What's better. Pure Android or Xiaomi MIUI shell? 

Hello friends. At the end of 2017, we told you about the innovations in MIUI 9; that article was relevant for those who are already familiar with the shell and would like to understand what new features they will receive after the update. Today we have prepared a detailed overview of the entire shell, listing all the functions and capabilities that are present in it.

Launcher

Since the very first versions, MIUI has had the principle of “all applications on the desktop”, so separate menu There are no programs in the launcher. This solution has both pros and cons. On the one hand, this approach encourages maintaining order on the desktop, on the other hand, if you don’t sort programs into folders, then the screens will be a mess.

Initially, a 4x5 grid is used; on devices with large displays, 4x6 and 5x6 options are available. You can also change the screen scrolling animation in the settings.

Interestingly, a long press does not bring up the widget panel; to access them you need to pinch with two fingers.

In the settings you can select the default screen, enable autofill empty cells and protect the launcher from changes. My mother has a Xiaomi Mi Max 2, I specifically enabled this option for her so that her icons wouldn’t accidentally fly off, it’s convenient.

Until recently, almost all icons in MIUI had an ugly white border, but in Nine the “Infinity” theme appeared, in which each application has a default icon.

Separately, I note that flipping through desktops - strong point MIUI is still with Android 2.1, the shell in this regard is very fast.

Dialer

Xiaomi has one of the best built-in dialers, its analogue exDialer is very popular application, I put this program on almost every new smartphone.

The digital pad supports Smart Dial - you just need to enter the first letters of the contact's first or last name, and the application will immediately find it.

The contacts themselves are sorted in the following order: favorites go first, and then all the rest in alphabetical order. If desired, in the settings you can select sorting by first or last name.

If you assigned a photo through a Google account, then when you call, MIUI will crop it at the edges so that it is displayed on the entire screen. It looks ugly and sloppy, as the image detail decreases.

In the settings, you can enable recording of all calls or calls from specific contacts. I can’t help but note that when using an iPhone, I sometimes miss this feature.

Call screen

During a call, a call recording is available, a contact photo is displayed, you can quickly open a note or put the call on hold.

SMS

Application for SMS standard, it doesn’t have any special capabilities; unfortunately, it doesn’t even know how to quickly mark messages from the curtain as read.

Lock screen

From the lock screen, swipe left to launch the camera, and swipe right to launch the Mi Remote and Flashlight app. In the settings, you can set the display of notifications: with information from them or without it (so that strangers didn’t see your text messages, for example). You can also enable a wallpaper carousel so that each time you turn on Lockscreen they will be different.

Notification curtain

Previously, MIUI had a double curtain, on one part there were only notifications, on the other there were interface switches and a brightness adjustment slider. Now this display also remains, but, fortunately, it can be easily disabled in the settings.

The number of switches and their sequence can be changed right there. By the way, long pressing the switches opens their settings, I really like this feature.

Interestingly, by default application notification icons in the status bar are turned off; they need to be specifically turned on in the settings.

Browser

The browser in MIUI was convenient a few years ago, nothing much has changed over the years, you can also use it as the main one without any problems.

The start screen contains your bookmarks, search string(interestingly, Yandex search is the default) and recommended sites. Last tab advertising, but if you hold your finger on any of the recommended bookmarks, you can easily disable the entire panel.

Browser supports night mode, it can be easily called by itself right click at the bottom of the screen.

Among other functions, I will highlight a separate reading mode, traffic saving mode, the ability quick access in downloads and loading the entire page offline, as well as enabling full-screen mode.

Those who like to read a lot of articles from a smartphone will like the ability to scroll through text using the volume rocker, and those who change smartphones can enjoy synchronizing history and bookmarks using Mi Cloud.

Music player

MIUI used to have a very cool and functional player: playlists, playback by folder, online search for texts and covers. Now the player interface has changed, but all these features are still available to you. By the way, if you want to enable display by folder, click on the icon with four squares, I didn’t immediately figure out where it was.

