The document reviews the Xiaomi Mi 4 smartphone. It has a 5-inch full HD display, is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor and 3GB of RAM. It has a 13MP rear camera and 8MP front camera. It runs Android KitKat with the MIUI interface and has a large 3,080mAh battery. The review praises the phone's stylish design, gorgeous display, powerful performance and very good battery life.

1. Xiaomi Mi 4
Review in pictures

2. Half the taste is in the presentation
• Looks very premium and
feels solid, thanks to a
stainless steel frame
• Chamfered edges and overall
design is reminiscent of the
Apple iPhone
• Narrow profile makes it apt
for one-handed usage
• IR blaster on the top band,
notification LED below the
home screen
• Glossy rear, sports a subtle
chequered pattern

3. Show me the screen
• The 5-inch display sports full HD resolution (441ppi)
• Uses OGS technology and is covered by a layer of Corning Concore glass
• Display quality is better than the Mi 3, and produces rich colours and
deep blacks
• No glove mode, but you can tweak colour temperature and saturation

4. New generation sensor and feature-rich camera
app
• 13MP latest-generation Sony
IMX214 stacked CMOS sensor
• Boasts an aperture size of
f/1.8, can shoot video in 4K
• The front camera bears 8MP
resolution
• Superfast focussing speeds
and HDR captures
• The app covers all possible
modes including a new
background refocus mode
• Colour filters, tweaks, and
immense creative control on
offer

5. The King of HDR
• Images shot in daylight look
good for the most part, and
so do close-ups
• Shoots noisy pics in low light
• HDR is its strongest point
though, as it can shoot very
fast, and outputs lovely
results
• Overall, the Mi 4’s primary
snapper isn’t revolutionary in
terms of quality, but is a
shade better than the Mi 3,
and quite capable

6. Android raised to power Mi
• Runs MIUI v5 atop Android
KitKat
• There’s no dedicated app
drawer, and gives you
multiple home screens where
all the apps, app folders and
widgets appear
• Just like the Mi 3, offers a
plethora of baked-in features,
including an in-call recorder,
lock screen controls that
switch to music playback
controls with a double tap etc

7. More power to Mi and you
• Loaded with customisation and
security features
• Extensive theme support
• Private area for text messages
• Security suite that includes a
cleaner, a data usage monitor, a
virus scanner and a power
manager
• Permission Monitor keeps tracks
of app permissions and let you
control this on a per-app level
• Frequent updates kill bugs and
add features
• MIUI v6 update already out in
beta, brings a neat, flat look, and
even more features

8. Steroidal performance for power users
• A zippy 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, paired with 3GB of RAM
tackles even heavy apps and games smoothly. This model offers 16GB storage
(with 12GB available), but there’s a 64GB variant in China too
• You can’t expand storage, but there’s USB OTG support if you need it
• Gets hot when stressed though
• Loaded with connectivity options, but NFC has been given the axe
• 4G model with support for Indian bands incoming, expected to be the one that
will land in India

9. Beefy battery loads up the juice
• The device is fuelled by a
3,080mAh sealed battery
• Lasts a full day
comfortably with
moderate usage
• Lasted eight and a half
hours in our standard
video playback test, when
on ‘High Performance’
mode
• The default ‘Balanced’
mode should offer even
better battery life

10. At a glance
• 5-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 pixel OGS
display (441ppi)
• 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm
Snapdragon 801 processor
• 3GB RAM
• 13-megapixel primary camera,
8MP front
• 16GB storage (non-expandable)
• USB OTG, infrared, 3G, dual-band
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth
4.0, A-GPS, GLONASS, Wi-Fi Direct,
Wi-Fi Hotspot, USB 2.0, TV-out via
MHL
• Android KitKat 4.4.2 with MIUI
• 3,080mAh battery
• FM Radio

11. -
• Non-expandable
storage
• NFC missing in action
• Runs hot when
stressed
Pros and cons
+
• Stylish, premium looks
and solid build
• Gorgeous display
• Very capable HDR mode
on the primary camera
• Blazingly-fast
performance
• Very good battery life
• Smorgasbord of useful
features in MIUI

12. Pricing and verdict
NA (not launched in India yet)
Expected: ~ Rs 22,000 (16GB)
“It’s not without its faults,
but the Xiaomi Mi 4 comes
across as a premium,
loaded device that will not
cost the earth. It looks like
a ramp model, performs
like a champ and on a
single charge, lasts as long
as a seasoned marathon
runner. The MIUI platform
and the features it offers
take it to another level.
What’s not to like?. ”