The Xiaomi Mi 4i is a compact smartphone with a premium design, 5-inch Full HD display, and excellent build quality. It features a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera, both capable of impressive photography, although low-light performance may be mixed. Powered by a Snapdragon 615 processor and 2GB of RAM, the device offers smooth performance, good battery life, and is priced competitively at Rs 12,999, making it a strong contender in its segment.

1. Xiaomi Mi 4i
Review in pictures
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2. Good things come in small packages
The Xiaomi Mi 4i boasts a premium look and feel, thanks to its unibody design and soft-
touch matte finish at the rear
The 7.8mm thin chassis isn't the slimmest we've seen, but overall, the Mi 4i has to be one
of the most compact smartphones with 5-inch displays
The compact size makes one-handed usage a breeze
The attention to detail is obvious, and shows that a lot of thought has gone into the design
DESIGN

3. Brings in the sunshine
The 5-inch full HD display is gorgeous
Good viewing angles and excellent touch response
Gets Corning Concore protection
Features Sunlight Display tech that adjusts contrast of each pixel in real time to
enhance viewability under harsh lighting, making the screen appear more natural
DISPLAY

4. Snappers heavy on specs and features
Sports a 13MP primary camera
with dual-tone LED flash, and a
5MP front camera
Standard MIUI camera app
App features filters with live
previews, and modes such as
panorama, HDR, refocus,
manual and HHT (handheld
twilight)
The manual mode allows you to
tweak parameters such as ISO
and white balance
There’s an exposure ring
available if you tap on the
screen, while the flash options
include a torch mode that keeps
the LEDs on as you shoot
CAMERA

5. High on dynamic range and other capabilities
Can shoot impressive stills,
especially if the ambient light is
good
The close-ups look great too,
while the HDR mode does
wonders to liven up the image
quality as well
Shots taken in low light and at
night show mixed results though,
with apparent softness and noise
The front shooter comes with the
Beautify mode turned on by
default, but it can take decent
selfies even without it
Low Light
Sunlight
CAMERA

6. Mi, U and I
Runs MIUI v6, with
Android Lollipop as the
base
The platform boasts theme
support, and useful
features like a security
suite, call recording and a
private area for SMSes
Tons of tweaks and
customisation options
Absolute control over stuff
like notifications, data
access, permissions,
button behaviour, battery
profiles etc
USERINTERFACE

7. It’s a workhorse…
Powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor and 2GB of RAM
Smooth performance for everyday tasks and navigation
Tiny hint of lag while playing intensive games, an issue which can be resolved by
clearing out background apps and switching to the performance profile
Gets warm when stressed
16GB fixed internal storage with 11GB free. USB OTG support included
PERFORMANCE

8. …with a battery that refuses to die
Features an ample
3,120mAh battery
Drops to around 35 percent
by the end of the day with
regular use comprising
phone calls, WhatsApp,
social media and Wi-Fi
Can last through the day
even with heavy usage
Lasted 10 hours and 30
minutes in our battery drain
test, using the balanced
profile
PERFORMANCE

9. At a glance…
5-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 pixel OGS display
(441ppi)
Octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, with
two quad-core Cortex-A53 clusters clocked
at 1.7GHz and 1.1GHz respectively
2GB RAM
13-megapixel primary camera, 5MP front
16GB storage (non-expandable)
USB OTG, dual-SIM, 4G, dual-band Wi-Fi
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1, A-GPS,
GLONASS, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-
Fi Display, USB 2.0
Android Lollipop 5.0.2 with MIUI v6
3,120mAh battery
FM Radio

10. Pros and Cons
Compact size, stylish looks and
solid build
Gorgeous screen with Sunlight
Display technology
Capable cameras
Feature-loaded MIUI platform
with Android Lollipop
Excellent battery life
Non-expandable storage
Slight lag noticeable on balanced
mode

11. Pricing & Verdict
Price:
Rs 12,999
“There’s nothing in the same league as the Xiaomi Mi 4i in
its price range, especially if you combine parameters such
as full HD screen resolution and 4G support. From the
gorgeous Sunlight Display-powered screen, solid build,
reasonably smooth performance, capable shooters… right
up to the excellent battery life, the Mi 4i has it all. It’s the
compact handset that offers almost everything a flagship
would, for an attractive price. If you can manage with the
offered storage, it should at the top of your shortlist”