September is going to be an exciting time for Chinese phone fans, and Android fans in general as the Xiaomi Mi3, Meizu MX3 and Oppo N! will launch. Keep reading to get full details, rumours and photos!
Xiaomi Mi3
The Xiaomi Mi3 is without doubt one of the most anticipated phones to come out of China this year. Xiaomi hit the nail right on the head with both the Xiaomi M1 and Mi2, and we have big expectations for the Mi3!
Although we have seen plenty of purported leaked photos of the Xiaomi Mi3, the leaks are often followed up by further photos which contradict the first!
We were pretty sure we had a good idea that the Mi3 would be a much blocker looking device when compared to current Xiaomi phones after seeing the above photos, but the most recent leaks suggest a less angular and much uglier design.
Xiaomi have been quite good at keeping their phones a secret right up until launch and we wouldn’t be all that surprised if we haven’t seen the final Mi3 design yet!
Xiaomi Mi3 specifications
Speculation of what the phone might be packing seems to have settled down, and most tech sites and insiders are sure the Xiaomi Mi3 will have a 1920 x 1080 resolution FHD display measuring between 5-inch and 5.5-inch. Both the Snapdragon 800 and Nvida Tegra 4 quad-core processors have been shortlisted, but we believe the Qualcomm chip is the one we will see in the phone.
Insiders also suggest the Mi3 will have up to 3GB RAM, 5-mega-pixel front camera, 13 mega-pixel rear camera and 3400mAh battery.
We can also look at the Xiaomi Mi2A and recent accessory launches and MIUI updates for more clues. The Mi2A, the mid-range Xiaomi, has NFC and 5Ghz WIFI and we believe the flagship phone will get these feature also.
Xiaomi’s new headphone plus updates to the MIUI ROM to boost sound quality suggest the Mi3 could also pack a new stereo amplifier and may even come bundled with the ‘piston earbuds’.
Xiaomi Mi3 pricing and launch date
The last 2 flagship phones from Xiaomi both launched at an incredible 1999 Yuan ($320) for the base 16GB version, and with the price reductions to the Xiaomi Mi2S we think a price of around 1999 Yuan for the Mi3 won’t be to far from the mark, but we won’t be to shocked to see a slightly (very slightly) higher price.
The Mi3 will be available through China, Taiwan and HongKong (we might get another surprise at launch), but we don’t expect easy availability outside of China.
Xiaomi will launch the Mi3 at an event in Beijing on 5th September and we will be there to cover the show.
Meizu MX3
Meizu have had a hard time lately, and they are not enjoying playing second fiddle to the ever poplar Xiaomi. For the Meizu MX3 (which might not even be the phones name) Meizu are planing to shake things up a little.
Rather than launch an all new design, Meizu are sticking to their current design style but instead are looking to compete on price with the MX3, something Meizu have never attempted to do before! The most recent news is that at least 2 version of the MX3 will be available, an entry-level 16GB version with no NFC and a top-of-the-range model with up to 128GB memory.
It is also rumoured that the entry-level Meizu could cost as little as 1999 Yuan ($320) with the 32GB model being offered at 2498 Yuan ($408). That’s Xiaomi money! Couple those prices with Meizu’s very good build quality and it could very well be time to get excited about Meizu again!
Meizu MX3 Specifications
Gizchina News of the week
Meizu have been a lot less easier to read with the MX3, but that isn’t to say we haven’t got a few clues to what is going on under the MX3’s stylish exterior!
It looks like Meizu are sticking with their old chip manufacturer for the MX3, meaning that the new phone is going to be powered by a Samsung Exynos 5 Octa chipset, the same processor found in the Samsung Galaxy S4!
Other hardware details include 2GB RAM, 13 mega-pixel rear camera, NFC (except on the 16GB version), 5.1-inch 1080 x 1800 resolution display and the new Flyme 3.0 ROM based on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Meizu MX3 launch
Meizu have already sent out the invitations for the MX3 launch and we will finally see the new Meizu phone on 2nd September at the Water Cube in Beijing!
The MX3 will be available in China and Hong Kong as well as Russia.
Oppo N1
We have known for months that the Meizu and Xiaomi next generation phones would launch around September time, but word that the new Oppo is going to be launched during the same month has come as quite a surprise!