Video player

The video player looks rather ascetic, but out of the box it supports most popular formats, it can also work with multiple audio tracks and subtitles. At the same time, if there are no subtitles, the player can search for them on the Internet. The player can also broadcast images to TV via Wi-Fi, although with my Samsung TV this function did not work.

Conductor

File manager MIUI was the most advanced a few years ago and has not lost its capabilities since then. On the main screen, you can sort all your files by type (photos, videos, etc.), and a traditional tree system is also available. A nice bonus It becomes possible to use a smartphone as an FTP server, I often use this function.

Gallery

In fact, within the gallery there is also a photo editor, its capabilities are quite wide, considering that it’s not even separate application. You can crop your photo, apply filters, add text, change white balance, and more. A cool option is the ability to rotate the photo directly while viewing using a two-finger gesture.

Weather

The built-in weather app is beautiful and functional. You can see a detailed forecast for the day or week, there are a bunch additional information. The forecast source is AccuWeather. By the way, in ancient times the weather widget was constantly buggy and did not work, now there are no problems with it.

Camera

Initially, the camera interface seems very laconic, but in fact it has many additional options: Turn on filters, activate scenes for shooting, turn off the click sound when taking a photo, detect age (works strangely) and turn on geotagging. When you turn on front camera, then the beautifier automatically becomes available.

Mi Remote

We must give credit to Xiaomi. They are almost the only ones who continue to equip their devices with an IR port. A proprietary application is used for its operation. It has preset settings for a huge number of manufacturers, from TVs to air conditioners.

Screen Settings

Here you can enable a separate reading mode, it is very finely customizable: from the intensity of yellowness to the schedule automatic switching on. In the next section, you can configure the color scheme; you can select one of the presets or change the settings yourself. Changing the font size is also available here.

Sound and vibration

Fine-tuning sound and vibration mode. The “do not disturb” mode and its scenarios are configured in this section: you can choose who can call you in silent mode, whether vibration should work when it is turned on, etc. One of my favorite features, I use it regularly.

Battery

Xiaomi suggests looking at application energy consumption statistics and limiting their background activity. I recommend not using these settings and disabling them altogether, as otherwise you will receive notifications with a significant delay.

Buttons and gestures

All Xiaomi devices use a panel of buttons: “Menu”, “Home” and “Back”. You can configure the behavior of each button in detail, change their places, determine what will happen with a long or short press, activate the button backlight or remove her in general.

Headphones and sound effects

This section configures the actions of the headset buttons. Interestingly, not only headphones from Xiaomi are supported, but also third-party solutions.

One-handed operation

A popular function for reducing the size of the display, in this “as if” mode it is more convenient to control the smartphone with one hand. Depending on the screen size, there are several reduction settings available. For example, the small Redmi 5a has only two presets, while the large Mi MIX has three presets.

The function is called by swiping left or right from the Home button. For it to work, it must be activated in the settings.

Cloning applications

Allows you to create an additional copy of the application. Very convenient function for owners of public pages on Instagram or public accounts. Also suitable for fans of multiple messenger accounts.

Application Permissions

MIUI has fine-tuning permissions for applications. If you don't like the fact that a banking app, for example, has access to GPS or phone book, then you can easily ban it. However, keep in mind that some programs may not work correctly after being banned or may not start at all.

Themes

MIUI has a huge fan base, so in addition to the built-in themes from the manufacturer, you can also download one of the many themes from the web. At the same time, the themes in MIUI are very sophisticated; they change not only the icons, but also the wallpaper, ringtone, display of the lock screen and a number of other parameters. Of course, a lot depends on the developer, but the potential of MIUI themes is huge.

Separately, I’d like to note that I’m terribly annoyed that on the stock theme almost all the icons have a white border. This is currently fixed by the Infinity theme, but in MIUI 8 this was a real problem.

Backup

MIUI can make backups both to the cloud and on the device itself. By default, only 5 GB is available to you in the cloud, while the system itself very intrusively offers to save all photos and videos there. I disabled this option in settings. But synchronizing phone calls and SMS turned out to be useful, while practically not wasting precious cloud space.

