Glass-clad Xiaomi Mi Note sparkles (pictures)

Xiaomi's 5.7-inch phablet is clad in glass and steel, and has a premium feel that easily matches other high-end handsets.

The full-HD display is bright and vibrant.

The Xiaomi Mi Note is a premium phone that's half the price of current flagships.

The phone curves inwards at the sides, giving it an even slimmer look.

Machined speaker grills add to the premium feel.

Unlike the iPhone 6 Plus, the Mi Note has no protruding carriage for its camera.

Another view of the rear.

The Mi Note rear is made of glass, and isn't removable. The white version doesn't really show the fingerprint smudges, but the black model will.

The curved glass at the back is similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, though in this case, there's no display, of course.

Compared with the Xiaomi Mi 4 on the right, the Mi Note is a lot slimmer.

There's also a noticeable difference in size.

The Apple iPhone 6 Plus is only 0.15mm thicker than the Mi Note, but this is really noticeable on the front, where the camera props the phone up a little.

The Mi Note uses a longer SIM tray that accomodates both Micro and Nano formats.