Nine months ago Xiaomi released the Mi3 and over 10 million sales of it later they have announced the successor, the Mi4. While yet to make a significant mark outside of China, Xiaomi signalled their intentions earlier this year when they expanded to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and India, selling devices as fast as they put them up available for purchase. At one stage they sold 100,000 Mi3’s in 86 seconds. This is in addition to their move in hiring Hugo Barra of Google fame to be Vice President of International.
So far in 2014 Xiaomi have sold over 26 million phones so they are far from being a small company. A lot is expected with their 2014 flagship and it seems they have not disappointed when it comes to the specifications. The Mi4 is exactly what we have come to expect from the upper end of Chinese manufacturers, high end specs at a relatively low end price. The specs for the Mi4 are:
- 2.5Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
- 3GB RAM
- 16 or 64GB Flash memory
- 5in 1080p IPS display
- 13MP Rear camera
- 8MP Front facing camera
- 139.2 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm, 149gm
- 3080,Ah battery with quick charging technology
- UMTS, TDD-LTE, and FDD-LTE support
- Approx. $320US (16GB) and $400US (64GB)
- Optional: approx. US$ 16 screen & water accident insurance
- Stainless steel frame
- Swappable back plate
- MIUI6
Xiaomi have made a point showing the process that goes into the manufacture of the device, including the stylish design and the stainless steel frame. It seems they have missed nothing off the list when it comes to the wish list of enthusiasts like us. Joining the manufacturers offering customisation Xiaomi are also offering swappable back covers in wooden and stone finishes.
At the same time Xiaomi also announced a stylish looking fitband. Not an Android Wear smart watch but more along the lines of a Fitbit-style fitband. The fitband does all the standard things expected of a fitband as well as being able to unlock your phone. It looks like a great addition to the Mi4 and at a price of under $13US (yes, that’s not a typo) it’s a no-brainer as far as I am concerned.
Personally I will be watching these two devices very closely. The presence of capacitive buttons dulls the excitement slightly but hopefully it will be possible to switch them off within the OS. The Mi4 will be running MIUI6 so it won’t be exactly stock Android but MIUI is extremely customisable and themeable so it you can make it look how you want it to. No word on it’s release yet but is expected to be in Q3 of this year. Around August 16 when MIUI6 drops is a fair date to expect it to arrive. It is also unknown as to whether they plan to branch out to other countries so if you want one a grey market importer like Mobicity may be your best bet.
Anyone else interested in this phone? It certainly is a good looking device but let’s face it, in the past their devices have been less then spectacular. In recent times they have been hitting the ball out of the park a lot with the Mi3, the Mx3, the Oppo Find 7 to name a few but is it enough to tempt you to trust a Chinese brand?
Great specs at a bargain price.
The Miui 6 is an IOS rippoff and I can imagaine Xiaomi eventually being sued by Apple.
Xiaomi phones are available countries where Apple would have a hard time suing them.
So I guess this means Xiaomi will never sell phones in a place like Australia. BOO !!!!
xiaomi could b a option to those people who doesnt want to be ripped off by apple and samsung, but the thing is it is very hard to buy, all sold out within minutes…
I want the MiBand, at that price it’s a no brainer when compared to Fitbit etc.
It sounds great.
One question though, does it have microSD support?
No word on that Jeni but I doubt it.
the prototype leaks did.
Im more concerned about the lack of Qi charging, just invested in chargers for the S5 and wanted a Xiaomi handset for either myself or wife, won’t now.
Would you need microSD support with a 64gb version? with the troubles I am having with microSD card support 64GB sounds like a great option
My basic data loadout is currently at 30Gb, Damien. A collection of media files and docs. I have to use 64Gb microSD cards to store it.
So for my use, I do actually need microSD support even on a 64Gb device.
And before you suggest that I use ‘The Cloud’ for mobile data storage and retrieval, the data costs on pre-paid make using ‘The Cloud’ an unworkable proposition.
I agree the cloud is not a solution. But am I missing something. 30GB data, sub 10 GB for OS and installed apps. Why would you need an SD. You still have just under 20GB to play with.