Safety

The Security application is a kind of hub that contains all the options that protect the user in one way or another. This includes application cloning and a blacklist for SMS and calls. Even these are available interesting features, as a second space (when there are two copies of desktops).

You can immediately clear the memory of garbage, the smartphone will automatically show you how you can save space.

Conclusion

On this moment MIUI is one of the most functional shells; it is perfect for both advanced and ordinary users. What I don't like about the shell:

1. Round bezels in the launcher (corrected by the theme);
2. Cropping photos of contacts when calling;
3. Skip notifications. Unfortunately, even if you disabled everything energy saving modes, some notifications still arrive late.

Let me make a reservation right away that learning MIUI-level shells requires large quantity time. I tried to talk about all the basic and additional functions of the shell, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I missed one or another feature. I apologize in advance if this is the case.

Since August, Xiaomi has been conducting open beta testing of the new MIUI 9 firmware, which, according to the developers, is designed to be fast as lightning - they even drew a corresponding logo. Now both fans and critics of the phenomenon company are eager to find out whether the new MIUI has really become faster, and whether the device with it on board is more durable?

First of all, the Android version remains the same, and in the case of the Xiaomi Mi5 on which testing was carried out, it is 7.0 Nougat. Official beta version MIUI 9 can already be downloaded from the official website for Xiaomi Mi6, Mi5X, Redmi Note 4X, Mi Mix, Mi Note 2, Mi5, Mi5S, Mi5S Plus, Mi Max 2, Mi Max, Redmi 4, Redmi 4X.

Appearance and ergonomics

Default theme. At first glance, there are no changes: the theme is one to one as before, and nothing has been added to the “Themes” application. But if you go to “Settings - Themes”, you will find two new ones: pink “Fantasy” and dark “Midnight”.

Pre-installed themes in the Themes app

Pre-installed themes in the settings menu

There are some visual changes in the stock theme - these are animations. When minimized, the application no longer “dissolves” as before, but collapses into an icon, much the same as it is implemented in iOS. The designers added one more small detail - a funny animation of icons when collapsing stock ones. MIUI apps: dialers, browsers and others. This is what it looks like:

Lock screen and desktop - there are many more changes - and, frankly, very pleasant ones - that can be found if you delve a little deeper into the system. From the lock screen, swiping left still launches the camera - it remains the same. But swiping to the right now provides quick access to the flashlight and some applications. For now it's only branded services Mi (of which Mi Remote and Mi Home are relevant for Russia for some devices), that is, the menu is not very useful, but it is possible that in the future it will be possible to install shortcuts and widgets of any applications there.

The desktop settings menu still opens with a pinch, and now there are only three positions: wallpaper, widgets and settings. Application icons in settings mode can now be checked and transferred from one desktop to another in batches. Moreover, you don’t have to wait at the edge of the screen with icons pressed down - an overview of existing tables immediately opens, and you can drop applications where you need them. In general, it's better to see it once.

Widgets are no longer huddled in the “basement”, but occupy an entire menu and are provided with a preview, so you no longer have to add each of the application widgets to your desktop to understand which one is best suited.

In the settings menu, you can select the style of flipping through desktops, and also, starting with the firmware version of August 31, designate the main desktop.

New features and applications

Multi-window mode appeared in the seventh version of stock Android, but the corresponding MIUI 8 update did not bring the long-awaited feature. But MIUI 9 already supports working with two programs simultaneously: all popular messengers, social network clients, browsers - in general, everything you need for happiness. Multi-window mode is enabled through the recently launched applications menu.

You need to click on the “Split Screen” inscription at the top, drag any supported application from the recently launched ones to the top area, and then tap to select the application for the bottom of the screen. You can return to home screen- the top application will be minimized, and a somewhat awkward message “Tap to return to split-screen mode” will appear in the status bar. The same thing happens if you return “home” while working with two applications at the same time.

