Xiaomi unveils Redmi Note 3, Mi Pad 2, and Mi Air Purifier 2 — but no sign of Mi 5 flagship

Chinese smartphone upstart Xiaomi today unveiled three new budget devices — a smartphone, a tablet, and an air purifier (yes, Xiaomi makes air purifiers). All three are updates to existing lines.

And, in a telling note, the company called it the “perfect ending to the year.”

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That means it’s unlikely to launch the much-anticipated Mi 5 flagship smartphone, which was originally slated for a 2015 release but has since been delayed by Qualcomm supply issues (it’s expected to run on a Snapdragon 820).

That disappointing news aside (we’ve pinged Xiaomi for further comment — Update: Xiaomi declined to comment on “unreleased products”), let’s dive straight into today’s new announcements.

First up is the all-metal $140 Redmi Note 3, notable for being the first Xiaomi smartphone to have a fingerprint scanner (Xiaomi claims it unlocks in 0.3 seconds) — useful now that Google has rolled out fingerprint authentication for purchases in the Google Play store.

Here are the full specs (available from 27 November in mainland China — though release dates outside China for all three devices have not yet been confirmed):

• Full metal body (gold, silver, dark grey)
• Fingerprint sensor (unlocks in 0.3 seconds)
• 4000 mAh battery that supports 5V/2A fast charging (can charge up to 50 percent in one hour)
• Flagship MTK Helio X10 processor: Octa-core 64-bit Cortex-A53 architecture (2GB/3GB dual-channel LP DDR 3RAM with 16GB/32GB internal storage)
• 13MP rear camera with PDAF and two-tone flash
• 5MP front camera
• 5.5-inch Full HD display (fully laminated)
• Thin and light (8.65mm at its thickest point, weighs 164g)
• Ships with MIUI 7

Next up is the $150 Mi Pad 2 (available from 27 November in mainland China), which also ships with a Windows 10 option available from late December:

• Full metal body (dark grey or champagne gold), 322g, 200.4 x 132.6 x 6.95mm (38g lighter and 18 percent thinner than first-generation Mi Pad)
• Intel Atom processor with Quad-core X5-Z8500 2.24GHz and Intel HD graphics
• 2GB DDR3 RAM with 16GB  or 64GB internal storage
• 7.9-inch IPS display (2048 x 1536 resolution at 326 PPI)
• 8MP rear camera (f/2.0) with 1080p video recording
• 5MP front camera with 75-degree wide-angle lens
• 6190mAh battery with 5V/2A fast charging

• 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1
• USB Type-C port
• MIUI 7 (Android 5.1) or Windows 10

And finally, the $110 Mi Air Purifier 2 (available from 27 November in mainland China):

• Standard filter is priced at $25, enhanced filter costs about $27
• 40 percent smaller body than original Mi Air Purifier (520mm tall, down from 735mm), with base area smaller than A4 sheet
• Effectively cleans air in a 23 meter-squared room in just 10 minutes
• Quieter than first generation (as low as 30db in night mode), and 58 percent more power-efficient
• Filters out 99.7% of PM 2.5 particles