a variety of filters such as sepia and negative.
If you want to take a picture, then the phone will focus on face or objects. You can also choose on which object the camera shoot focus before you take a picture. After this you can via a burst mode 2-4 pictures per second. This is not an exciting number of pictures. It is too bad Xiaomi didn’t work out this feature for more pictures per minute. For this feature I use the external program Fast Burst Camera. With this app you can create up to 30 pictures per second with almost every Android phone.

Other findings of the camera

• Compared to the Sony Xperia S the zoom range is not very far. I estimate that the digital zoom is about 4-5x. The Xperia S achieves a estimated digital zoom range of 10x
• There isn't a "night" option available. This may make it difficult to make good pictures without flash light in low light. An example where this may be interesting is at sunset or at concerts
• The pictures are a bit greyish
• The pictures have a minor flaw, I've seen at more phones lately. Pictures made on a white background have a visible pink stain. I have also tested this with the Xperia S, but the discoloration was not visible on these pictures. On this picture you can see the differences between the Sony Xperia S on the left and the Xiaomi Mi2 on the right

• The camera starts up very fast, which makes it possible to instantly make a picture.
• The phone can be set into many various picture resolutions.
• You can use your voice/sound to have a picture taken. This can be done with "Cheese/smile/hey", but also with any other random word.
• Taking panoramic pictures goes much better and faster than on my previous phone, the Sony Xperia Sola from 2012. It is even possible to create panorama pictures in portrait and landscape.
• You can record a movie with the built-in led.
• Take pictures while you are shooting a video. These pictures can be saved in 1080P.
• HDR will create a much more realistic look of the pictures, for this I have some comparisons posted in this review. On these pictures you can see the differences.

Movie examples

1.Made in complete darkness without light from an external source
2.Made after sunset
3.Speed of the camera is tested here on short distance
4.Low light zoom test

1. 2. 3. 4.

Here are 2 test movies in Fast-forward and Slow-motion shooted in 720P

Picture examples

Pictures with and without HDR






Panorama in portrait

Panorama in landscape





I can be brief about the battery. The phone is packed with a 2000mAh battery, this should be enough for 2 days when you don't do much exciting stuff with it. Currently I have everything turned on: WiFi, Bluetooth, a Exchange calendar, 2 Gmail accounts, 2 Hotmail accounts, Facebook and Whatsapp.
If you can't make it thru the day with this battery, then it is possible to order a 3100mAh battery. The price of this battery is a this moment 20 euro. The order consists of: a new battery and a new back cover for your phone. This is cover necessary because the new battery will be 2 mm thicker than the original battery. According their own statements it should last 20-35% longer.




The display of the Mi2 is from a very good quality. The colors are looking very good, the brightness is in order and the display can be viewed from a lot of angles. If the default settings are not sufficient, then it is possible to change the color intensity with some settings. Just like the Sony phones from 2012, it is possible to change the display light on the Xiaomi in various ways. You can change it with the brightness bar and by changing the background light (this feature was in JLB 7.0 easy to reach via the pull-down menu but in the upgrade to JLB 10.0 was this option is no longer present. I think this is a bug because this is not mentioned in the change log).







Here is a comparison of the 2 devices.






For this test I've put both displays on the highest brightness. You can clearly see the differences between the Xperia S on the left and the Mi2 on the right. White is shown much better on the Xperia than it is on the Mi2 in my opinion. The colors seem to be better adjusted on the Mi2. I'm certainly no expert in this area, feel free to question my judgment.








For the benchmarks lovers, here are some tests I've made for you. I have performed every test 12 times. I have removed the highest and lowest scores and put it in a Excel sheet. The test says as far as I am concerned enough! There currently (~01 February 2013) is no faster phone available than this Xiaomi Mi2!






You can get calculations (in Dutch) by clicking on the thumbnail.





Chinese citizens could probably use this feature already, but I've tested it from The Netherlands/Europe and it can be used here as well!
Here is a little guide how you can find your device back when you have lost it.

Sorry I can't explain the full story, this Blog is restricted to a certain amount of characters.
Here is link to my manual:
http://miuiandroid.com/co...-phone.19597/#post-154454





Due to the Chinese origin of the phone, I have not been able to test the next things:
• Voice commands
• Voice dialling

Complete press release from Xiaomi

Launch of the Xiaomi Mi2

3D Trailer of the device


Resellers:
http://www.ibuygou.com/
http://www.merimobiles.com

Links
Dutch: Discuss about this phone here on Tweakers.net
Specifications of the phone
Miui
Background information about Miui
Gizchina
Engadget
Review van Tweaker x2tharay
Download Skype
Translation has made possible by vertalen.nu

Tips & tricks
• Restart in Recovery mode: 1. You can do this from the upgrade menu, en from there you should use the menu button on your phone. Now you can see: "Restart to Recovery mode". 2. If the phone is turned off then you should turn the device on while you hold down the "Volume Up" button. Now you will see the MI-Recovery option. ("Power & Volume down" gives a FASTBOOT logo, I don't know where it is meant for, but it doesn't boot further).
• Create Screenshots: You can do this on the normal Android way: 1. "Power & Volume down". or 2. "Menu button & Volume down"
• Maximum brightness: "Menu button & Volume Up".
• Turn on Flashlight: From the lockscreen, hold the "home button".

• Some bugs that make the System unstable or illogical
• Shiny battery cover at the back feels descent but a bit cheap
• Greyish color when making pictures
• Vibration of the phone is very weak
• This could be a downside for some people: No SD card / 5-7GB is in use by the system / Many Chinese pre-installed apps / No LTE / No NFC

• Very fast Quad-Core device within small dimensions
• The phone feels good in your hand and it is almost possible to fully operate it with 1 hand
• 2 Roms which includes a backup of your OS
• Every week a upgrade and every month a stable upgrade OTA from MIUI
• A lot of additional "hardcore" applications