Applications work correctly in both vertical and horizontal orientation.

Finally, the windows are scaled: by default the screen is divided in half, but you can move the border, and then the window ratio will be 1:2. If one application opens the keyboard, the second one hides either at the top of the screen or under the keyboard. You can exit multi-window mode by simply moving the border between windows to the edge of the screen.

Reply to a message directly from the notification. Many applications have been offering this function for a long time, and now it is natively supported by MIUI 9: for example, when receiving an SMS, you can tap on the “Reply” button and, in fact, do it on the spot - exit active application and you don’t have to open the messenger.

Silent mode. A small but extremely convenient improvement: when you change the volume using hardware keys, in addition to the corresponding slider, a menu button appears on the screen silent mode. There you can turn off the sound or select the “Do not disturb” mode - forever (that is, until it is turned off by the user), for half an hour, an hour, two or eight hours. Thus, you can turn off the sound at night or during an important meeting many times faster than before.

"Unimportant" notifications. In MIUI 8, you could swipe almost any notification to the left in order to prevent the application that sent it from appearing in the curtain with one movement. Now this function remains only in the settings: the same actions send “discarded” applications to the “Unimportant” folder. By default, the function is inactive; it must be enabled in the notification and status bar settings - the “Notification Filter” item.

What could be, but is missing. Unfortunately, many of the functions and features expected from the updated firmware were not included in MIUI 9. For example, the call did not migrate to it from Android 7 context menu by long pressing on the application icon - perhaps it’s a matter of time. Also at the presentation of MIUI 9, a lot was said about the proprietary Smart Assistant, about launching applications in the context of the Smart App Launcher, a “smart” search algorithm in the Gallery... But all this is relevant only for China and is absent in global version firmware. It is possible that something will be added to the full release, but you shouldn’t pin your hopes on it.

Speed ​​and autonomy

The lion's share of attention at the presentation of MIUI 9 was given to the performance of the system. And for good reason: the speed of the interface and application loading has increased significantly. The interface has become noticeably smoother and faster, applications also began to load faster. How did they do it?

The creators of MIUI 9 have finalized Google features Android 7.0, in particular, dynamically allocates memory in favor of the most important (that is, more frequently and more used) applications. Due to the use of most of the system resources at the time of launch, the speed of loading applications from scratch has increased noticeably. We compared the speed of the same Mi5 on MIUI 8 and MIUI 9 and recorded the process on video. For clarity, we edited the video so that the applications were launched simultaneously, that is, if possible, we removed the human factor from the comparison.

In addition, the algorithms for clearing the system cache, various types of file garbage, and so on have been improved. Full list The changes “under the hood” can be seen in the illustration below.

In other words, statements that Xiaomi developers have seriously redesigned the internal logic of their own firmware can be believed. Compare the results of synthetic tests of the same Mi5, one of which has MIUI 8 China Developer Weekly installed, the other with MIUI 9 Global Developer Weekly.

But how things stand with autonomy is not yet entirely clear. The first version of the new firmware, dated August 24, caused a significant decrease in battery life: if previously the smartphone consistently had enough full charge for a day, then after the update, under the same operating scenario, it began to ask for an outlet twice during this time. However, the update on August 31 returned everything to normal - obviously, work in this area is still underway, and it is too early to make a final verdict. Nevertheless, here is the result shown by the PCMark autonomy test on firmware 7.8.31:

Which devices will receive the update and when?

There is no official list of devices that will be updated to MIUI 9, but judging by rumors, the update will not reach Xiaomi Mi1, Mi1S and Mi2A smartphones, while owners of all other Xiaomi smartphones have every reason to count on official release The firmware will be released at the end of September - beginning of October this year.

conclusions

The developers kept their main promise: MIUI 9 really functions faster than its predecessor. It is not yet clear whether the autonomy will still be as great, but the overall positive dynamics give hope that there will be improvements here too. The firmware did not take up more space on the drive: on the experimental Mi5 it was 10.73 out of 64 GB (including the OS). But it brought many useful and pleasant innovations - not everything we expected at once, but future updates remain.

