While Xiaomi Malaysia have knocked down the price of their Xiaomi Mi-3 smartphone down to RM769, it looks like the smartphone a step below the Mi-3 could be coming to Malaysia soon. This smartphone is the Xiaomi Redmi 1S, which Xiaomi Malaysia have said will be coming in June but didn't say much about when exactly. While it may be a step below, the Xiaomi Redmi 1S is no slouch and offers tech specs and features which include:

• 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB storage + microSD
• 4.7-inch display (IPS, 1280 x 720 pixel resolution)
• 8MP rear camera (LED flash)
• 2000 mAh battery
• MIUI V5 (Android 4.3)

The Maxis ONEplan aims to offer a simple to understand and follow post-paid plan for new and existing Maxis users. Seeking to maintain this simplicity with their device bundles, Maxis have set the advance payment of a device retailing above RM400 to four months charge of either the ONEplan or ONEplan Lite while a device retailing below RM400 is only charged two months of either the ONEplan or ONEplan Lite plans. All advance payments are rebated into the customer's bills and loyal customers with more than 12 months on Maxis and who have a good credit record won't have to make these advance payments. So far, the device list includes the HTC One (M8), Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z2, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, HTC One (M7), Sony Xperia M2, Samsung Galaxy Ace 3, Huawei Ascend Y530 and the Xiaomi Mi 3. Check out the tables in this article for more details on the devices available.

As rumoured, DiGi is currently offering the Xiaomi Mi 3 for FREE provided you sign up for the SmartPlan 148 under a 24 month contract. If you don't mind paying either RM259 or RM499 you can sign up for the SmartPlan 78 and SmartPlan 108 for the same 24-month contract period. Loyal postpad users who have been with DiGi for 12 months and above won't have to pay any advanced payment but bear in mind that DiGi only have the Grey coloured version of the Xiaomi Mi 3 available. Users should also bear in mind that they will get the Mi 3 from 18 June but for the full details check out the table and links in this article.

Apart from the Xiaomi Mi 3 smartphone, the 10400 mAh Mi Power Bank also got very good response when it was available previously. Now that the second batch of Xiaomi products will be available tomorrow on 27 May 2014,Xiaomi Malaysia have announced that there will be 5000 units of the Mi Power Bank available for the same super low price of RM36. The Xiaomi Mi 3 smartphone is also getting an increase in the number of units available for sale with 6000 units available for tomorrow as well. Despite the larger amounts, we expect the Xiaomi Mi 3 and Mi Power Bank units to go just as fast as the previous record of 17 minutes but if you still want one, check out the buying guide and make sure your PayPal or Credit card is in working. As always, we would like to remind would-be-buyers not to rage too much if you don't get either device as we expect more Xiaomi Mi 3 smartphones and Mi Power banks to be coming soon. 

Just as was hinted by the DiGi registration of interest page for the Xiaomi Mi 3, the second batch of units for the smartphone has been announced for 27 May 2014. In response to the great demand for the first batch (and perhaps all the raging fans not being able to get through Xiaomi servers or PayPal payments) Xiaomi Malaysia have also announced that this second batch will consist of 6000 Xiaomi Mi 3 smartphones. While this is 2000 units more than the previous batch, we think this batch will go just as quickly, especially as some third-party sellers are buying the units in bulk and then reselling them at a higher price afterwards. No news if there are going to be any other limitations this time to stop this from happening, but again we reiterate that there is NO news that Xiaomi Malaysia will stop bringing in the Xiaomi Mi 3 just yet, so if you just wait and be a little patient, you will be able to get the smartphone at the normal retail price of RM889.

Xiaomi Malaysia recently posted that they have sold out their first batch of Xiaomi Mi 3 smartphones and Xiaomi Mi Power Bank in just 17 minutes. While it isn't as fast as Singapore (2 minutes) and China (under 10 minutes), it is probably the fastest time any smartphone seller has managed to sell out their first batch here in Malaysia. While it is understandable due to the limited 4000 units of Mi 3 smartphones and 5000 units of Mi Power Banks, it does set the bar for other online sellers here in Malaysia. That being said, we also hope that all the shipping is done on a timely basis as there have been previous cases of other online sellers selling out quickly but taking forever to ship out products before. As we've said previously, Xiaomi Malaysia will likely bring in more units soon. If you want it that bad, it should definitely be worth waiting for.

Today should be the day when every Malaysian gunning for a Xiaomi Mi 3 smartphone is online desperately trying to get the online store to complete the order. For those people, we wish them good luck, but then for those who didn't get it but still want it, DiGi has the smartphone available for registration of interest. While details about the plan bundles have yet to be announced, we expect that the Xiaomi Mi 3 will be offered for FREE on a 24 month contract under one of DiGi's Smart Plans to be available on 27 May 2014. Go check out the DiGi registration of interest page but if you'd still like a crack at getting the Xiaomi Mi 3 from Xiaomi Malaysia do check out our Buying guide article. Alternatively, you can also scroll down and see if there are any third-party sellers on MobileMegaMall selling the Xiaomi Mi 3 as well.

Today should be the day when every Malaysian gunning for a Xiaomi Mi 3 smartphone is online desperately trying to get the online store to complete the order. For those people, we wish them good luck, but then for those who didn't get it but still want it, DiGi has the smartphone available for registration of interest. While details about the plan bundles have yet to be announced, we expect that the Xiaomi Mi 3 will be offered for FREE on a 24 month contract under one of DiGi's Smart Plans to be available on 27 May 2014. Go check out the DiGi registration of interest page but if you'd still like a crack at getting the Xiaomi Mi 3 from Xiaomi Malaysia do check out our Buying guide article. Alternatively, you can also scroll down and see if there are any third-party sellers on MobileMegaMall selling the Xiaomi Mi 3 as well.

While it had a rather soft landing when it was first announced, Xiaomi Malaysia officially launched today with a bang. On top of news that they will begin selling their Xiaomi Mi 3 smartphone for RM889 and Mi Power Bank for RM36 tomorrow, they also revealed that the Mi 3 will be made available via DiGi, Celcom and Maxis. The current version of the MIUI interface running on the Mi 3 has been revealed to be Android 4.3 with news that the Android 4.4 Kitkat version is coming soon as well. In preparation for the upcoming deluge of Xiaomi users, Xiaomi Malaysia will open 4 service centers in Malaysia, with a centre in Kelantan, Perak, Pulau Pinang and Selangor for now.

Xiaomi Malaysia will begin selling their Xiaomi Mi 3 smartphone at RM889 and 10400 mAh Mi Power Bank at RM36 tomorrow at exactly 12pm on 20 May 2014. Sales will be done entirely online and there are only limited amounts of the Xiaomi Mi 3 (4000 units) and Mi Power Bank (5000 units). We expect them to be gone in minutes if not seconds but Xiaomi Malaysia are limiting only 1 unit of Mi 3 smartphone per order and 2 units of Mi Power Bank per order. Both come in just Silver so there won't be any rush for gold or red colour versions. You will have to register for PayPal which you can do with any local credit card and most debit cards. We advise you to login early and have a very fast connection to stand a chance of getting any units from the first batch but do remember that more batches will be coming so don't get too down if you don't make it. Also remember that just getting it to your cart does not mean you've bought it, so once you do, make sure you get a confirmed payment as soon as possible. For a step by step guide check out this article.