Hardware & Specs

Smartphones are becoming cheaper and cheaper, with companies like Xiaomi and OnePlus coming out with phones like the Mi Note and the OnePlus Two, with Snapdragon 810 chips, and flagship specs, it’s going to be really interesting. Coming to the spec battle, Xiaomi and OnePlus have done a bang-up job with their phones. With both the phones priced at almost the same amount, which one should you buy? Let’s find out.

With an interest of justice, this comparison is done with the higher-end model of the OnePlus Two, which comes standard with 4GB RAM, and 64GB internal storage.

While the whole candy-bar design of phones is a little too generic, with the likes of Samsung, making it fancier, the front panel of the OnePlus Two is nothing spectacular. Just a plain black panel on the front, which is simple, and generic, yet effective and cost reducing.

OnePlys two has a home button that cannot be pressed but does have the fingerprint sensor. While many people would love to have a physical home button that has a tactile feedback, this is an obscure design choice on the part of OnePlus. This makes the Xiaomi Mi Note stay in advantage.

Both the OnePlus Two and the Xiaomi Mi Note have bezels. However, the bezel-screen blend is more effective on the OnePlus Two as it has a black bezel and it blends really well. That being said, the Mi Note’s blend ratio is not that bad as well. Both the phones are pretty good in this area.

Speaking of the feel, it is really a matter of opinion of things, the OnePlus two has a textured back which helps in the grip of the phone. While the Mi Note has a glass back, with curved edges for better grip. The OnePlus two has five different back covers which can be swapped out for a different feel or texture. The Mi Note falls short in this area, with virtually no options other than adding a skin or a case.

The OnePlus two lacks the dual-tone flash that the Mi Note has, but let’s face it, how many times do you use a flash anyway? So, this is not a huge deal for many people.

Xiaomi Mi Note uses the popular 2.5D glass on the back, instead of a standard plastic, which given a chance will damage the phone if dropped from a significant height. The OnePlus Two on the other hand the OnePlus Two uses a hardend plastic around the back of the phone which warps to around the whole device, which provides a lot more protection from drops.

Accounted for a cheaper price the OnePlus Two is more thicker than the Mi Note with a thickness of 9.85mm, and even the weight of the Two is significantly more than the Mi Note. The OnePlus two is not a single handed phone by any means. If you try to however, you will have a sore finger after a while.

The OnePlus Two also has the new USB-C connector, but you dont have to worry about it, because, for atleast now, type-C is just a minor step-up from standard Micro – USB, besides, if you loose the USB-C cable you have to run around buying a new one, but if you loose a Micro – USB you can use virtually any cable you have.

OnePlus Two also has a hardware three-function mute, vibrate, switch.

The OnePlus is a thick, heavy phone, with 5.7 inch compared to the 5.5-inch Mi Note, that is also a factor that might influence the purchaser. With an optional rear shell, it might be an advantage, then again, who goes back and forth to just use the phone?

UI and OS

A smartphone should be easy to use and, in addition to hardware support, of course, one should also take account of the UI. OnePlus Two uses the Oxygen OS based on Android Lollipop adding to the design language; MIUI is is still in Android, but with added options to customize it, which Oxygen OS is relatively new at.

33% of free wallpapers selection, with blocks of color highlights in the APP icons continue to be the main part of Oxygen OS, and one small grid is really people could not help think of is Hammer UI, but apparently, Oxygen OS is a more modern flattened style. As MIUI upgrades to V7 with addition of five default in-built themes, the bigger difference when using the clear surface of an update, it seems there is not much difference actually.

Gestures accounted for the most of the navigation of Oxygen OS, with the notification area giving an example: swipe to right to open app, and swipe left to close the notification, and it will take quite some time to get used to, but after while it will come in handy. But here there is a small point though, a single notice is too much, a key to clean all notifications at once needs to be added.

Control center on Oxygen OS, slides up from the bottom, compared to from the Top on MIUI, while again, it does get a bit of time to get used to, it is relatively responsive and works very fast.

A hardware key to put the phone in silent is another feature that the OnePlus Two boasts, this is one feature that I personally wish all phones had as a standard. This will always come in handy when you need to quickly need to silent the phone when you dont want to be disturbed.

OnePlus Two has a fingerprint scanner for unlocking the phone, or to make secure online payments, which the Mi Note lacks. Oxygen OS even comes with it’s bag of tricks when compared to MIUI.

Roaming This feature millet officially appear on MIUI 7, 35 countries provided it is reasonable roaming tariffs, eliminating the local office lease Wi-Fi card or pain, to ensure the smooth flow of traffic after going abroad, although usually not will show the advantage, but once encountered such a situation, immediately you will feel this feature superior.

Hydrogen OS in the details and focus on fine-tuning the beauty and simplicity of UI MIUI seems to go exactly the opposite way, in a public homogeneity of UI style is out of his own style, more like a custom Android UI, has different aesthetic. Of course, the author’s own experience is concerned, still feel in a very short period of time bored, wallpaper change what is common, where hydrogen OS obviously can not match MIUI has a massive library of the topic. Function, through the interaction of different languages, the two homologous Android customize the system time and can not pull much difference.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Really want to say winner configuration, it is still Mi Note top version, it uses the 2K screens and Hi-Fi module is still yet to know one plus two and a phone. The screen, a plus to keep Huawei consistent attitude that the resolution continued to climb and no practical use, the screen display is what they should do better to pursue.