What's better. Pure Android or Xiaomi MIUI shell? One of the reasons for the popularity of Xiaomi smartphones was a proprietary add-on, a shell over Android called MIUI.

Fans of the system risk calling it “the best mobile operating system,” while haters call it “the worst launcher.” Who to believe? Let's try to figure it out together.

What if MIUI is exactly what everyone needs? Or does iOS have only one alternative in the form of “pure” Android (AOSP)?

1. Desktop vs Application Menu

When you turn on “naked” Android for the first time, you are amazed by the cleanliness of your desktop: only the essentials are on it. In fact, it plays the role of a huge quick access panel - or, if you want, a complete analogue of the Windows Desktop.

The MIUI developers initially chose a different approach for their shell, familiar to all our readers: dump everything en masse on the desktop, then figure it out yourself.

Yabloko members claim that this is more convenient. “Xiaomists” echo that you can create several desktops, convenient folders, put unnecessary things in one place away... And so on.

2. Curtain: custom or standard?

The second difference between the two systems catches your eye even earlier than the application menu. The curtain in Android allows you to place a limited number of applications, and in the most simple versions does not allow itself to be edited.

Slightly more advanced "pure" AOSP shells allow you to remove or add a couple of icons for quick launch Bluetooth or SIM card settings. But you can’t add something of your own from deep within.

MIUI is another matter. The seventh version offered an almost endless carousel that could accommodate any quick launch shortcuts.

Now the carousel has been replaced by a standard curtain, but its maximum size is limited only by the screen size. And the choice is much wider - including due to shortcuts to those settings that are not in AOSP.

3. Security restrictions

Security is interestingly organized in two versions of one system. AOSP requires you to enable “Developer Mode”, after which any actions are possible after confirmation. Sometimes, for major changes, you don’t even need root rights (administrator rights to write to system folders).

MIUI behaves in a similar way. But any program, except the actual Google and Mi applications, is installed with disabled access rights.

Excellent, because in MIUI the set of rights is seriously expanded, for example, access to the network via Wi-Fi, via 4G and in roaming - these are 3 different switches.

And in addition to the actual access rights to resources, the operation of each application is regulated general rules working with system resources.

4. Working with memory

Unless the user has set otherwise, borrow in this moment The memory can only support 2 types of applications: system and active with an open and active window.

All others are unloaded from memory as soon as another program is opened on top. “Cleaning memory” on the main screen even unloads services. Need background work? You need to set the appropriate permissions.

All this is very different from AOSP, which allows any programs and services to hang around in memory as long as they want, consuming resources. There is only one limitation - a lump sum running processes should fit in 50.

5. Working with the battery

MIUI behaves approximately the same way in terms of battery consumption. Do you want the messenger to consistently send notifications and work in the background? Don't forget to turn off battery saving mode for it.

In the stock MIUI battery manager, you can set several levels of limiting battery consumption by applications:

do not limit

limit when consumption exceeds the background,

limit the application itself in the background and leave the service active (relevant for instant messengers),

close the application completely.

Of course, nothing like this can happen in bare Android AOSP.

6. Available or locked bootloader

The only way to bypass such restrictions is for an application to install itself in the boot area. But if a regular AOSP most often offers open access to him through boot loader, MIUI completely blocks access to it.

Need to flash on third party firmware? You need to get permission to unlock the bootloader, connect your smartphone to your computer and pray that the Chinese servers are available.

At the same time, it will be quite difficult to deceive some Sberbank, which checks the “cleanliness” of the system area of ​​the drive - most likely, it will stop working.

On the one hand, this is bad, and for an experienced user it only brings additional problems. On the other hand, relatives Xiaomi firmware work stably and rarely require intervention. And you won’t need an antivirus, as in the joke about viruses in Linux: it will have to manually set all permissions.

AOSP, on the contrary, with its bootloader open by default, is a complete security hole even for applications from the Google Store.

