As you might already know, the Mi 4i is finally alive and kicking. If you aren’t aware of the specifications, go over the numbers real quick: there’s a 5-inch 1080p screen, an octa-core 64-bit Snapdragon 615 (2nd gen), 2GB of RAM, a 13 mega-pixel rear sensor (as seen on the Mi Note) with dual tone flash, a 5 mega-pixel front sensor, a 3120mAh battery and a polycarbonate body that’s 7.8mm thin. Full specifications can be found here.
LetsĀ get to the meat of the matter now. Ā The Mi 4i is a ‘knocked down’ Mi 4, and features a polycarbonate body in contrast to the Mi 4’s metal frame. This doesn’t just makeĀ the Mi 4i a less expensive phone, but it also gives the device an altogether different appeal.
That, paired with the 7.8mm thickness make the Mi 4i quite a winner, at least as far as build and ease of handling the device are concerned.
The Mi 4i is all about colour; the ‘boring’ white-backlit capacitive buttons now make way for more colourful, youthful blue backlights.
It’ll come in a variety of different colors, including White, Black, Red, Yellow and Blue. Every colour variant has a glossy finish to it barring the Black one.
The rear camera of the phone reminds you a lot of the eldest Mi bro, the Mi Note. Two tone flash on a $200 device is pretty impressive, and unlike other ‘shanzhai’ phones this one seemingly will work as advertised.
Here’s how the Mi 4i stacks up against the original Mi 4, which certainly looks dated and pale in comparison to the Mi 4i which is a lot more in-the-face.
The notification LED is moved from the bottom to the top of the phone, which certainly seems like a good idea. Also, this one seems to be a lot more brighter than the one found on the Mi 4.
Speakers on the Mi 4i have now been moved to the rear of the phone… the Mi 4 has them on the ‘chin’ i.e., bottom edge.
The front camera is a 5 mega-pixel sensor with a wide angle 80 degree lens with an f/1.8 aperture (unless Xiaomi got it wrong on the slides; the rear was mentioned to have an f/2.0 aperture).
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What’s perhaps most impressive is that there’s a 3120mAh battery on the Mi 4i, which is in fact larger capacity than the Mi Note. The battery works at 4.4V and is quick charge compatible.
Xiaomi will ship the Mi 4i with a coating that will make it virtually impossible to spoil. During the presentation, Barra played a little video that showed a permanent marker being used on the Mi 4i’s rear cover, the marking of which was removed using an eraser from the Mi 4i’s back!
The Snapdragon 615 has had heating issues in the past, it will be interesting to see if the problem persists. In any case, the polycarbonate rear should help.
Keep reading after this break if you wish to know about how the presentation was conducted; else, feel free to discuss the Mi 4i (and it’s possible rivals) in the comments section below. We’ll soon be bringing you the review of the phone!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-IlCcQJ6NY]
Launch Recap
In one ofĀ the grandestĀ Xiaomi launches to date, the company showcased its Mi 4i in New Delhi, India today. There had been a lot of speculation around the phone, and leaks almost let the cat out of the bag. Xiaomi’s global face, Hugo Barra, however managed to keep the interest alive during the event.
Xiaomi did a lot of teasers and such acrossĀ their social media channels that built up a lot of hype prior to the launch event. To show its love for its ‘MiFans’, Xiaomi invited scores of non-media folks — who incidentally or not, made the most noise.
After he took centerstage, Xiaomi bosses including Bin Lin, Lei Jun and India head Manu Jain were greeted.
BarraĀ started off with a little history about Xiaomi and went on to speak how the company has been growing in the past couple of years (which was indeed impressive). It was clear however that Barra was going through the motions at that point and wanted to speak about the device – it was great to see the passion in the senior Xiaomi exec.
Interesting shot, don’t you think?
The phone itself was revealed bit by bit… although everyone did have a fair idea of what was to come. Like I said, however, Barra did his best to keep everyone on their toes, and did manage to do that for the most part.
After announcing the phone, Barra even pulled off a ‘one more thing…‘ covered in a ‘the end?‘ cloak… that’s when he announced the Mi Band for India at 999 INR (US$16). Mi Bands were also presented to each attendee in a Xiaomi goodie bag along with an Mi T-shirt.
Media and fans were then given a hands on time of 3 minutes with the device (which is why we haven’t been able learn as much as we’d like about the Mi 4i) which, honestly, sucks.