Mi Note with a so-called “sunshine screen” that actively adjusts the contrast of the screen under strong ambient light conditions, it has reached at the same brightness better display; one plus two is very straightforward increase screen brightness, 600nit brightness is almost chasing some simple and crude, “a light cover 100 ugly,” meaning, not to mention its own color is not “ugly.” So in this respect, the phones can be said to have advantages and disadvantages, evenly matched.

Said decent performance part, security Bunny ran sub to be a reference, Xiaolong 810 strong I believe I do not have to elaborate too much, fluency two phone system, no doubt, with them, “Xiu Xiu” feeling, after all, still need high Configuring flagship phone can be achieved.

OnePlus Two 810 Xiaolong actually lower than the frequency of Mi Note top version used, but this is actually a reduced part in daily use is imperceptible, and even Two and Mi Note overall experience than millet top version better.

Third-party applications load faster Mi Note faster than than the OnePlys Two. It operates under note two phones are restarted after the background without any procedural conditions.

I did this happen slightly surprised, the gap is more obvious reason may be due to a 2 plus phone usage time is not very long, and Mi Note top version has been used as a backup machine more than a month. Even so, one plus 2 mobile phone is also a very fast absolute thing.

Savage 810 provides ample performance, then the question is, two phone’s battery life okay?

Specific data, or test as well, about the several tests, the ambient temperature was about 27 ?, the phones are starting to use electricity from 100%.

1. The highest screen brightness, Wi-Fi connection and a mobile signal line, using the silent mode Sohu video playback ultra-clear video, “Dragon Nest: Warrior’s Dawn,” a half-hour

2. The highest screen brightness, Wi-Fi connection and a mobile signal line, using the players to play local 1080p resolution video for half an hour in silent mode

3. The maximum screen brightness, Wi-Fi connection and a mobile signal line, a 3D game “whitewater boats 2” mute mode for half an hour

Final results as shown above, you can see the phones relatively close to the power situation, a better performance OnePlus Two believe its 3300mAh battery capacity has a close relationship. From this data it seems, the two phones are generally used support full-day rhythm, the next day you want to charge, or very reluctantly.

As for the charging time, a greater power OnePlus Two but faster, from power runs off to charge up to 100% with 2 hours 16 minutes; Mi Note top version is a little more than two and a half hours. Given half an hour before the charge level and there is no substantial difference, in fact, little difference fast charge two phones.

Camera

As an important part of a smartphone features, image quality worthy of attention, in addition, the overall mobile phone camera startup speed and focus speed is also an important element of the impact of camera experience.

Camera start-up speed is obviously Mi Note faster, but if you count the focus is complete, then that is one plus 2 more dominant.

You can see from the focus speed tests, if the object does not have access to the center of focus part Mi Note is not trigger auto-focus, manual can; plus 2 is equipped with a laser-assisted focus here has played a considerable role. Note in the case of millet can successfully focus, one plus 2 is still a bit faster, compared to only if the focus of Mi Note the contrast is even more hesitant.

The following proofs are in accordance with the cell phone is a plus 2, the next top version Mi Note arrangement.

Sample one plus 2 show the most, is still registered to the hair that white balance, almost no white breaking the rhythm back to never give up. Note a yellow Mi in the end its not a small gap.

Resolution, the same performance as two mobile phones close to 13 million pixels, but one plus 2 more aggressively sharpening strategy, high-magnification lower edge portion will be more obvious glitches.

Color, aside from time to time yellow Mi Note about outside, both reduction strategy is relatively close: a little bit more saturation.

Macro side, a plus phone 2 can successfully focus of recent Note slightly shorter distance than the Mi Note, so in the case of equal aperture, is clearly a plus 2 macro Some more prominent theme.

Indoor lighting on one plus next 2 balance still outstanding performance, while noise aspect Mi Note fared slightly stronger than the one plus 2. But also equipped with a plus 2 Shtr OIS lens group Note lower than Mi, so this disadvantage has been fill up.

Taken together, one plus pictures Note 2 more liquidity than Mi, especially white balance, this just above the level of one plus 2 in the face of the phone is not so to the power of millet Note indeed accounted for a lot cheaper . To Sum Up Xiaomi Mi Note pro Vs OnePlus Two, with a Snapdragon 810 processor, even if the high version of a plus than Mi Note 2 also top version cheaper 600 yuan; 2K screen, costs Hi-Fi module, although to be counted, but in fact these two does not give the user’s part to bring a substantial influence; in the system fluency and photographed these two crucial parts, millet Note top version has a plus 2 and have not a small gap, this message He is long, a thickness plus 2 weight problem is probably not an unacceptable problem.

If you want to pick up either of the phones, feel free to use the buttons below.