7. Child mode and other methods of protection

Although every Android smartphone has a fingerprint scanner, its capabilities in the stock operating system are limited to unlocking the screen.

MIUI also offers to block access to any application using a fingerprint, right down to the system settings menu.

If this is not enough, you can use the “Children’s mode”, in which you have access only to designated programs, and exit to common system is possible only after unlocking - including with a fingerprint.

8. Double space and dual applications

For those who like to experiment, MIUI offers one more feature: an additional desktop in which to live additional applications or their clones.

Do you need to install an unstable beta version of the program? Installing in Extra Space will limit its impact on the system. If something doesn't go according to plan, you can completely clear this area on the drive.

For multiple accounts in one Xiaomi app suggested system utility, whose functions in AOSP are assigned to third party software: Duplicate installed programs.

Each uses own settings. So this is a real godsend for SMM people, for example: after each one you can duplicate third party program, and on one smartphone you can spin a bunch of accounts for free.

9. Interface scaling

Unfortunately, "pure" stock Android only allows the user to change the wallpaper, screen gamma and font size, and enable screen gestures for quick access to applications and functions.

In MIUI you can customize everything: font size and type; change the purpose of hardware and touch buttons, enter on them additional functions; assign the behavior of the LED indicator.

However, screen gestures are limited to tapping and 2-3 finger combinations (versus the alphabet in AOSP). On the other hand, MIUI is much more convenient for users who are accustomed to small screens.

In addition to scaling fonts, she suggests using a slide to switch the interface into a tiny window of 3.5-4 inches or enable a mode with huge shortcuts that turn the smartphone into something like a “grandmother’s phone.”

Which is more convenient and faster?

So what do we end up with? Stock Android is not burdened with unnecessary settings, applications and utilities. If you need something beyond the minimum proposed by the developers, you will need additional software.

MIUI already integrates almost all system elements for fine tuning smartphone. About the software third party developers, which changes OS parameters, can be safely forgotten.

So, pure Android is faster than MIUI? Not at all.

Action restrictions reduce OS clutter throughout the life of the smartphone, and high-quality optimization and long-term support from Xiaomi lead to stable work throughout the life of the smartphone.

In extreme cases, it can easily turn into a “dialer”, a backup device or a “granny phone”. Regular Android smartphone During this time it turns into a “pumpkin”.

P.S. Who is cooler: MIUI or “naked” Android?

Many people are interested in - Which firmware is better? Pure Android or MIUI. Today we will try to answer this question.

There is currently only one smartphone on the market Xiaomi company, which comes preloaded with pure Android, is . He has an absolute “twin brother”. By technical specifications, filling, appearance - these smartphones are identical. The price for them is also almost the same. So what should you choose? What's better?

The purpose of this article is not to compare these two smartphones, they are simply ideal for this, due to the fact that they differ only in the installed firmware. Moreover, they have the same operating system - Android. After all, MIUI is not a separate operating system, but an add-on for it.

Also, we will not dwell only on the Mi A1 when discussing pure Android. For almost everything there are many firmwares from various manufacturers, such as: LineageOS, AOSP, Flyme, Resurrection Remix, etc.

These firmwares, of course, cannot be called pure Android; they all have built-in add-ons, as is the case with MIUI, various launchers, applications and other features, which, in fact, distinguishes them from each other. It is often difficult to find good custom firmware that is fully optimized for your device. In which all sensors work, there are no problems with the camera, there are no “glitches”, spontaneous reboots, etc. Although there are exceptions. Not long ago, we installed Resurrection Remix v. 5.8.5 - Android v. 7.1.2 on Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro, where absolutely no problems were found in the operation of the smartphone on this firmware version (more earlier versions they were present, and in huge numbers).

SO WHAT IS THE BEAUTY OF PURE ANDROID?

