14 DAY TRIAL // As expected, Chinese OEM Xiaomi has taken the wrap off its new user interface for its lineup of Android smartphones. Dubbed MIUI 6, the new user interface will be available to Xiaomi smartphone users sometime this year.
According to the company, the Mi4 and Mi3 will be among the first smartphones to receive the MIUI 6 as an update, but other devices may get it as well, even if they were not launched by Xiaomi.
Moving on to looks and functionality, MIUI 6 resembles very much an iOS rip-off. Even though Apple can be blamed for borrowing elements from other operating systems for its iOS 7 and 8, what Xiaomi did is even more daring than what other OEMs on the market do when they launch a new product.
Suffice it to say that Apple fans purchasing a Xiaomi smartphone with MIUI 6 on it will feel right at home. The colors used and the icons’ design strongly resemble Apple’s iOS UI.
Even the famous parallax effect included in the iOS 7 has been copied into MIUI 6 and you will be seeing it a lot when opening certain apps.
But here is what Xiaomi’s officials have to say about their newly announced MIUI 6 user interface: “We believe that it takes more than just good features to create a beautiful design.
From orderly workflows, clear hierarchies and fluent responses, we believe that good design exists in every tap, drag and pinch you make. Natural and intuitive, just the way it should be. This is MIUI 6. It's visually stunning, stunningly simple. It's the start of a new chapter.”
Design apart, MIUI 6 also introduces a set of new features and functions that will surely help Xiaomi smartphones users a lot. For example, with the new MIUI 6 users will be able to mark unknown numbers, access free Wi-Fi with WiWide and use a visual menu for voice service calls.
The Notification Center has been improved as well, as you will now be able to view details on open apps with a single tap. The Notification Centre will now be able to switch over to floating notifications to avoid interrupting users when playing a game or using the camera.
You will also be able to access more than 5,000 MIUI themes for the smartphone. Besides the task manager in the Calendar, MIUI 6 will also allow users to subscribe to their interests ranging from games, holidays, to TV shows and others.
More details on the MIUI 6 are available in Xiaomi’s dedicated webpage. Keep in mind that the update that will bring this new user interface to certain smartphones is still in beta.