Too bad, really bad, for missing of the Sd Card slot š
16 Gb are not too much, nowadays
The phone is pretty nice but no microSD and the price are killing it. It’s close to what the Redmi 2 should have been. The 2A at 499CNY, this with a quad A53 at 1.5Ghz instead of the Redmi 2 at 799CNY, the Mi4 at 1500CNY , the Mi Note at 1800 and the Pro at 1999 would have been a very compelling product line,missing only a new Redmi Note. An 8 inch 1920×1200 tab with MT8173 at 999CNY or less and an updated Mipad with Tegra X1 would complement it nicely.
Oh well ,maybe at least they do a half decent watch at 99$,although if it works only with their phones, they got no phones worth buying.
So what would be in your opinion the best alternative for each category for the price you mentioned? Don’t mind of SD card.
That would take too long but i do have to say that people should avoid buying anything above 200-250$ now unless they have to. A72 is looking too good and hopefully we should start seeing it in phones late this year and a bit sooner in tabs.
Snapdragon 620 should somewhat match the Galaxy S6 in single core perf, sure it’s just 2xA72+2xA53 but that’s good enough.. And SD620 is clocked at just 1.8GHz and a midrange SoC. The high end will be a lot faster.
You really don’t want to buy SD810 or 801 now since they’ll be outclassed even by midrange SoCs very soon.On the CPU side at least.
I asked you which phone not which SoC for the money you mentioned.
I’m trying to understand how did you come out with those prices.
So far you have to mention 4 phones:
An alternative of:
– 2A at 500CNY price range
– MI4 at 1500CNY price range
– MI Note at 1800CNY price range
– Note Pro at 2000CNY price range.
I am still trying to figure that out too. Waiting for his explanation of how he came up with those prices.
I came up with those prices based on Xiaomi’s own products in the previous years , prices for other products on the market and parts costs.
Xiaomi’s own products in previous years? The Redmi 2 costs the same as the original Hongmi did when it launched. The Mi4 costs the same as the original Mi1 did. The Mi Note/Pro and Mi4i are brand new product lines which have no previous models to compare prices to. You still haven’t answered Max as to the supposed alternatives at each one of those price points.
I actually didn’t even reply to him because he came out with such huge amount of nonsense that I don’t even know where to start.
I guess he’s just trolling and that’s it.
I’m staying away from any debate with him, I’ll let him think whether he’d like to think
Yea he always posts the same thing on Xiaomi’s articles. He always tries to claim Xiaomi is constantly raising prices compared to their old models.
But so far he never reasoned his theories and whenever you ask him to do so then he starts talking about ARM cores and Antutu scores.
So buying Xiaomi Mi Note Pro who has 810, is a bad idea!? I have Mi3 and want to upgrade. Note pro was a good idea. What you think about it!?
The Pro costs a lot, so that’s the first big problem.
The other problem is that the A57 core aren’t doing too well on 20nm so Snapdragon 810 is a dud. The Galaxy S6 is using a Samsung made quad A57 on 14nm and is a lot faster but nobody else has that SoC yet.
A72 is a new core and SoCs with it will arrive soon. First for midrange at lower clocks and then for the high end at much higher clocks.
If you upgrade your phone every year then maybe you don’t care since you’ll get another one a year from now.
If you do care , A72 at high clocks in high end SoCs should be some 80% to 100% faster than SD810 but those won’t arrive all that soon. The midrange SoCs will kinda match the S6 in single core performance.
Then there is the Snapdragon 820 that will arrive in 6 to 12 months and should in theory be even faster.
So i guess it depends on how often and how much you like to spend on your phones.
Alright, you might be correct…but A72 at what price will it arrive? I wanted Pro, as it has 64GB (I now have Mi3w 64GB version), 4G+ (LTE at 450mbps), Snapdragon 810, which is much faster from my Snapdragon 800 and 4GB of Ram. Mi4 has not an LTE version of 64GB and I don;t want to get a 16GB version mobile, is too small for me. Usually I change my phones every 1-2 years. I’ll see after it comes out, what the reviews will say…
I would wait for some reviews of the Note Pro to come out before making a decision one way or the other.