On the one hand, the lack of pre-installed software is a plus. There is no need to delete, and often this cannot be done without presence of Root— that’s right, a bunch of unnecessary applications that are already included in the firmware. On the other hand, because There is initially nothing in the firmware except Google services; in order to start fully using your smartphone, you must first download and install everything required applications. The advantage of this firmware is its speed. The phone responds very quickly to user actions, and this “speed” does not disappear over time.

We will not touch on the appearance of the shell here - this is a rather subjective matter. Some people like the look of pure Android, its icons, curtains, menus, etc. Some people are more inclined to the MIUI interface, while others are more inclined iOS style. In fairness, it should be noted that in terms of customization, MIUI is head and shoulders above firmware on pure Android. You can download and install absolutely any interface, icons, fonts and much more. Available great amount available topics. Pure Android cannot boast of this. The application allows you to improve this situation a little Substratum theme engine, which allows you to download and install already ready-made themes(it’s bad that most of them are paid), and also try to make a theme yourself.

Another huge plus pure Android It is worth mentioning that updates for it will be released simultaneously with smartphones from Google. This does not mean “cosmetic” updates, but updates to new version Android. If we take the Mi A1 as an example, it was initially released on Android 7, and the manufacturer also stated that the update to Android 8 would occur before the end of this year. Not a single smartphone from Xiaomi (except this one) can boast of this. Firmware with new Android XIaomi smartphones are released with a huge delay from the date of its official release. And some of the models (older) are completely content with only updating to MIUI 9, while remaining on the old version of Android (6, 5, 4).

WHAT IS MIUI GOOD?

In terms of interface speed, MIUI is no different from pure Android, this is especially true for MIUI 9 firmware. Compared to MIUI 8, the interface of the new firmware has become smoother, applications launch faster, animations are processed without any delays or glitches.

When you use MIUI for the first time, you immediately notice the abundance of settings, pre-installed software, and useful ones at that. There is also a built-in antivirus, memory cleaning, application startup management, second space, application cloning, application blocking, a blacklist for calls and SMS and much more. You can read more about interesting features of the MIUI shell. When using pure Android, all these functions can be activated only by installing the corresponding applications, which in turn takes time to download and install. In addition, not all applications cope equally well with the tasks assigned to it, so you still have to look for those that will work properly.

MIUI updates are released quite often, if you take new smartphone models, in which minor bugs identified during operation are corrected. With the update to the new version of Android, of course everything is a little sadder, but current models they are received, only much later than pure Android smartphones.

Let's consider another issue - the power consumption of a smartphone on different firmware. After all, a lot depends on the firmware and its optimization for a specific device. Here we cannot give primacy to any of the firmwares. Both behave quite well, the battery discharge graphs are smooth, no dips are observed. Here, of course, we mean official firmware. By installing third-party firmware, the situation may be very different, and for the worse.

CONCLUSION

If we compare all the “FOR” and “AGAINST”, we can draw the following conclusions.

The main advantage of pure Android is the timely release of a new version of Android. In all other criteria, different versions operating systems performed equally well.

It seems to us that it is more convenient for the end user when he takes a new smartphone, turns it on and starts working. It already has everything you need. Well, or almost everything. This is especially true for new users who are using Android for the first time. There is no need to rack your brains about which applications to install, which ones are better, faster, safer, not “gluttonous,” etc. In MIUI, all pre-installed software is included in the firmware, which means it is tested at the entire stage of its creation. There shouldn't be any funny things with them. As practice shows, they don’t exist.

We decided not to take the appearance into account, but in terms of customization, the MIUI firmware provides almost limitless possibilities. There are a sufficient number of themes, icons, fonts, sounds and much more, they can be downloaded and installed without any problems. If you wish, you can recreate the interface of pure Android, if you suddenly like it so much.

In terms of energy efficiency, there is complete parity.

For ourselves, we choose MIUI. This firmware is more balanced. With the release of version 9, it has only become better, faster and more reliable. The presence in the firmware of the ability to fine-tune the smartphone, as well as built-in software that makes your life easier during use, really sets MIUI apart from other firmware. When using a different firmware (or simply picking up a smartphone other than MIUI), the thought constantly creeps in that something is missing.

