Xiaomi has released the first beta version of Android Oreo for the flagship Xiaomi Mi6. We are talking about the Global Beta ROM in the version 8.1.11: in case you don’t know, it is the beta version of the international ROM with Google services installed. If you have the MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM and want to taste the latest version of the operating system on your Xiaomi device, you will have to switch to another ROM first.

To upgrade your handset to its first beta of Android Oreo from the Global Stable ROM, you have to upgrade it to the MIUI 9 Global Beta ROM v7.12.14 based on Android Nougat. Only then you will be able to install the Android Oreo beta successfully. Once you updated to v7.12.14, you will receive an OTA notification which will automatically update your device. If you are not an expert and you do not know how to flash a ROM, follow the link at the end of the article and you will head to a detailed guide for your Xiaomi Mi6.

We recommend you to backup all your important data before proceeding with the update, as you will lose everything. Note that the beta version of Android Oreo for the Xiaomi Mi6 might be unstable and it might also contain some issues. For example, a problem with localization has already been reported. So, do not take the Global Beta as a ROM for daily use. If you want to take the risk, click the link below and follow the guide which also contains the download links of the firmware. According to the first reports by some users, the firmware has been installed successfully after they followed the guide. At this moment, we do not have any info about the roll out of the Global Stable version.

(Source)

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Xiaomi recently released new updates for MIUI. In addition to bringing new features to the phones, some devices have also gotten updated to a new Android version. Xiaomi says it plans to update a total of 14 devices to Android Nougat and has released a list containing eligible devices.

The Mi Note Pro, Mi 5, Mi 5s, Mi 5s Plus, Redmi 4X and Redmi Note 4X are among the fourteen devices said to have been updated or will be updated to Android Nougat.

The list also mentions the devices that will get an upgrade to Android 7.1 or 7.1.1. Devices on this list are the Mi 6, Mi Max 2, Mi 5C and Redmi 4X.

Xiaomi is known to provide regular updates for MIUI but slow at upgrading them to new Android OS versions. If you are planning to get a Xiaomi phone, this list will help you decide which device to purchase especially if you care for software updates.

RELATED: Xiaomi Riva Appears on Geekbench, Runs Android 7.1.2

Some devices are not on the list such as the original Redmi Note 4 and it is interesting to see that the Mi Note makes it to the list. If your device is not on the list, don’t lose hope yet. You may at least get MIUI 9 and have access to some features from Android 7.0.

All future Xiaomi devices are expected to come with Android 7.0 out of the box until Google releases Android 8.0.

(Source)

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The Huawei’s Honor 9 has arrived fully-spec’d to rival Xiaomi’s Mi 6 in the affordable high-end flagship battle. For all smartphone enthusiasts or consumers who would like a good price for a high-end device, picking the right device is a tricky decision. So, it makes sense to compare the two flagships from China, the Huawei Honor 9 vs Xiaomi Mi 6.

In this article, we will be comparing each phones’ primary features and help determine which option is best for you.

Display & Design

In terms of design, both smartphones share very similar characteristics, front and back glass-covered bodies with a metal rim on the sides. Dimensionally, the Xiaomi Mi 6 sizes at 145.17 x 70.49 x 7.45 mm whilst the Honor 9 at 147.3 x 70.9 x 7.5 mm; both devices operate as very slim slates, with the Honor 9 only thicker by a meager 0.05mm in depth, 2.13mm by height and 0.41mm by width. For long period use both phones come in light packages, Mi 6 at 168g and Honor 9 at a superlight 155g. Note: The Mi 6 also comes in a premium ceramic model, weighing at 182g.

Display

Both smartphones come with IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass, both sporting 5.15inch and resolution at 1080p (Full HD) at ~428 PPI pixel density. Mi 6’s screen covers at ~71.4% body to screen ratio, whilst the Honor 9 at ~69.9% body to screen ratio¹.