I agree with you. I’m thinking of pro as an natural update of my phone, sincew Mi4 has only a little faster SOC, nothing else to give me (I have 64GB version and there is not a LTE 64GB version of Mi4)
Well, it looks nice but is very expensive and the Snapdragon 810 is not as powerful as it could be due to thermal throttling, may have heat issues too. I wanted one but its so expensive after resell price hikes especially for a phone with a cpu that was not well received, main issue though is the lack of 4G FDD-LTE bands, only supports 1800/2100 so doesnt support UK networks properly
Unless they have some sort of official presence in Europe, it is entirely hit or miss whether Chinese phones will support your LTE bands. Some will but most probably wont. The reason is most brands are still relatively unknown outside of Asia, sales are minor enough that it doesn’t justify the added expense of adding support in for those bands.
Why should people avoid paying above $200-250? Because you say so? Not everyone has the same amount of disposable income or the same views as you. Some people have more money to spend and will do so if they are getting a quality product. I paid $325 for my Mi4 and think it was worth every penny. I would have paid even more if I didn’t find it on sale. I already have my next phone picked out and its the Vivo Xshot which is currently on sale in Thailand for around $340US. I will gladly pay that for what many consider the best camera phone available.
bro , wait for the new vivo instead. if u gonna spend yer hard earned cash , do it on the latest and most hifi device available..
The newest Vivo Xshot will cost over $700 here lol. I don’t need the latest technology just a very good camera. My priorities when looking for a phone are:
1. Software – bad software can ruin even the best hardware. Even custom rom’s don’t always work as advertised on some phones.
2. Camera –
3. Price – I usually budget up to $400 for my newest phone but prefer to spend under that if possible.
4. RAM/ROM
5. Design – I prefer under 9mm
6. SoC – as long as it is at least a good midrange SoC it works for me.
7. Display – I could care less as long it is HD (720, 1080 or 2k). I have used some very good 720p displays that looked excellent and used less resources.
well , then the xshot is a natural and obvious choice , i guess.
The Xshot is good but the camera is not as good as some with OIS. Read the gsmarena review and you will get a better idea. Vivos main problem is software updates though, not sure the xshot will ever see lollipop and even it does it will be china only and the funtouchUI skin is not the best. However OIS options under $400 are slim on the ground, the new LeTV phones are options but no reviews out yet. This new xiaomi may be a good option if the camera turns out to be decent and you can look past having just 16gb memory.
I think you are confused the Xshot has OIS. I don’t need to read any reviews (although most of them say it is the best camera they ever have used), I have actually used the phone multiple times (friend has it). The camera is better than anything I have ever seen in an Android Smartphone including the one Xiaomi is going to use for this new phone. I have used FunTouch and by adding Nova Launcher it is a very good UI.
How would you know if it is the best camera if there are lots of android phones you have never used? Gsmarena goes in depth and tests it properly and talks about alternatives…. http://www.gsmarena.com/vivo_xshot-review-1238p8.php
How do you know what I have and haven’t used? I said its the best camera I have seen in an Android phone. Meaning of every Android phone I have actually physically seen (which is more than you can imagine) this one has the best camera. Also the reviews I have read (including the one on this site) agree that it is one of the best cameras available. Something on GSM Arena is not going to change my opinion.
https://www.gizchina.com/2014/07/28/vivo-xshot-review/
Well the Mi4 was ok last year, not now and you are fully missing the point.
But then again you never do more than troll.
Mi4 was very good last year and still is this year. I don’t get your point at all.
As opposed to you who just trolls about how Xiaomi is too expensive but then never really explain why?
Hold on…Xshot 2 is in development..if u can manage by end of year(i guess)..i think you will get best worth for your money.
Xshot 2 will cost over $700 here in Thailand. I have no problems paying $300 for last years tech, which is still one of the best camera phones ever made, but $700 is too much.
Too bad, really bad, for missing of the Sd Card slot š
16 Gb are not too much, nowadays
The phone is pretty nice but no microSD and the price are killing it. It’s close to what the Redmi 2 should have been. The 2A at 499CNY, this with a quad A53 at 1.5Ghz instead of the Redmi 2 at 799CNY, the Mi4 at 1500CNY , the Mi Note at 1800 and the Pro at 1999 would have been a very compelling product line,missing only a new Redmi Note. An 8 inch 1920×1200 tab with MT8173 at 999CNY or less and an updated Mipad with Tegra X1 would complement it nicely.
Oh well ,maybe at least they do a half decent watch at 99$,although if it works only with their phones, they got no phones worth buying.
So what would be in your opinion the best alternative for each category for the price you mentioned? Don’t mind of SD card.
