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Xiaomi MI-2 hands-on

The Xiaomi MI-2 has a lot of appeal for the $313 (€259) price tag it boasts. It's got a 4.3" 1280 x 720 display with a pixel density of around 342ppi. It has a quad-core S4 Pro processor on tap with four 1.5 GHz Krait cores, 2 GB of RAM, an 8 MP snapper and runs on a MIUI-skinned Android Jelly Bean.

We got hold of the device while roaming the Mobile World Congress 2013 and snapped the usual array of photos.

Right off the bat, you'll notice the MIUI launcher on top of Android. It's very fresh and comes with a variety of colorful skins, each with its own UI feel and set of icons. They might not meet everyone's taste but as far as custom ROMs go, it's hard to beat it on sheer colorfulness and looks.

Xiaomi MI-2

The screen on the Xiaomi MI-2 is quite impressive. It's got superb viewing angles. Color reproduction is top notch and despite striving to be true to life, most colors pop out impressively, much like on the Optimus G Pro.

It's one of the best we've seen, although far from the color representation of the iPhone 5 or HTC's One X, DROID DNA and HTC Butterfly.

Xiaomi MI-2

The back panel features the 8 MP camera lens along with a single LED flash and the loudspeaker grille. Made out of glossy plastic the back panel is prone to fingerprints and smudges but generally feels nice in the hand, despite this shortcoming.

Xiaomi MI-2

As far as UI navigation goes, the Xiaomi MI-2 is fast and fluid. The S4 Pro chip is more than adequate in handling heavy loads. It's a shame that Xiaomi cannot offer this device on a broader global scale.