Interested in the entry-level Xiaomi Hongmi Android smartphone? Then we have the unboxing and hands on video for you!
I always fancied the idea of getting a Xiaomi Hongmi to test, but as there currently isn’t a China Unicom edition, aka WCDMA, I decided it wasn’t worth it. However, as Xiaomi gave us a could of these entry-level MIUI phones for FREE yesterday then it would be rude not to give them a go!
Xiaomi Hongmi Design
After having our hands on the Xiaomi Mi3 yesterday and being very familiar with the Mi2 and Mi2A, it is clear that the Hongmi sits between the old Mi2 style and new Mi3 in the design department.
From the face of the Hongmi it looks more square and edgy than the Mi2 phones, and more similar to the new Mi3. Even the silver buttons on the dark grey body is similar to the new flagship phone.
The rear is similar to the Mi2A with the camera in the center and LED flash below it. It’s a good look for the phone and one which would look good on a handset costing much more.
Moving back to the front of the phone we have a 4.7-inch display with 3 capitative buttons sitting below on the chin. The buttons have red icons but are not back-lit (just like the Mi2).
The 3.5mm head phone jack is placed at the top, the power button and volume rocker live on the right side of the device and a micro USB port in the base. If you are already familiar with current Xiaomi phones everything is where you would expect it to be.
A plastic rear shell is removable and allows for access to the dual SIM slots, micros SD card reader and removable 2000mAh battery.
Screen
As mentioned above the Hongmi has a 4.7-inch display, making it the second largest phone in Xiaomi’s lineup. The display has a resolution of 1280 x 720 and is an IPS unit for improved viewing angles.
Gizchina News of the week
First impressions of the screen are that it is great for use indoors, but it is an extremely glossy finish and is quite tricky to see when used outdoors. I think a matt clear screen protector is in order!
Specification
Above the glossy display sits a 1.3 mega-pixel camera, and on the back we have an 8 mega-pixel Samsung sensor. I’ve not had chance to check the quality but the speed of use on both and the interface is the same as the Xiaomi Mi2 and Mi2A.
Similar priced phones from Chinese phone makers would have a 1.2Ghz quad-core MT6589 processor, or possibly even a dual-core chip, but Xiaomi have gone the whole hog and given the Hongmi a 1.5Ghz MT6589TT, that’s not a typing error this is a TT chip. The first T stands for Turbo and the second T stands for TD-SCDMA (China Mobile 3G).
Helping the processor is 1GB RAM, there is also 4GB of built-in memory and a micro SD card slot for 32GB SD cards.
Other features include GPS, AGPS, FM radio, WIFI, Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack, 2000mAh battery and support for OTG!
MIUI V5
A Xiaomi isn’t a Xiaomi without MIUI and the Hongmi get’s the latest version MIUI V5 built on Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean. MIUI is a highly modified version of Android and features some excellent features including HDR photo, Panorama photos, 1080 video capture, MiCloud cloud storage, Game Center, Xiaomi market and more!
The Hongmi, like other Xiaomi phones doesn’t ship with Google apps or the Play store but installing them couldn’t be easier as there is an installation app available in the Xiaomi app store!
Video: Xiaomi Hongmi Unboxing and hands on
First Impressions
First impressions are very good! For a phone costing 799 Yuan you really should expect such a great specification, let along a well supported ROM with weekly updates and all in a chassis which makes Zopo phones look like a wet noodle!
Hi andy, do you know when the WCMDA 900/2100 version will come out?
I have already seen the spy photo so hopefully soon
China Unicom smartphones are WCMDA 900/2100 compliant and would work in the UK, is that right ?
can it be used in indonesia? for 3g internet….
Cool!
But I don’t really like the design of this phone. Looks like any other generic Chinese phone…
Andy thanks so much for mentioning the Google apps installer. I didn’t even think to check and thought I’d have to flash it on. Turns out it couldn’t be easier.
Here’s the link how to do it too: https://www.gizchina.com/2013/06/09/install-google-play-store-xiaomi-mi2a-google-installer-app/
How’s GPS catching speed with this one? Any better than average mediatek?
That’s something I’m also interested in. I’ll test it tomorrow.
Beg me a pardon dear Andi , what’s the meaning of Hongmi and Honami ?
thank you
Hongmi is Chinese Pinyin which translates to “red rice”. I don’t know what Honami means.
Honami is a girl’s name. It is japanese.
Andi, what does Xiaomi mean? I Google translated it on Alibaba once, and it translated to millet. My cousin says it means small rice. Help?
I think Xiaomi translates as the “Apple of China”. Yes Ihave seen the word millet used in several places when referring to Xiaomi.
Xiaomi , 小米 ， means little rice , or millet.
Very, very glossy. You see only Your own face.
Man you really don’t like Zopo.and this is not from today….
Rather uncanny marketing against zopo. Well its unfair when this device is heavily subsidized by Chinese industries that why its so good price and spec. It’s luring economical customers onto the cm network. So a snipe at zopo seemed unfair. Ok I do also think zopo could drop their price a bit to start winning more fans.
Can you add photo sample with camera? Is camera any good?
Hi Andi could you tell me if this phone (the china mobile version) or the mi2s china mobile version would work on a vodafone network?(their dutch network)
I’m in china atm and would like to bring a phone back, just dont know if it would work in the netherlands. my dutch phone does work with a china mobile simcard but i dont know if thats a guarantee it will work the other way around aswell.
Hey,
The THIS version will only work on GSM in the Netherlands. On other phones there will be no problem for 3G in the Netherlands.
Ik heb al meerdere telefoons uit China gehaald(Waaronder de M1S en de M2A) die prima werken op onze 3G netwerken, vodafone, T-mobile en kpn.
MIUI updates occur on a weekly basis:
Are they OTA via Wifi and:
Are they automatic (and are u told when an update has taken place) ?
or
Are you given a notification on the home screen to prompt you to update ?
Thanks for clarifying
hi Andy,
Can you please arrange the processors in the order of their performances. tegra4,sdragon600,sdragon800, s4 , mtk589T and other commonly found ones you have come across.
From my own experience it t4 and 800 series. T4 may be better for game graphics. Then 600 series then s4 pro then 6589t. 6589t 2 gb ram is comparable to s4 plus series or these days mid range 400 series. Good for their price and highly usable except if you are a avid 3d gamer or need intense GPS applications.
and any comparision abt the dispalys??
i see this one quite attractive. http://www.gizchina.com/2013/08/22/coolpad-grand-5-9-inch-tegra-4-phone-first-look/
the guy in the comments says that its always on nvidia products. are there any other handsets that are saturated??
I plan on buying a new smartphone, and I’m having a hard time deciding between Jiayu G4 and Xiaomi Hongmi? Which one would you recommend? Also, is it true that Jiayu G4 has some problems with touch calibration? :/
Is the screen of the Hongmi optically laminated? Is it an OGS display? Would be great if Andy or anyone else could confirm or deny.