In terms of display quality, we will be acquiring an Honor 9 unit soon for more accurate details; however, from our review on the Xiaomi Mi 6, the device hasn’t disappointed in the balance of vibrancy, sharpness and color reproduction. Xiaomi has also pushed the minimum brightness down to a single nit of brightness, which is very impressive in comparison to other 1080p smartphones panels.

Color Options

The Mi 6 is available four body color options: Black, Blue, White, and Ceramic Black; whilst the Honor 9 is available in: Sea Blue, Amber Gold, Black, Seagull Gray.

Other Features

The Mi 6 have removed the loved 3.5mm, whilst the Honor 9 has kept the feature.

Our Pick: Honor 9.

The Honor 9 provides more choice in color whilst Mi 6 offers more choice in material (glass and ceramic), screens are similar on paper, however, the Mi 6 offers a smaller dimensional package but the Honor 9 weighs 13g less. Still, here the Honor 9 steal the win here as they have provided a 3.5mm headphone jack also.

Hardware Specifications

Processor, RAM, and Storage:

The Mi6 will be powered by Qualcomm’s current fastest Snapdragon 835 processor. It has octa-core chipset which includes four 2.35 GHz Kryo & four 1.9 GHz Kryo processors coupled with Adreno 540 GPU. The Honor 9 is run with an in-house Kirin 960 Octa Core four 2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 & four 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53.

In terms of RAM and the storage, the Mi 6 comes with 64 or 128 GB of internal storage options with 6 GB RAM. Whereas the Honor 9 comes in two variants, 64GB + 4 GB RAM and 64 or 128 GB + 6 GB RAM.

The Honor 9 offers external microSD expansion supporting up to 256GB, however, the Mi 6 does not support storage expansion slots. Keeping this in mind, it’s important for you to decide which variant to purchase in consideration to your future storage needs.

Battery:

The Mi 6 comes with 3350 mAh and the Honor 9 with 3200mAh, both of which are non-removable batteries.

Our Pick: Tie.

This section is a very close call, both phones are powered with very powerful CPUs, benchmarks will show that the Snapdragon 835 edges higher in integer performance (completing simple tasks, e.g. web browsing). However, Kirin 960 remains close to the 835’s tail, outpacing the 820/821 also. The Honor 9 offers more choice in models with internal storage as well as MicroSD expansion, however, Mi 6 theoretically will last longer with a larger battery size.

Honor 9 vs Xiaomi Mi 6: Camera

Rear shooters:

For photo-fanatics, we are spoilt with both smartphones offering with dual-lens. Mi 6 is loaded with 12-megapixel wide-angle lens with f/1.8, and 12-megapixel telephoto lens f/2.6 aperture; the Honor 9 has a 20-megapixel lens (Mono) with f/2.2 and another 12-megapixel lens (RGB) with f/2.2. Note that the dual cameras on the Honor 9 are not Leica branded. Xiaomi has promoted the Mi 6s feature of 4-axis OIS improving steadiness of video capture, whilst featuring a lossless zoom (x2) and providing a (x10) digital zoom.

Front shooters:

Both these smartphone cameras have the common features namely geo-tagging pics, touch focus, face detection, etc.

For the selfie lot, the Honor 9 has a f/2.0 8-megapixel lens and Mi 6 has an 8-megapixel sensor but with unknown aperture.

Our Pick: Unsure.

This seems to be too close, I have not had the opportunity to test out each smartphone side by side to provide my honest opinion. On paper, both smartphones show great features and the smartphone will depend on whether you would prefer better contrast pictures from the Honor 9, due to the monochrome sensor, or better zoom and wide aspect photos from the Mi 6.

Features & OS

Both flagships are shipped with expected high-end smartphones features such as 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, fingerprint sensor, NFC, etc. The flagships both come with their own custom UIs, Mi 6 with MIUI 8.0 (based on Android v7.1.1) and Honor 9 EMUI 5.1 (based on v7.0).

For more details about MIU8 and EMUI 5.0².

Our Pick: Mi 6.

Mi 6 wins due to adapting relatively the latest Android Version currently. Personally, I like MIUI since it provides stable updates on a regular basis. As for Honor 9’s EMUI 5, I haven’t used it yet to judge how good it is. 