That would take too long but i do have to say that people should avoid buying anything above 200-250$ now unless they have to. A72 is looking too good and hopefully we should start seeing it in phones late this year and a bit sooner in tabs.
Snapdragon 620 should somewhat match the Galaxy S6 in single core perf, sure it’s just 2xA72+2xA53 but that’s good enough.. And SD620 is clocked at just 1.8GHz and a midrange SoC. The high end will be a lot faster.
You really don’t want to buy SD810 or 801 now since they’ll be outclassed even by midrange SoCs very soon.On the CPU side at least.
I asked you which phone not which SoC for the money you mentioned.
I’m trying to understand how did you come out with those prices.
So far you have to mention 4 phones:
An alternative of:
– 2A at 500CNY price range
– MI4 at 1500CNY price range
– MI Note at 1800CNY price range
– Note Pro at 2000CNY price range.
So buying Xiaomi Mi Note Pro who has 810, is a bad idea!? I have Mi3 and want to upgrade. Note pro was a good idea. What you think about it!?
Why should people avoid paying above $200-250? Because you say so? Not everyone has the same amount of disposable income or the same views as you. Some people have more money to spend and will do so if they are getting a quality product. I paid $325 for my Mi4 and think it was worth every penny. I would have paid even more if I didn’t find it on sale. I already have my next phone picked out and its the Vivo Xshot which is currently on sale in Thailand for around $340US. I will gladly pay that for what many consider the best camera phone available.
I am still trying to figure that out too. Waiting for his explanation of how he came up with those prices.
bro , wait for the new vivo instead. if u gonna spend yer hard earned cash , do it on the latest and most hifi device available..
Well the Mi4 was ok last year, not now and you are fully missing the point.
But then again you never do more than troll.
The Pro costs a lot, so that’s the first big problem.
The other problem is that the A57 core aren’t doing too well on 20nm so Snapdragon 810 is a dud. The Galaxy S6 is using a Samsung made quad A57 on 14nm and is a lot faster but nobody else has that SoC yet.
A72 is a new core and SoCs with it will arrive soon. First for midrange at lower clocks and then for the high end at much higher clocks.
If you upgrade your phone every year then maybe you don’t care since you’ll get another one a year from now.
If you do care , A72 at high clocks in high end SoCs should be some 80% to 100% faster than SD810 but those won’t arrive all that soon. The midrange SoCs will kinda match the S6 in single core performance.
Then there is the Snapdragon 820 that will arrive in 6 to 12 months and should in theory be even faster.
So i guess it depends on how often and how much you like to spend on your phones.
I came up with those prices based on Xiaomi’s own products in the previous years , prices for other products on the market and parts costs.
The newest Vivo Xshot will cost over $700 here lol. I don’t need the latest technology just a very good camera. My priorities when looking for a phone are:
1. Software – bad software can ruin even the best hardware. Even custom rom’s don’t always work as advertised on some phones.
2. Camera –
3. Price – I usually budget up to $400 for my newest phone but prefer to spend under that if possible.
4. RAM/ROM
5. Design – I prefer under 9mm
6. SoC – as long as it is at least a good midrange SoC it works for me.
7. Display – I could care less as long it is HD (720, 1080 or 2k). I have used some very good 720p displays that looked excellent and used less resources.
well , then the xshot is a natural and obvious choice , i guess.
Mi4 was very good last year and still is this year. I don’t get your point at all.
As opposed to you who just trolls about how Xiaomi is too expensive but then never really explain why?
Xiaomi’s own products in previous years? The Redmi 2 costs the same as the original Hongmi did when it launched. The Mi4 costs the same as the original Mi1 did. The Mi Note/Pro and Mi4i are brand new product lines which have no previous models to compare prices to. You still haven’t answered Max as to the supposed alternatives at each one of those price points.
I would wait for some reviews of the Note Pro to come out before making a decision one way or the other.
I agree with you. I’m thinking of pro as an natural update of my phone, sincew Mi4 has only a little faster SOC, nothing else to give me (I have 64GB version and there is not a LTE 64GB version of Mi4)
Alright, you might be correct…but A72 at what price will it arrive? I wanted Pro, as it has 64GB (I now have Mi3w 64GB version), 4G+ (LTE at 450mbps), Snapdragon 810, which is much faster from my Snapdragon 800 and 4GB of Ram. Mi4 has not an LTE version of 64GB and I don;t want to get a 16GB version mobile, is too small for me. Usually I change my phones every 1-2 years. I’ll see after it comes out, what the reviews will say…
The Xshot is good but the camera is not as good as some with OIS. Read the gsmarena review and you will get a better idea. Vivos main problem is software updates though, not sure the xshot will ever see lollipop and even it does it will be china only and the funtouchUI skin is not the best. However OIS options under $400 are slim on the ground, the new LeTV phones are options but no reviews out yet. This new xiaomi may be a good option if the camera turns out to be decent and you can look past having just 16gb memory.
