Remember the Xiaomi Mi Play that was announced in China a day before Christmas last month? If you’re interested, the device is already available in Malaysia from Mobile 2 Go.
There are two versions available: 6GB RAM + 64GB storage for RM998 and 6GB + 128GB storage for RM1,098. Interestingly, these are slightly different from the Chinese version which only has 4GB RAM + 64GB of storage. Other than that, the processor, camera and battery are all the same.
As the Xiaomi Mi Play is currently only officially available in China, the units you get here are import units that come with Mobile 2 Go’s in-house warranty.
Introduced for the Chinese domestic market in December, the Mi Play features with a 5.84-inch Full HD+ (2280×1080 pixels resolution) Gorilla Glass 5 display. Powering the device is the MediaTek (yes, MediaTek) 12nm Octa-Core Helio P35 processor and a 3,000mAh battery.
In the imaging department, the Mi Play features a 12MP + 2MP AI-powered dual-camera setup at the rear. The front comes with an 8MP selfie camera that supports AI Portrait mode.
In China, the Mi Play comes in a single variant with 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM with 64GB of storage that can be expanded via a microSD card. The version from Mobile 2 Go features either 64GB or 128GB of storage with 6GB of RAM.
Other notable features include a dual-curved back design, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and support for 5GHz WiFi. However, the Mi Play is lacking fast-charging, USB-C and is not water-resistant but what can you expect from a device that sells for RM1,000.
For the domestic China market, the Mi Play comes bundled with a SIM card that provides one year of free internet. Xiaomi is also an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) in China and the free SIM offers 10GB of high-speed data each month. Obviously, this is not available in Malaysia.
For comparison, in China, the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage Xiaomi Mi Play is priced at 1,099 CNY which is about RM665. That’s quite affordable considering it comes with free data for 12-months.
