5 reasons why MIUI 10 is better than your mobile OS

This post is brought to you by Xiaomi Malaysia

While the world of mobile computing can generally be divided into two camps — Android or iOS — the prevalence of manufacturer-specific OS skins has given these otherwise binary operating systems a whole lot of variety. But, not every iteration produces a better experience — in fact, a lot of them often miss the mark.

Xiaomi’s MIUI, is an exception. This is an operating system that not only gives their users the core strengths of being on the Android platform, but it also innovates on top of that. This leaves you with a robust operating system that also provides an excellent user experience. Find that hard to believe? Here are five reasons to change your mind.

1. Optimised for Full Screen smartphones 

Almost every single modern smartphone these days have already ditched physical navigation buttons. Gone are the clicky Home buttons, and in its place we find the capacitive buttons (most commonly, back, home and recents) everyone’s familiar with today. But, in recent times, manufacturers have shifted towards a fully gesture-based navigation system so they can get rid of all the pesky buttons and bring us these expansive full-screen smartphones.

Making sure they’re a step ahead of the competition, Xiaomi’s actually built MIUI 10 from the ground up and optimised it for full-screened smartphones. This gesture based system that you’ll find in MIUI takes every Android navigation into consideration, including home (swipe up from bottom), recents (half-swipe up and hold), and even back (swipe from the left corner to right).

In fact, they’re so committed to this buttonless future that they’ve even optimised the way your recent apps are displayed. On MIUI 10, Xiaomi opted for two rows of apps in big tiles instead of a single file of cards. This makes selecting your desired app a breeze, without needing you to swipe around too much.

2. An operating system that helps you feel connected to nature

We live in a modern fast-paced world that has no place for complacency. If you don’t move fast enough, you will be left behind. But, sometimes, we have to take a step back and step out of the maddening current that is progress to take a look at our roots, so we know where we’ve come from.

Everything begins from mother nature and it’s honestly a little disheartening to see how many of us have forgotten this in their pursuit of advancement. In MIUI 10, however, Xiaomi hasn’t forgotten this vital connection. Despite being such a technologically advanced operating system, the company has still built in a couple of green touches to make sure we never forget our roots.

One simple example lives in the MIUI clock app. When you initiate a timer countdown, you’ll be showered with the soothing sounds of nature. It may be a small touch in retrospect, but the fact that they took the time to build something like this in shows an attention to detail that you don’t find in many places.

3. Ultimate mobile editing studio

With MIUI 10, you don’t have to search high and low for a feature-packed third-party mobile photo editor because there’s already one built-in. The default photo editor lets you tweak a whole bunch of settings for the photos, as well as add filters, stickers and even doodle on the picture.

But, the most powerful thing about this photo editor is the Erase tool that actually lets you remove unwanted elements in your photo. Let’s say you’ve taking this awesome landscape photograph, but there are unwanted elements in the picture — like the bags of rubbish here — making it less than ideal.

All you need to do is use the Erase tool and erase these elements from your photo. It’s almost magical how the tool makes it seem like the bags were never there in the first place!

4. Making sure your phone stays as fast as it is on Day 1

All the power in the world would be for naught if your smartphone’s operating system isn’t well-optimised. That’s why a lot of smartphones — even the hyper-expensive flagships at the top of the market — start to lag and stutter as time goes on. With MIUI 10, Xiaomi’s designed the operating system to ensure this laggy future doesn’t happen to your phone.

One of the system’s they’ve implemented is that they’ve grouped all the features related phone maintenance under one roof. It’s called the Security app and in it you have all the controls you need to keep your phone running in tip-top condition. In the Security app, you can get an entire overview of how your device is running, how secure it is, the storage status, installed apps and a whole bunch more. MIUI will also give you instructions on how you can clean your system and remove unnecessary files so your device stays organised.

If you’re a gamer, MIUI 10’s Game Speed Booster will help your device focus all of its computing power to ensuring that your game runs smooth.

5. Easy file-sharing with other MIUI 10 users with Mi Drop

Besides sharing your photos and precious memories on social media, sometimes you’ll be taking a wefie with your best buds, because your phone has the best camera, and everyone wants you to send them the photo. Traditionally, this can be a pain in the butt, but not with MIUI’s Mi Drop.

It’s a service that lets you transfer files and photos over WiFi Direct, which is way faster than Bluetooth. What’s more, you don’t need to be a Xiaomi user to have this feature. As long as you’re on an Android version 4.4 and above, you can install the Mi Drop app from the Play Store and sending and receiving files.

This transfer doesn’t require an internet connection and won’t eat into your data quota either. All you need to do is follow the simple instructions in the app.

BONUS: You don’t even need a physical SIM card for mobile data

A new technological breakthrough that’s rapidly gaining popularity in terms of on-device implementation is something called e-SIM. With e-SIM, smartphones can connect to mobile data even without a physical SIM card in your smartphone.

This feature is available on selected Xiaomi models. Some of the models that support e-SIM functionality are:

1. MI 8 (MIUI V10.0.3.0EAMIFH)

2. Mi 8 Lite (MIUI v9.6.5.0ODTMIFD)

3. Mi 8 Pro (MIUI V10.0.1.0.OEDMIFH)

4. Mi MAX 3 (MIUI V10.0.1.0.OEDMIFH)

5. Mi MIX 2S (MIU v10.0.2.1DGMIFH)

6. POCOPHONE F1 (MIUI V9.6.25.0.OEJMIFD)

7. Redmi 4A (MIUI V9.6.2.0.NDFMIFD)

8. Redmi 4X (MIUI V9.6.2.1.NCKMIFD)

9. Redmi 5 (MIUI V9.6.4.0.NDAMIFD)

10. Redmi 5 Plus (MIUI V9.6.2.0.NBCMIFD)

11. Redmi 5A (MIUI V9.6.1.0.NAMMIFD)

12. Redmi Note 4 (MIUI V9.6.3.0.NCCMIFD)

13. Redmi Note 4X (MIUI V9.6.2.0.NCFMIFD)

14. Redmi Note 5 (MIUI V10.0.3.0.OEGMIFH)

15. Redmi Note 5A (MIUI V9.6.3.0.NCCMIFD)

16. Redmi Note 5A Prime (MIUI V9.6.2.0.NDKMIFD)

17. Redmi Note 6 Pro (MIUI V9.6.6.0 OEKMIFD)

You can buy mobile data from service providers like Durian Man for prices that start as low as RM1 for 300MB.

What’s more, they also provide roaming services so you don’t have to pull your hair out looking for a local SIM card vendor when you arrive in a foreign country. Durian Man will immediately get you connected to the internet. If you want to know how you can activate the e-SIM on your smartphone, check out this article by SoyaCincau BM.

Join the MIUI ecosystem today

MIUI is a robust application that not only brings you all the core benefits of the Android operating system, but it also packs useful features on top of that to improve your quality of life. Besides the awesome user experience enhancements featured above, MIUI also receives fast updates that bring even more features and stability to your smartphone experience.

It doesn’t matter if you’re on a flagship smartphone, a mid-range device or an entry level handset, MIUI — and the latest MIUI 10 — has features and optimisations built in for device. That said, one of the biggest strengths MIUI has to offer is how community-driven it is. Developers value feedback from their users and they’ve dedicated an entire forum for users to provide feedback and recommendations for future software updates. It is truly an innovative mobile operating system for everyone.

So, if you’re out looking for a brand new smartphone this holiday season — and you want one with software and a team that cares — check out Xiaomi’s extensive catalogue of devices online at Lazada or at any of their authorised retail outlets. They’ve got devices for every budget bracket, and they’re some of the most bang-for-buck handsets out there.