Well, it looks nice but is very expensive and the Snapdragon 810 is not as powerful as it could be due to thermal throttling, may have heat issues too. I wanted one but its so expensive after resell price hikes especially for a phone with a cpu that was not well received, main issue though is the lack of 4G FDD-LTE bands, only supports 1800/2100 so doesnt support UK networks properly
I think you are confused the Xshot has OIS. I don’t need to read any reviews (although most of them say it is the best camera they ever have used), I have actually used the phone multiple times (friend has it). The camera is better than anything I have ever seen in an Android Smartphone including the one Xiaomi is going to use for this new phone. I have used FunTouch and by adding Nova Launcher it is a very good UI.
Unless they have some sort of official presence in Europe, it is entirely hit or miss whether Chinese phones will support your LTE bands. Some will but most probably wont. The reason is most brands are still relatively unknown outside of Asia, sales are minor enough that it doesn’t justify the added expense of adding support in for those bands.
I actually didn’t even reply to him because he came out with such huge amount of nonsense that I don’t even know where to start.
I guess he’s just trolling and that’s it.
I’m staying away from any debate with him, I’ll let him think whether he’d like to think
Yea he always posts the same thing on Xiaomi’s articles. He always tries to claim Xiaomi is constantly raising prices compared to their old models.
But so far he never reasoned his theories and whenever you ask him to do so then he starts talking about ARM cores and Antutu scores.
How would you know if it is the best camera if there are lots of android phones you have never used? Gsmarena goes in depth and tests it properly and talks about alternatives…. http://www.gsmarena.com/vivo_xshot-review-1238p8.php
How do you know what I have and haven’t used? I said its the best camera I have seen in an Android phone. Meaning of every Android phone I have actually physically seen (which is more than you can imagine) this one has the best camera. Also the reviews I have read (including the one on this site) agree that it is one of the best cameras available. Something on GSM Arena is not going to change my opinion.
http://www.gizchina.com/2014/07/28/vivo-xshot-review/
Hold on…Xshot 2 is in development..if u can manage by end of year(i guess)..i think you will get best worth for your money.
Xshot 2 will cost over $700 here in Thailand. I have no problems paying $300 for last years tech, which is still one of the best camera phones ever made, but $700 is too much.
I love my Mi4 and don’t regret buying it but I would seriously consider buying this as my new work phone, as my company pays up to $200 toward the cost.
I think the Mi4i will be my next phone, especially considering the cost savings.
Sounds like it is going to be a very good phone. Can’t wait to read some hands on reviews of it.
I don’t think so… Better Mi3 than this s**t.
I love my Mi4 and don’t regret buying it but I would seriously consider buying this as my new work phone, as my company pays up to $200 toward the cost.
I think the Mi4i will be my next phone, especially considering the cost savings.
Sounds like it is going to be a very good phone. Can’t wait to read some hands on reviews of it.
I don’t think so… Better Mi3 than this s**t.
White model and black are matt finish.. Not just the black one. Edit your text
White model and black are matt finish.. Not just the black one. Edit your text
why there is a red Mi4i and the video shows a pink one? will be available on red too?
Yeah.
why there is a red Mi4i and the video shows a pink one? will be available on red too?
Yeah.
IS there any device heating issuse ???
IS THERE ANY DEVICE HEATING ISSUES ON MI4I ??? I AM INTERESTED TO BUY PLZ SUGGEST !!!
Yes, the only thing it performs wel is heat up. Turning it on heats it up. One minute voice call heats it up. I’ve become the laughing stock of my office for buying it. Good for winters. You can warm your ear while speaking.
IS there any device heating issuse ???
IS THERE ANY DEVICE HEATING ISSUES ON MI4I ??? I AM INTERESTED TO BUY PLZ SUGGEST !!!
Yes, the only thing it performs wel is heat up. Turning it on heats it up. One minute voice call heats it up. I’ve become the laughing stock of my office for buying it. Good for winters. You can warm your ear while speaking.