Xiaomi announced its Mi Note 2 back at the end of October 2016, and the phone bears more than just a coincidental resemblance to the Galaxy Note 7. The Mi Note 2 features a 5.7-inch, curved OLED display (rather identical to the Galaxy Note 7's 5.7-inch, curved AMOLED panel), quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 (to the Galaxy Note 7's quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820), 4GB/6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB of onboard storage (the now-deceased Note 7 never arrived with the highest variant specs, despite the 6GB RAM, 128GB storage model Samsung considered launching in China due to the country's never-ending spec race), 8MP front camera, 22.56MP back camera, and 4,070mAh battery.
Sure, not all the specs match (in fact, some surpass, if you evaluate devices based on sheer numbers alone; I don't recommend this, however), but the curved OLED display and 5.7-inch screen size are not present on the Mi Note 2 by mistake.
The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 has been called a Galaxy Note 7 alternative by some (though not all), and those who call it this overlook the fact that the Mi Note 2 does not have a digital pen/stylus of any kind. I'd compare the Mi Note 2 to more of a Galaxy S6 edge+ than anything else, considering that the S6 edge+ had a 5.7-inch, curved AMOLED panel (though the Mi Note 2 is only slightly wider than the 5.5-inch, Galaxy S7 edge). But, there may be some reasoning, though strange, to justify Xiaomi's own estimation of its Mi Note 2 as a Galaxy Note 7 alternative. Now, to add further fuel to the imitation claim, Xiaomi is preparing to launch the color to remove all doubt as to the heavily-inspired nature of this device.
Xiaomi Founder Lei Jun announced the device would receive new colors (pink, green, and blue) at CES 2017, but now, to confirm this Galaxy Note 7-inspired device for what it is (a little too inspired), Xiaomi will launch a Blue Coral version of the Mi Note 2. That's right: “roses are red, smartphones are blue, the Galaxy Note 7 debut color is coming to the Mi Note 2,” to use a rhyme that just fits.
Lei Jun went skiing in Switzerland recently, taking time to pose with the new Blue Coral Mi Note 2. The color does match that of the same color option on the Galaxy Note 7, which debuted the color before Samsung brought it over to the Galaxy S7 edge to appease former Note 7 users who preferred the color over existing color options.
What we can take away from the Blue Coral Mi Note 2 being prepared for the market is that, in addition to Samsung's dual-curved AMOLED displays, the company's R&D work into new color options is also leading the way, too. We also think that the retro Black Sapphire and (future) Crimson Red Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus color options will further enhance Samsung's reputation in phone color and customization.
Samsung's Blue Coral debut color for the Galaxy Note 7 has become one of the company's most famous color options, but it is not the first blue color option the Korean giant has launched in its “Galaxy.” Other blue color options consist of Blue Topaz for the Galaxy S6, Blue Iceberg for the Galaxy S4 Mini, Electric Blue for the Galaxy S5, Blue Arctic for the Galaxy S4, Scuba Blue for the Galaxy Alpha, the Pebble Blue Galaxy S3, Blue Galaxy J1, and Blue Topaz Galaxy Note 2, among others.
To check out the upcoming Blue Coral Mi Note 2 following in the footsteps of the original debut phone, the Galaxy Note 7, check out Lei Jun's phone poses below.