Even with only a few weeks of leaks, tipsters and Oppo themselves have been providing us with tantalizing clues about the new Android device which Oppo hope will be a worthy successor to the Excellent Find 5!
The only details we have concerning the design of the phone are these alleged leaked photos which appeared today. The images show a narrow oblong phone (a design we hope the Xiaomi Mi3 will share).
We can see from Oppo’s own leaks that USB, headphone jack and speaker position on these spy photos match what Oppo is saying is part of the Oppo N1, so we are quite confident that this is the actual phone.
The current Oppo Find 5 is a 5-inch 1080 phone, and rumours say that the Oppo N1 will be a larger 5.5-inch model but (from Oppo again) we know the N1 will be easy to use one-handed.
Oppo N1 Specifications
If we look at the current top of the range Oppo Find 5, the China only China Mobile version which as a Snapdragon 600 processor, we can guess the N1 will have an updated Snapdragon 800 chip. We can also assume at least 2GB RAM (probably 3GB) and NFC, which seems to be popping up on every Chinese phone this year.
Oppo’s own teasers tell us that the N1 will have a rear touch panel which could help using the phone 1 handed, and we also expect the 12 mega-pixel Oppo N-lens to make an appearance on the phone.
The Oppo Color ROM is expected to, in fact we believe Oppo will offer the N1 with either an Original Oppo ROM, the Color ROM and even a stock Android ROM just as they have with the new Oppo R819.
Oppo N1 launch and pricing
We know the Oppo N1 will launch in September but we don’t know where the launch event will take place or when! We also don’t know how much the N1 is going to cost, but a price of around 2999 Yuan ($490) sounds about right and is also the price the Find 5 went on sale for.
Oppo will first launch the N1 in China, but it will be quickly made available internationally through the official Oppo store and country based distributors.
Which Phone are you waiting for?
If you had asked me which phone, Xiaomi Mi3, Oppo N1 or Meizu MX3, am I most excited to see last week I would have said the Xiaomi, but the news of Meizu’s change in marketing and the innovative features of the Oppo N1 make these phones just as tantalising!
I honestly can’t pick one of these phones over the others just now, but how about you guys? Which phone are you most excited to see? Which are you most likely to buy? Let us know in the comments section below!
i never put away xiaomi because it has got very very good update service it is all we need i think the other fetures are nearly same
I much rather have an up-to-date 4.3/4.5 phone
I believe the market for phones in China is all about the bigger the better, but I hope it won’t take long before they find out bigger isn’t actually better 😉 An Mi3 Mini would be amazing hehe, shame the Mi2’s don’t have an SD card slot!
5″ max for me, hope this stupid 5.5″ and bigger race end in massive failures for these companies.
it won’t, asia is a huge market.
mi3 is not 5″ and me to i dont like more than 5.2″ like lg g2
Oppo or xiaomi
and what about lenovo x910(k6) ?
i think it has good design but cannot race with mi3 or mx3 or n1
OPPO really got my attention right now 🙂
Xiaomi Mi3 for the win! 🙂
From Meizu I ‘m still waiting for a bugfree firmware for my MX6 und and I don’t need 128 GB in a Phone or 1800 Pixel-Display. I would prefer a SoC wich supports OpenGL ES 3.0 for future Key Lime Pie. Sorry Meizu but design is not everything.
Xiaomi has a good update service and a value for money but couldn’t comped wth Meizus very small bezel in past.
I guess that Oppo will win the race. They a are fresh and creative company.
Looking forward to the Mi3 and the Meizu. Allthough in the end i think the Xiaomi will take the victory away in sales because of their previous awesome phones, with good software updates.
For me only the Xiaomi. Oppo is to expensive, Meizu has Flyme OS and Xiaomi is the best of them with MIU OS and plenty of advantages. I am clear and sure in this battle which of the three I would take and prefer.
i think like you miui os is the best it is better than even stock android.
I hope MI3 is 4.7″ or less, I own a mi2 and the 4.3″ screen is the perfect size, no need to be bigger for a PHONE. I hope we see all of them as soon as possible, I appreciate all those brands. Hopefully Oppo will have an even better camera so it can compete with the next iPhone camera (as it does right now)
This is your opinion. For me it should be more than 5 inches, better to be at least 5.5 inches. Right now I am having 5.7 inches zopo and I don’t need any laptop or tablet for my Internet surfing or Facebook.
