Xiaomi “Red Rice” Hongmi smartphone finally revealed

Not all smartphone brands have had the opportunity to make it big on a global scale, but some have managed to make a name for themselves in local markets.Xiaomi, a Chinese company that has gained such kind of popularity, has removed the covers on their rumored “Red Rice” phone. And the features are impressive and, should I say, colorful.

Now revealed as “Hongmi”, the smartphone first leaked over the Internet with some rather high-end features. Although not everything was a hit, it did end up not disappointing. Instead of the rumored Nvidia Tegra 4, Hongmi uses MediaTek’s MT6589 with four ultra low-power Cortex A7 cores and the SGX544 PowerVR GPU, giving it the ability to play H.264 1080p videos smoothly.

The multimedia capabilities of the Hongmi are also noteworthy. An 8 MP Samsung camera is located at the back with a 28 mm wide angle lens and is capable of recording 1080p videos. On the front is a 1.3 MP camera that can record 720p videos. The Hongmi also boasts of an audio system that comes from Dirac, the same Swedish manufacturer that provides audio systems for luxury cars.

On the software side, Hongmi is running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It does have a unique twist, as it has opted to put the MIUI Launcher on top. It also has two SIM card slots, allowing users to use two TD-SCDMA or GSM cards at the same time on standby.

The Hongmi comes in three colors: ivory, metallic gray, and Chinese red. The back covers, however, are changeable, with the additional colorful options of blue, green, and yellow. For all these features, you’d expect to pay an arm and a leg to get one. You can safely keep your limbs, as the Red Rice smartphone only costs RMB 799, which is roughly $130. Unfortunately, there is no word if this will ever be available in international markets.

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ZTE Grand S and Grand Memo go up for sale in China for pretty decent prices

After snatching the spotlight both at CES in January and MWC in February, ZTE decided to take a breather and got back in the shadows for a little while. But the Chinese were obviously cooking up the Grand S and Grand Memo launches, which have finally taken place earlier today.
Naturally, the duo has gone up for grabs only in China for now, but chances are the two big guys will take Europe by storm as soon as next month. Only we don’t think they’ll cost as much as some retailers on the old continent claimed, given they’re pretty affordable in their homeland.
Right in line with rumors from last week, the Grand S costs 3,399 Yuan, or $542, while the Grand Memo is available for 2,688 Yuan ($428).
Mind you, the Memo is not quite as impressive as it looks, despite rocking a massive 5.7-inch display. The resolution is only 720p, the 1.5 GHz quad-core processor beneath the hood is an already oldie Snapdragon S4 Pro and it appears there’s just 1 gig of RAM too.

ZTE is still going forward with the idea of issuing the Grand Memo in several different editions, one of which will supposedly pack a Snapdragon 800 CPU alongside 2 GB of RAM. We have no idea when that version might hit stores, but the first model to land in Europe will still step things up a notch compared with the Chinese version, sporting a Snapdragon 600 SoC and, hopefully, 2 GB of RAM.
As for the Grand S, that’s a machine just short of perfection, with only one major flaw – a meager, non-removable 1,780 mAh battery. Aside from that, the 5-incher boasts a Full HD screen and packs a 1.7 GHz S4 Pro CPU and 2 GB of RAM inside a 6.9 mm thin body.
The thing has microSD support for expanding the 16 GB of on-board storage, a nice 13 MP camera on the back and a more than decent 2 MP snapper fitted on the front. What more could you want?

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ZTE Grand S and Grand Memo reportedly priced in China at $540 and $430

There’ve been a lot of rumors and semi-official news relating to ZTE Grand S and Grand Memo’s pricing, but this time we have something that rings true for a change. And by rings true, we mean the price points are not as ridiculously high as before.

According to GizChina, the high-end smartphone duo finally has official recommended retail prices for mainland China. The Grand S is the more expensive fellow, going for 3,399 Yuan, while the Grand Memo is reportedly worth 2,688 Yuan.

That translates into around $540 and $428 respectively, based on current conversion rates, which is a lot less than the €629 and €599 the two have been listed for a while now in Germany. It’s also closer to what other Chinese flagships go for in their homeland, including the $499 Oppo Find 5.

But you’ve probably noticed the Grand Memo is cheaper than its little brother, which is a tad unusual. That’s in part due to the fact the Memo only has a 720p display instead of S’s whopping Full HD panel and in part because the first variant released will pack that “old” quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro.

After a huge scandal during MWC, which I’m sure you remember, ZTE revealed the Grand Memo will come in three different flavors – with an S4 Pro chip, a Snapdragon 600 and a Snapdragon 800. Unfortunately, the 600 and the highly anticipated 800 model are due out “later this year”.

As for the Grand S, the spec sheet is the same old, same old. Meaning the 5-inch 1080p display is stunning, the 6.9 mm thin profile is amazing, the 13 MP camera, 2 GB of RAM and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean are all top of the line, but there’s only a measly 1,780 mAh battery inside the thing and most of us just can’t live with that kind of a compromise. Can you?

How about the S4 Pro-powered Grand Memo, does it sound like it has enough bang for the buck?

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