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Animations, Animations, Animations

The bulk of the changes in MIUI 12 are purely aesthetic. Xiaomi has spent time trying to make MIUI look more “natural”. They’ve made changes to the way MIUI will handle animations in MIUI 12. These aren’t just superficial changes such as shortening animation times, they’ve spent time redesigning the way MIUI’s kernel handles these animations. This simply means that the core of MIUI handles animation differently than any other Android based device. Xiaomi has also increased the amount of animations by making UI elements such as icons, pop ups and indicators move in tandem with the movement of the phone. They have also made the animations and transitions more seamless and fluid. In the demo they showed, the settings icon was able to seamlessly transition into the settings menu.

That isn’t all, MIUI 12 doesn’t simply enlarge the icons, Xiaomi has opted to make icons arc as they transition to apps. They claim that this revision allows the overall user experience to be more natural and fluid. MIUI also brings optimisations in the way it handles rounded curves in the UI. Xiaomi has made it so that instead of having dead spaces in the rounded corners of the UI, MIUI 12 will seamless conform to the available space. This also means that you get every interactive pixel within your screen.

Private Casting, App Drawer & Enhanced Privacy Controls

Animation and superficial enhancements aside, MIUI 12 is really bringing some meaningful new features; One of them is Private casting. This new feature allows you to cast larger screens while hiding elements of the UI. Primarily, users will be able to keep notifications, pop up windows and more on their mobile screen. These elements will not be shown on the casted when private casting is turned on. In fact, Xiaomi says, you’ll be able to cast and play a game at the same time without the game being casted to the larger display.

MIUI 12 also brings an enhanced Floating Window feature primarily with new gesture interactions. Users will be able to pull up floating windows to reply notifications by simply swiping down. When used with MIUI’s messaging app, this will bring up a floating window for extended interaction. Floating windows can also be left above others by simply dragging the window to the corner to pin it. A simple swipe will dismiss the window. A further swipe down will enlarge the window to make it the main one.

The app drawer finally makes it to MIUI in MIUI 12. The new app drawer can be toggled on in the settings and is able to automatically categorize your apps. MIUI 12 will also have universal dark mode. While many apps already have this built in, MIUI 12 will natively adapt apps which don’t have the function.

Most impressively, Xiaomi spent a little bit of time developing features to enhance the privacy controls on their devices. The main change is the inclusion of more granular permissions control. Users will be able to select the “when using app” and “notify” options that Android users are already accustomed to. In addition, MIUI 12 will indicate if apps are accessing sensitive information in the background with an icon on the top left corner of the UI. Users are able to see the offending app and even limit its access and uninstall it if they choose to. This enhance feature will be available for storage, camera, location, microphone, call history and contacts. You will also be able to remove sensitive EXIF data from photos before sharing them.

Xiaomi is a household name for anyone who has wants a budget smartphone with killer specs. The brand has been found big on value. That was true when they started globalising the brand with the Xiaomi Mi3, and it is still true today. If you want to get the best value out of your money on a smartphone, you can always be sure that Xiaomi has something in their catalogues.

The Redmi sub-brand for example has been the champions in the budget category making very competitive devices for not very much money available. The devices are no slouches though, despite the asking price. They still pack plenty of features that would impress even the toughest crowds. They still pack the latest of hardware from the modern world at least.

The Redmi Note 9 this year continues with that recipe with an even more powerful offering. The Redmi Note 9 is now offered in two flavours too, a regular one and a Pro version. Of course, it is easy to tell which will be carrying the torch for the Redmi name.

Last year’s Redmi Note 8 Pro came with a MediaTek processor that is admittedly faster than its Qualcomm cousin. This year’s Redmi Note carries a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G System on a Chip (SoC) which is faster than both. The 700 series in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon line-up is actually lined up very closely to the flagship 800 series in their books. That also means the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 this year packs some power. The regular Redmi Note9 comes with a brand-new MediaTek Helio G85, which is no slouch either, to be fair.

The Redmi Note 9 series also gets bigger displays than its predecessors from last year. The Pro version gets a bump to 6.67-inch and the regular variant get 6.53-inch. Both are DotDisplays with a punch hole for a front-facing camera in the display.

The larger display would be a benefit for the 64-Megapixel quad-camera array at the back. That 64-Megapixel is supported by an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 5-Megapixel macro lens, and a 2-Megapixel depth sensor for Bokeh portraits. Up front is a 16-Megapixel shooter.

The regular Note 9 does not get a 64-Megapixel camera. You still get a great 48-Megapixel shooter with 8-Megapixel Ultra-Wide lens, a 2-Megapixel Macro lens, and 2-Megapixel depth sensor. The small dot up front is a 13-Megapixel shooter.

Of course, with bigger displays and bigger bodies the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 and Note 9 Pro need to have bigger batteries. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro gets a super big 5,020mAh battery that should last you well over a day of use. Its 30W fast charging capability should also keep you juiced up and ready to go even before you can get your nose hair trimmed properly. The regular variant of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 also gets a large 5,020mAh battery but fast charging is kept at 18W, still good for a quick 2-hour charge time from zip though.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 and Note 9 Pro will be available in three colours each globally. The Note 9 Pro will be available in Interstellar Grey, Tropical Green, and Glacier White. The Redmi flagship will be available also in two storage variants: either a 64GB or 128GB variant, both with 6GB of RAM. The Note 9 will come in either Midnight Grey, Forest Green, or Polar White. It will also be available in two storage variants with differing RAM offerings too; one comes with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, while the other will be coming with 4GB of RAM and 128GB in storage.

The official word for the local availability is to be somewhere in May 2020. That is not long after the global launch. That is also this month. The only thing we do not have is the local pricing. The global pricing for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 though is from US$ 199 (MYR 855*) and US$ 249 (MYR 1,070*) for each respective variant. For the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro you have to fork out about US$ 269 (MYR 1,156*)and US$ 299 (MYR 1,285*) for each respective model. For more information on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 you can head over Xiaomi’s global blog.

*Approximately based on US$ 1 = MYR 4.30 as of 1^st May 2020

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Tag Archives: MIUI

MIUI 12 Brings Universal Dark Mode, Private Casting & Privacy Enhancements

Animations, Animations, Animations

Private Casting, App Drawer & Enhanced Privacy Controls

Availability

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Series Launched – Redefining Standards

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