Xiaomi has always been more than vocal about the fact that "we don't update a phone just to change an Android version number. But, actually it has to make the phone better." Take the newly announced MIUI 9 update for instance. Rolled out in beta globally on August 11, with a stable version launching this Friday (November 3) for the Redmi Note 4, Mi Mix 2 and Mi Max 2, the MIUI 9 update is said to offer explosively fast app launch times on the back of "optimised haptic feedback, intelligent CPU acceleration and optimised thread scheduling."
MIUI 9 is as fast as stock Android: Xiaomi
"I've seen some reviews where people say that this device has worse hardware than a better equipped Redmi device, but because it has stock Android, it's faster: that's objectively not true," the spokesperson reiterated.
Xiaomi measures this in two ways. The first is by comparing app launch times. "We compared it with Samsung, and found we're faster than TouchWiz. We also did a comparison of Redmi Note 4 with the Mi A1 because basically they're the same hardware: one on MIUI 9 and another on stock Android. In terms of app launch times, we found it's about the same."
Rolled out in beta globally on August 11, with a stable version launching this Friday (November 3) for the Redmi Note 4, Mi Mix 2 and Mi Max 2, the MIUI 9 update is said to offer explosively fast app launch times
Xiaomi's second 'objective' test involves measuring lags - on a phone -- over a long period of time - for users to notice -- with both first party and third party apps. "We're faster than TouchWiz and when you compare stock Android with MIUI 9, over the course of 6 hours, the Mi A1 had about 86.5 seconds of accumulated lag, for the Redmi Note 4 it was about 90 seconds," the spokesperson said adding that three years of performance improvements later, MIUI is now at par with stock Android, if not better.
Xiaomi's custom ROM, aka MIUI, although it offers a seamless experience across the board, is known for some heavy skinning on top of Android, something that hard-core geeks don't really appreciate. Also, because there's third-party skinning involved -- and because Xiaomi likes to update each and every device in its portfolio more or less on similar lines -- the fact that users have to wait longer for updates, doesn't go down well with many. That besides the fact that the company is known to kill some key Android features just so it can maintain uniformity across its devices is a subject of much debate. The MIUI 9 update is a little different.
Xiaomi on Thursday announced the roll out of its custom ROM MIUI 9 for users. The Android-based ROM was announced in July and has been exclusively available to beta testers. With MIUI 9, Xiaomi says its focus has been on making the app launches faster along with delivering a smoother interface with minimum latency.
As announced previously, MIUI 9 brings a slew of new features such as split screen, improved notification panel and new icon animations. The company has also announced a roadmap for the roll out of MIUI 9 and eligible smartphones.
Here’s the new look of MIUI. (Xiaomi )
MIUI 9: Eligible smartphones
The latest update will cover almost all Xiaomi smartphones including the Mi 2 that was launched in 2012. The Xiaomi Mi 3 that was launched in 2013 is also eligible for the update. Here are other Xiaomi smartphones slated to get the update:
2017: Mi MIX 2 / Mi Note 3 / Mi 6 / Mi Max 2 / Redmi Note 4 / Redmi Note 4X / Redmi Note 5A / Redmi 4 / Redmi 4X / Redmi Y1 / Redmi Y1 Lite
2016: Mi MIX / Mi Note 2 / Mi 5 / Mi 5s/ Mi 5s Plus / Mi Max / Mi Max Prime / Redmi Note 3 / Redmi 3 / Redmi 3S / Redmi 3S Prime / Redmi 4 / Redmi 4A
2015: Mi Note / Mi 4i / Redmi 2 / Redmi 2 Prime / Redmi Note 4G Prime / Redmi Note 2
2014: Mi 4/ Redmi Note 4G
The final version of MIUI 9 will be rolled out initially to Xiaomi’s top-selling smartphone Redmi Note 4 along with Mi Max 2, and Mi MIX 2. The rest of the eligible devices are scheduled to be updated within a month.
MIUI 9: Top features
Last year, MIUI 8 came with features such as scrolling screenshots, SMS caller ID, dual apps, second space and more. The new version comes with a new ‘lightning’ icon, to denote faster performance of the UI. As explained by Xiaomi, the core of MIUI 9 is to make the user experience more fluid by reducing the app lags and optimised battery life.
New features for multimedia enthusiasts (Xiaomi )
MIUI 9 comes with an automatic background activity management for lesser stress on the battery life. With automatic cache cleaning and cache management, MIUI 9 aims to optimise the performance within the given set of specifications. Other system improvements include real-time defragmentation, deep sleep recovery, core congestion control, improved data transmission efficiency and Wi-Fi speed boost.
In terms of visual, the icon animations have been revamped to appear more subtle and in line with stock Android look and feel.
Leveraging Android Nougat, MIUI 9 now allows users to use two apps simultaneously via split screen. The company also allows users to swap the dual screens according to their preferences. Other Android inspired features are bundled app notifications and quick replies from the notification dropdown.
One of the new features of MIUI 9 is a new App Vault section, which can be accessed by swiping right on the home screen. The vault lets you add various apps for quicker access. Some of the apps that are compatible with App Vault are notes, and QR code scan.
MIUI 9 also focuses on improving photography experience. It comes with a photo editing tool that allows users to remove objects within an image. There are a few Augmented Reality-based photo stickers.
For multimedia enthusiasts, MIUI 9 now supports all major video file formats as well as now automatically clubs similar files in one folder for easier access.
Users can now also download Mi Calculator, Mi Explorer, and Mi Drop as standalone apps from the Google Play Store. Mi Drop, a popular feature on Xiaomi smartphones, will now appear as a dedicated application. The feature allows users to transfer all file formats via Wi-Fi direct. The app will be available for download from November 16.
MIUI 9 also has a bunch of India-centric features such as the Panchang calendar, festival cards for over 26 festivals in India, as well as Horoscope, News, Cricket News, Cricket Schedule, Football Schedule, Health and Fitness, and ‘On this Day’ information. The gallery app now features 12 sticker sets onboard, with four exclusively designed for India.
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