Smartphones are blurring the line between them and desktop computers nowadays and Xiaomi is about to blur that line even further with their upcoming Mi Note 2 Pro. According to a screenshot posted by AndroidPure, the upcoming handset from the Chinese manufacturer will sport beyond flagship grade specs like 8GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 CPU, clocked at 2.6GHz! The superphone will also have an in-built storage of 256GB and Google's latest and greatest Android OS Nougat will be running on it right out of the box. However, the only catch is that this "screenshot" could very well be a fake, much to our dismay.

As we now know that the previously rumoured launch date of the Mi Note 2 Pro (September 24) turned out to be wrong, it still is a bit of a mystery as to when it will actually be released. Since the Mi5s and Mi5s Plus was just launched in China, the date for the Mi Note 2 Pro's launch could be further away than rumors had originally predicted. In case you are not aware, these two are also packing the Qualcomm SD 821 chipset and enhanced camera capabilities that the OEM has declared to be better than even those sported by the flagship grade Samsung and Apple smartphones. Considering that the smartphones also cost about half of what an Apple iPhone 7 or Samsung Galaxy Note 7 would cost, things are getting really tight for the big boys.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Many fans were disappointed when the Galaxy Note 7 did not match up to the rumors of the smartphone sporting 6GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. One could say that disappointment turned to bewilderment when some of the devices started to explode and a worldwide recall had to be arranged by Samsung. While Samsung sorts the entire mess out, new rumors indicate that Xiaomi is all set to launch the Mi 5s with 6GB of RAM and the mythical Snapdragon 821 chipset with a clock speed of 2.4 GHz.

None of the other rumoured specs seem less than impressive either as it's supposed to be sporting 256GB of internal storage along with a pressure sensitive display. They will probably not upgrade the screen resolution to 1440p though and will instead possibly stick to the same 5.15-inch 1080p panel. Other specs include a 16-megapixel rear camera, a 4-megapixel front camera, fingerprint scanner, NFC, 2G, 3G, 4G, VoLTE and a 3,490mAh battery. Nothing is official though, so we would suggest waiting for a while before getting your hopes up too much.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

It has been reported that Xiaomi is working on an upgraded version of the Mi5, dubbed as the Mi5s. The biggest upgrade that this device will feature is a pressure sensitive display which will bring Apple 3D-esque features to their customers. In case you are not aware, a pressure sensitive display allows users to light-press or hard-press the display to bring up various menus, depending on the content.

An ultrasonic fingerprint scanner (Qualcomm made) and dual camera sensors on the back may also be found on the upcoming device. After the LeEco Le Max 2 and the OnePlus 3 was launched a while earlier with 6GB of RAM, it looks like Xiaomi is now ready with a response of their own as 6GB RAM is supposedly an assured feature of the Mi5s. What would be interesting to see is if the Chinese OEM would use the Snapdragon 823 SoC that will supposedly power the Galaxy Note 7 as well, when it comes out in August. If this news got your attention, then you should be happy to know that the Mi5s will apparently be released this year only, along with the rumored Mi Note 2.

Author: Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

The Xiaomi Mi Max has just been announced and it is going to be a huge one, quite literally! There will be three versions of the handset with slightly different hardware and internal storage capacities, but all versions will sport the same 6.44-inch 1080p display with a ppi count of 342. The enormous phone measures in at 173.1mm × 88.3mm × 7.5mm and weighs in at 203 grams. Initially, the device will only be available in China at a price of RMB1499 ($230 approx.), RMB1699 ($260 approx.) and RMB1999 ($307 approx.) for the respective models.

From what we know so far, all three models will share the same 6.44-inch FHD display, 3 gigs of RAM 5mp/16mp front and rear cameras, expandable memory, fingerprint scanner, metal build, USB 2.0 port and the massive 4850 mAh battery. Difference between the model priced at RMB1499 and the one that is priced at RMB1699 lies in the chipset used and the in-built memory. If you are ready to pay the higher price, you can own the 64GB model with the octacore Snapdragon 652 chipset. The cheaper one on the other hand will offer you less internal storage (32GB), as well as the slightly weaker Snapdragon 650 hexacore SoC. Xiaomi is offering the MI Max 128GB version at RMB1999 and this one will come with 4GB of RAM instead of 3GB. The SD 652 SoC will power this one as well while all other specifications will remain the same.

The Max will be made available for purchase in China, starting May 17, but no such plans for the US have been declared yet. If you really like the specifications and the "giant" form factor, there is always the option of importing one though. What do you think? Would you like to see the Xiaomi Mi Max being launched in your country or would you give it a pass?

Author: Saikat Kar (Tech-journalist and enthusiast)