For me Xiaomi but am having second thoughts for Oppo. Curious about the rear touch panel.
Me too , I also Like the Camera
Forever Xiaomi Mi-3… with 5’5 display, of course!! :))
Check out the Oppo rear touch panel details revealed in GSMArena blog.
http://blog.gsmarena.com/oppo-n1s-rear-panel-touch-details-revealed/
“The information is revealed in an Oppo press slide, which is unfortunately in Chinese. Nevertheless, it reveals the rear-mounted panel will let you scroll, click, double-click and long press. You can also bind the rear panel actions to whatever you see fit, and even change tracks on the music player or control the camera.”
Truat me, microsd slot will be a surprise gift for us, a reward for our patience to keep on waiting the mi3!
Its the trend nowadays in most of flagship android phones
, its a shame if mi3 doesnt have one…
Oppo is not the first brand to use a rear mounted “control panel or slider”, Sky Pantech did this on their A860.
Not sure where to go, my current phone (htc diamond touch with Win mobile 6.x) is getting old and I’m looking for a new one, perhaps wait a few more weeks although the Zopo ZP990/C7 is looking nice to me…Oppo is expensive, maybe Xiaomi.
Xiaomi Mi3 Very much looking forward to it. Bigger is better ,as you grow old ,u will understand,Meizu loving the Design slim bezel buh will prefer SnapD 800, Oppo …cant wait it..the 5.5 scren will be cool.like i said Bigger Is Better.
If Oppo keep providing open bootloader, stock android roms, cyanogen support, then it is my brand of choice.
But I guess I would choose the one that comes with a sd slot if any of them sports one.
I doubt it 🙁
How about I help out and leave this little link here from their official Italian store which already apparently has pics of Mi3?
Because those are ancient renders, and there is no such thing as an official Xiaomi distributor. The phones are only officially available in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan (this might change on 5th September though)
Between Xiaomi and Oppo, the one that has the bands my operator uses in Europe.
Both the Oppo and Xiaomi should work well in Europe 🙂
And are they 4G/LTE compatible (2500mhz)?
Oppo looks best.Mi3 back is ugly very different from early renderings around. If it’s a real image no way ! Oppo looks nice and if they done a very narrow bezel and mostly screen (so they could fit a 5.5″ screen without increasing the phone size )they have a winner.
You can clearly see that “less angular and much uglier design” is just a battery cover. Take a look here at the phone itself: http://news.softpedia.com/newsImage/Xiaomi-Mi3-Leaks-in-New-Photos-377136-3.jpg/
Or preferably you could check here https://www.gizchina.com/2013/08/20/xiaomi-mi3-spy-photos-show-the-rear-of-the-new-phone-for-the-first-time/ 😉
Andi, have you forgotten this article of yours?
https://www.gizchina.com/2012/07/22/next-generation-xiaomi-mi2-leaked-photos-specification/
What makes you so sure that it wont happen again to the mi3 😀
Haha I am half expecting it 😉
If you are at both launches is it possible to do a video blog ?
Only going to the Xiaomi one.
If its possible to a video blog for part of the action at the Xiaomi Event, that would be great. If its not then obviously doesn’t matter.
I’ll try 🙂
Only if its possible 🙂
What is Haptic Feedback ?
The vibration you get from capacitive buttons.
Thanks for that 😉
I’m waiting on OPPO’s flagship,their build quality is guaranteed.
Is that the Oppo N1 you are waiting for ?
Find 7.They said they are working on it but it won’t be ready September.September is N1
are there any china mobile phones that are LTE enabled?
Is it me or does the N1 ad seem like a euphemism?
That N1 is looking good. At first I wouldn’t even consider 5,5″. Just wanted
a maximum 5″ screen, but if it looks like that render, wow!
One of the mi3 renders that was made was good too, with the + and – buttons,
but unfortunately that design isn’t going to be it.
So Oppo it is, now to figure out how to get one. Anyone have ideas about this?
I’ve been scammed once with UMI X2 on Aliexpress, so I’d like to avoid
that website 🙂
I just wish one of them or someone would build a smaller phone, what was wrong with the size of the mi2? It was perfect. Why does everyone have to suffer with a massive phone right now? If one of these three builds a mini, I will buy it. They’re all great manufacturers.
which of these is better?
considering performance,price and after sales service
when it will be launching internationally?