Availability & Pricing

The Mi 6 has an advantage here, as it has been released since April 2017 in the Chinese market already and available for the global market. The 64 GB and 128 GB versions of the release price for the Mi 6 is at ¥2,499 (~$367) and ¥2,899 (~$425) in China, these prices can be found cheaper on online retailers. Note: The price of the Ceramic version is much higher, priced at ~¥4132.81 ($607.99)³.

The Honor 9 will be on the backfoot here since it will be officially being on sale today. The Honor 9, 4GB RAM model will be priced at ¥2299 (∼$338), the 6GB RAM + 64GB variant will go for ¥2699 (∼$397), and the 6GB RAM + 128GB version will sell for ¥2999 (∼$441).

Opinion: Mi 6. Based on the release date prices, I believe the Mi 6 is the most ideal affordable smartphone to purchase on the date of publishing, this is because the Mi 6 is currently available and the directly competing models are more likely to be cheaper than the original release price from third-party retailers, not to forget the release prices for the Mi 6 are already lower. Huawei will need to receive comments from our reviewers and consumers on availability and price before further confirmation.

Honor 9 vs Xiaomi Mi 6: Conclusion

If you are already fans of either Xiaomi or Huawei, the choice will be rather simple, as both phone provide very similar specifications. However, if you are an indecisive consumer or looking to switch camps, these two flagships prove to be a very difficult couple to pick.

If you are someone who prefers a smartphone with the smallest footprint, different build material choice, bleeding edge internals, highest capacity battery, wide-angle & closeup photos, smoother videos; regular Android-based MIUI updates, connectivity with other same-branded products (Xiaomi’s smart-home products) and best prices (ex. Ceramic model), the Mi 6 is the best choice.

Whilst, if you prefer lightness, more ‘spec’ choices, 3.5mm headphone jack, powerful in-house CPU and better contrast photos, the Honor 9 is yours. Yes, the 3.5mm headphone jack could be a big advantage for the Honor 9, but we’ll have to see if it’s enough for consumers to pick the Honor 9 over Mi 6. The camera quality would be another big differentiating factor. We have seen that the Mi 6 manages to capture some great shots but we are yet to test Honor 9’s camera prowess.

I hope this comparison has helped you determine which phone you would like to purchase so far, and as the Honor 9 matures this comparison should be updated accordingly.

For more details please try out our comparison feature here.

If you have any burning thoughts or queries about Honor 9 vs Xiaomi Mi 6, please drop a comment down below. I will try my best to reply.

¹ Screen ratio may differ according to calculation.

² Based on GearBest price. 16/06/17.

³ We apologize that we do not have a detailed comparison between the MIUI 8 and EMUI 5.1 at this moment.

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Just in case you are wondering, this isn’t the next round of the usual Mi 6 flash sale but is, all the same, an opportunity to grab the Xiaomi Mi 6 if you’re in China. Xiaomi has hinted that the Mi 6 would be available for purchase tomorrow May 9 exclusively on Tmall. Yeah, Tmall again. Tomorrow is Xiaomi Super brand day on Tmall and the Mi 6 will join other Xiaomi products in going up for sale on the Official Xiaomi flagship store at Tmall.

The Mi 6 will be up for grabs at three different periods, obviously in the usual flash sale pattern. The first sale will be at 0.00AM, the next at 10.00AM and the last sale will be at 8.00 PM. Xiaomi has assured that there will be a large stock of the flagship smartphone which they termed “Crazy huge quantity” during the Super Brand day.

Read Also: Xiaomi Mi 6 Lite Version With Snapdragon 660 Chip Rumored As Coming!(UPDATED)

Unlike the Mi 5S and Mi 5S Plus which saw a 200 Yuan reduction in their prices, the Xiaomi Mi 6 will be sold for its official 2,499 Yuan price for the base model and 2,899 Yuan for the top model. Recall that only the 6GB + 64GB version had been available in the previous flash sales but this time around, the 6GB + 128GB high-end version will be available for purchase. The offer also comes with free shipping.

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