We hope in this article you received answers to your questions, or at least some of them.

Leave your comments and wishes.

Xiaomi has released a new version of its own graphical shell, based on the latest Android operating system. What's new in MIUI 10? And why new interface will be faster than lightning. Overview of changes, list of devices and release schedule for Xiaomi smartphones.

The first news about the tenth version began in early 2018, then the vice president of the department Software, Juan Longjon.

Fans could only wait for the official presentation and find out the update release schedule for their Xiaomi phone model.

MIUI 10 review – what's new?

Let's look at the main changes that await users in the new version of MIUI.

1. Will change appearance notification panel. The interface will be similar to – large round icons, active functions are highlighted in blue.

2. New notifications. It will be possible to hide the extra panel to display more notifications.

3. New volume control. The volume slider will now be positioned vertically.

4. New preview applications running in background, which improves the usability of a full-screen smartphone.

The manager presents an overview of the last four (up to six) applications in a vertical format. The list can be scrolled up or down.

5. New versions of original Mi applications (Weather, Mi Drop, Mi Music, Mi Video and others).

6. Improved control gestures.

7. Added new functions using algorithms artificial intelligence(AI). For example, for a camera - improving the quality of photographs, portrait mode and background blur for phones with one camera.

9. Improved ecosystem management smart home Mi Home using your phone (supports more than 600 brands).

10. Added battery optimization function.

11. New sound design and system sounds.

12. A special mode for drivers, which will help you be as focused as possible on driving without being distracted by your smartphone.

By the way, at the presentation of MIUI 10 they showed a slide comparing the speed of Mi Mix 2S and iPhone X. In most tests Xiaomi smartphone with installed new firmware overtook a competitor.

Which smartphones will receive MIUI 10?

Most Xiaomi smartphones will be able to update, except for models using outdated versions operating room Android systems 5.0 Lollipop and below.

The full list of smartphones that will receive MIUI 10 is presented in this article:

The list of devices includes both Redmi and . Of course they will be priority latest news, including the flagship.

MIUI 10 release date

The official release date is June 2018.

Active beta testing began on June 1, 2018 Chinese version MIUI 10 China Stable firmware. Therefore, experienced users can try the “ten” right now if they wish. Provided that:

• Do you have one of next smartphones: Mi 6, Mi Mix 2, Mi Mix 2s or Redmi Note 5.
• You understand that you are installing beta firmware, which may contain errors.
• Do you remember to do timely backups all important data, and take responsibility for your actions.

In turn, the developers welcome all submitted bug reports. Since they are speeding up the release stable firmware for most Xiaomi users.

MIUI 10 release schedule

The developers have drawn up a release schedule for the Chinese version of the firmware. The update will take place in three stages.

1st stage

• Mi 8 / 8 SE,
• Mi Mix/2/2s,
• Mi 6/6X,
• Mi 5,
• Mi Note 2,
• Redmi S2,
• Redmi Note 5.

2nd stage

Start – end of June.

Release of stable Chinese beta firmware MIUI 10 for smartphones of the 1st stage of distribution.

3rd stage

• Mi Note 3,
• Mi 4/4c/4S,
• Mi 5X/5c/5s/5s Plus,
• Mi Max/Prime/Max 2,
• Redmi 5 / 5A / 5 Plus / Note 5A / Note 5A Prime,
• Redmi 4 / 4X / 4A / Note 4 Qualcomm / Note 4X,
• Redmi 3S/3X,
• Redmi Pro,
• Redmi Note 3 Qualcomm.

At the end of July, developers can expand the list by adding several new models. The Redmi Note 4 MTK version will also receive the update. But owners of this device should be prepared for the fact that in the case of an old OS, most of the features will not be available.

The stable global version of MIUI for each model will be released with a delay of two weeks to a month.

Therefore, if you are not used to waiting. An alternative would be popular custom firmware that supports the Russian language.

The developers themselves advise not to rush and wait timely updates global version from minimum quantity critical errors.